COMEDY LISTINGS - APRIL 2013

Hello there you lot. Hope you all had a good March - and by 'good' I mean I hope you didn't actually freeze to death. I admit I didn't go to see much comedy last month (with the exception of the last ever Lions Eat Ice Cream, during which I made my performance debut as the chief baker at 'Leicester Comedy Scone'). This 'month off' has given my sense of humour a much-needed break after the festival and also allowed me to sorting my work/life balance out, meaning I should now be able to devote more time to watching and writing about comedy - hurray!

So let's start with April's listings, which include solo shows from cheeky Londoner Micky Flanagan, one-of-a-kind mime/prop man The Boy With Tape On His Face and everyone's favourite grumpy American Rich Hall. Adam Buxton returns with his music/video/comedy show 'Bug' and The Criterion hosts the first outing of brand new improv group The Same Faces. Also, don't forget there's still time to enter our awesome three-in-one ticket competition, in which you can win tickets for Zoe Lyons etc on the 6th, Barbara Nice/Mae Martin on the 9th and four tickets to any Fri/Sat show in April at Just the Tonic, with free booze thrown in for good measure! The closing date is midday on Wednesday 3rd, so don't delay - click here to enter today!

Thu 4th - Big Value Comedy Auditions @ Just the Tonic
Fri 5th - Steve Royle, Chris Mayo, Mark Maier, Pierre Hollins @ Loughborough Town Hall
Fri 5th / Sat 6th - Mark Maier, Pierre Hollins, Debra-Jane Appelby, Ben Van Der Velde @ Just the Tonic
Sat 6th - Zoe Lyons, Ed Gamble, Paul McCaffrey, Ian Smith @ The Y
Mon 8th - Al Murray @ Loughborough Town Hall

Tue 9th - Barbara Nice, Mae Martin, Maureen Younger @ Duffy's Bar
Tue 9th - Adam Buxton: BUG @ Phoenix Square

Tue 9th - The Reduced Shakespeare Company @ Loughborough Town HallThu 11th - Big Value Comedy Auditions @ Just the Tonic
Fri 12th - Markus Birdman, Mandy Muden, Ben Schofield, Spiky Mike @Market Harborough RUFCFri 12th / Sat 13th -  Johnny Candon, Andrew Bird, Liam Mullone, Matt Richardson @ Just the Tonic
Wed 18th - Nibbles with Giggles @ Entropy
Thu 18th - The Boy With Tape On His Face @ Just the Tonic
Fri 19th / Sat 20th - John Robins, Will Franken, Geoff Norcott, Romesh Ranganathan @ Just the Tonic
Sat 20th - Rob Rouse, Tony Jameson, Nick Doody, Rhys Matthewson @ The Y
Sat 20th - UFI: Unidentified Flying Improv @ The Looking Glass
Sat 20th - Maff Brown, Martin Beaumont, Joe Rowntree @ Lutterworth Piano RoomSun 21st - Micky Flanagan @ De Montfort Hall
Sun 21st - Should I Stay or Should I Go? @ Kayal
Wed 24th - Antony King - Not Normal @ The Guildhall
Thu 25th - Big Value Comedy Auditions @ Just the Tonic
Thu 25th - Rich Hall @ De Montfort Hall
Fri 26th - Ivan Brackenbury, Dylan Rhymer, Ian D Montford, Darrell Martin @ Just the Tonic
Sat 27th - Hormonal Housewives @ De Montfort Hall
Sat 27th - The Same Faces @ The Criterion
Sat 27th - Ivan Brackenbury, Dylan Rhymer, Marlon Davis, Darrell Martin @ Just the Tonic
Mon 29th - The Raymond & Mr Timpkins Revue, Romesh Ranganathan, Anthony King, Dave Twentyman @ Sileby Conservative Club

As usual, let me know if you want to add anything to the list, by email, on the facebook page or on twitter.
Toodle-pip!

COMEDY LISTINGS - March 2013

Right then - with the Festival done and dusted for another year, it's time to resume something approaching normal service in Leicester, which means firstly that comedy fans might actually be starting to enjoy some normal evenings at home; and secondly that all the comics who performed will be either relaxing in the knowledge that their new shows are coming together nicely, or nervously trying to book more practice gigs and write new material if their shows didn't fare so well. It also means once again that Leicester Comedy Scene is the only place you'll find full monthly listings of all the city's comic happenings (smug mode engaged).

Katherine Ryan

Picks of this month include panel show botherer Katherine Ryan at the Cookie this Thursday, political animal Mark Thomas at JTT, two chances to catch newly crowned Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year Romesh Ranganathan, and what is apparently the last ever Lions Eat Ice Cream (sobs into cornflakes). Read on, comedy fans...

FESTIVAL DIARY DAY 10 - Pat Cahill, Liam Mullone & Ian Crawford

Ten days in, there is a distinct pattern emerging to my daily festival routine. Namely: sleep in as late as possible; do my write-ups; do lots of coughing and nose-blowing; dose myself up with medication and load my pockets with tissues for the evening shows, which go by in blur of laughter, moderate amounts of alcohol, smoking and comedy-based chatter; then puff, pant and swear my way back uphill to my house and collapse in bed. Livin' the dream... And yesterday was no exception - even the lure of the mid-festival party at Just The Tonic's late bar was not enough to keep me out past half ten... I must be getting old.

Original thinker - Pat Cahill

Thankfully, though, I was treated to 3 very different sets of enjoyable stand-up along the way.

FESTIVAL DIARY DAY 9 - Doc Brown shines amongst the Friday night chaos

Good Lordy - it's the middle Saturday of the festival already! That means we're half way through, and I've seen upwards of 20 shows in a week (most of them good); cycled about 40 miles in the process; met and wittered at lots of performers, judges, punters and promoters; had my brain thoroughly rewired; made a cameo appearance in one show, and spent the last 3 days coughing and sneezing. Thankfully I haven't felt moved to walk out of a show yet (unless it's to rush off to another show), although I did consider it last night - read on, comedy fans...

FESTIVAL DIARY DAY 4 - Rob Deering, Markus Birdman and comedy chat with Johnny Vegas

Wow, can't believe we're on Day 4 already - it's all flying past in a big comedic blur at the moment! Yesterday was another long and busy day, the morning spent writing up Saturday's many activities and the afternoon/evening spent cycling from gig to gig, to home, to gig, to gig, to another gig and back home again, in the driving rain/sleet/snow. Why do we do it to ourselves...? Coz we bloody love it, that's why!

First up was Mark Olver's afternoon chat show Dancing About Architecture at Just the Tonic, which was a fascinating hour of comedians discussing various aspects of the life of a stand-up. Mark was joined onstage by Johnny Vegas, Norman Lovett, Markus Birdman, Carly Smallman (who had to dash off at half time to perform at Kayal) and Adam Hess - although it should be noted that the character of Johnny Vegas was very much under wraps, allowing the man who plays him, Mike Pennington, to speak openly and honestly about being a stand-up, without the more unbalanced character of Johnny taking over. We were treated to some fascinating insights from the panel, including how they deal with nerves (drink often being the key, it seems); how male comedians can avoid going on stage sporting a urine stain (the trick is to tuck your little fella under, so any excess dribbleage heads down the inner thigh); Norman revealed how his Holly dialogue was shot in the early days of Red Dwarf (apparently Holly was just meant to be a voice to begin with, but managed to persuade Grant & Naylor to include his disembodied head as well). 

Fascinating insights: Lovett, Vegas, Hess, Birdman & Olver

FESTIVAL DIARY DAY 3 - Four shows and a seminar...

Saturday was rather a hefty day of comedy-viewing...

It began unreasonably early, with a 10am seminar at DMU's Pace building, in which a panel of comedy luminaries discussed the development of live comedy from the origins of the Alternative Comedy movement at the end of the 1970s (or the beginning of the 80s - this was a matter of some contention), through the 90s 'Comedy is the new rock&roll' era to the current environment of megastar arena tours and the lucrative panel show circuit, and ended by asking what's in store for the future of live comedy. It was a fascinating two hours, often dominated by the always lively and forthright Kate Copstick, who left the audience in no doubt as to her views on the current crop of TV comedians - stating in her typically reserved manner that she could shit in a bag, put an 'As seen on Mock the Week' sticker on it and people would flock to see it live. Also on the panel was Comedy Store founder Don Ward, who revealed his plans to record shows at his clubs and screen them in theatres across the country, as well as starting to stream them live on the net. This was greeted with some concern from the panel, who wondered whether this sort of thing would stop people bothering to go out to see live comedy in the smaller venues - as if to ask why would people go out and pay money to see half-formed sets by inexperienced acts when they can stay at home and watch top acts live in HD for free. This fear was tempered, though, by the feeling that there is perhaps too much live comedy around at the moment, and the good acts and venues would always survive, whilst the less competent would have to give up or find their own audience online.

JANUARY COMEDY LISTINGS

So the world didn't end. Did you seriously think it would? Come on...
No, I'm afraid we've got to do it all over again. Another January back to work, still hung over from New Year's Eve, still skint from Christmas with about four hundred weeks to go 'til next payday. Or maybe that's just me. Anyway, don't mind me - I'm just a little grumpy due to lack of nicotine. Thankfully there is a bright side to all this 'inevitable march of time' business, for a new year means a new month, and that means a brand spanking new set of comedy listings for you to peruse - hurray!

The big event this month has to be the festival preview show at De Montfort Hall on Friday 11th, hosted by Phoenix Nights' Dave Spikey, with acts Piff the Magic Dragon, Pat Cahill and Suzi Ruffell confirmed so far, with the Other Preview Show happening on the same night night over at Chutney Ivy, hosted by Ed Gamble with Gareth Richards, Angela Barnes and Joel Dommett with more to be confirmed. And keep your eyes peeled on Facebook and Twitter over the next few days and weeks, because I've got some FREE TICKETS to give away!!!

Tue 8th - Laughing Calves feat Maureen Younger @ The Red Tent

Fri 11th  - Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival Preview Show @ De Montfort Hall

Fri 11th - The Other Preview Show @ Chutney Ivy

Fri 11th/Sat 12th - Roger Monkhouse, Junior Simpson, Julian Deane @ Just the Tonic

Tue 15th - Lions Eat Ice Cream: Dr Ettrick-Hogg Takeover @ Looking Glass

Tue 15th - Big Value Comedy Auditions @ Just the Tonic

Wed 16th - Nibbles with Giggles feat Ben Hustwayte and Hannah Silvester @ Entropy

Fri 18th / Sat 19th - Phil Kay, Gordon Southern, Jen Brister, Darrell Martin @ Just the Tonic

Mon 21st - The Mitford Sisters @ The Cookie Jar

Tue 22nd - Big Value Comedy Auditions @ Just the Tonic

Thu 24th - Unidentified Flying Improv @ Just the Tonic

Thu 24th - Should I Stay Or Should I Go? @ Kayal

Fri 25th / Sat 26th - Dave Johns, Pat Burtscher, Mandy Knight @ Just the Tonic

Tue 29th - Lions Eat Ice Cream: Festival Sampler @ Looking Glass

Tue 29th - Big Value Comedy Auditions @ Just the Tonic

There you have it - email, tweet, prod, shout or throw things at me if I've missed anything off. Christ knows what I'm going to do for listings next month - there's over 500 shows on! Tell you what - pick yourself up a festival brochure now, they're all over the city and county, then switch the telly off for half an hour and have a damn good look through it, picking out some shows you'd like to see...  YES THAT'S RIGHT - YOU DO SOME OF THE WORK FOR A CHANGE!! Meanwhile, like the jolly good Samaritan I am, I'll be posting during this month with some of my picks of the festival line-up, and if I'm feeling generous I might even break them down into categories to help you narrow down the somewhat elephantine choice of shows on offer.

Deal?

Good. And keep an eye out for the FREE TICKETS coming very soon!!

Cheers,

Paul.

DECEMBER COMEDY LISTINGS

Here we go then - the final listings of 2012, and what a cracking year it's been! Now I know it's brass monkeys out there, but don't let that stop you getting out and seeing the great comics that Leicester's venues have lined up for you. After all, if the Great Comedian in the Sky had intended us to stay in and watch telly every night, he wouldn't have invented warm clothing and taxis! (Alternative punchline: he wouldn't have invented drivel like 'I'm a Celebrity...'). Read on, folks...

Sat 1st - Barbara Nice, Mike Wilkinson, Stuart Goldsmith, Nick Page @ Just the Tonic

Sun 2nd - Daniel Sloss, Kai Humphries @ Just the Tonic

Mon 3rd - DMU Comedy Society Open Mic Night @ The Cookie Jar
Tue 4th - Big Value Auditions @ Just the Tonic

Wed 5th - Ship of Fools Comedy Showcase @ The Looking Glass
Fri 7th - Shaggers Christmas Special @ The Cookie Jar
Fri 7th / Sat 8th - Ian Cognito, Paul McCaffrey, Carey Marx, Darrell Martin @ Just the Tonic

Tue 11th - Laughing Cows feat Jen Brister, VG Lee, Maureen Younger @ The Red Tent
Wed 12th - Nibbles with Giggles @ Entropy
Wed 12th to Sat 15th - John Robins, Steve Harris, Carl Donnelly @ Just the Tonic

Fri 14th - UFI: Unidentified Flying Improv @ Curve
Sat 15th - Bottle Rocket Xmas Special feat Arthur Smith, Boothby Graffoe, Gareth Richards, Tom Deacon, Matt Richardson @ The Y Theatre

Tue 18th - Lions Eat Ice Cream @ The Looking Glass
Tue 18th - Philberto, Gareth Richards, Romesh Ranganathan, Darrell Martin @ Just the Tonic
Wed 19th - Imran Yusuf @ The Y Theatre
Wed 19th - Ship of Fools Comedy Club @ The Looking Glass
Thu 20th - Gary Delaney, Matt Kirshen, Philberto, Darrell Martin @ Just the Tonic

Fri 21st - Phil Nichol, Gary Delaney, Philberto, Darrell Martin @ Just the Tonic
Sat 22nd - Philberto, Phil Nicol, Sam Avery, Tim Clark @ Just the Tonic

Mon 31st - Ivan Brackenbury, Wes Zaharuk, Phil Nichol, Darrell Martin @ Just the Tonic

So there you go - as usual email, fb or tweet at me if you have anything to add to the listings.
Cheers!

NOVEMBER COMEDY LISTINGS

November. Month of moustaches, fireworks and the gradual, inevitable encroaching of Christmas into every sphere of your life. My solution? Don't watch TV - it's amazing how much more pleasant life becomes when you ears are not constantly bombarded with smug voices announcing "This Christmas, blah-blah blah-blah blaaaah...", four hundred times a day over several months.

And without a telly to keep you indoors and fearful of the outside world, you're free to go out and watch lots of comedy. Good job too, coz there's LOADS on this month, from telly regulars Kevin Bridges and Greg Davies (pictured, with the back of his mum's head), circuit favourites Tom Wrigglesworth, Andrew Bird and Tony Law, and alternative heroes Paul Foot, Doc Brown and Josie Long. The entire spectrum of comedy is represented here in the city - musical cabaret from Fascinating Aida, animated comedy in the form of Little Howard, and improv from UFI, not to mention those shining beacons of wrongness Devvo and Bob Slayer. Anyway, what am I telling you all this for? Read it for yourself...

Spooky comedy this week from Lions and Peel

Pumpkins are scary, right?

If you like laughing and being scared (and I mean scared in a novelty, spooky Halloween kind of way - not a gritty, traumatic, 'I'm being followed home late at night by this man who clearly wants to inject me with a strong sedative and relieve me of my backdoor virginity' kind of way), then you'll probably be looking for some Halloween-themed comedy nights this week. Good job there's a couple of them out there then, otherwise you'd have had to settle for being stalked and violated to get your endorphin rush...

On Tuesday, the good folks behind Lions Eat Ice Cream present a free Halloween special downstairs at the Looking Glass. Basically it'll be the usual unpredictable, sometimes volatile mix of offbeat stand-up, bonkers characters, silly dancing and experimental musical numbers, but with added scary costumes and macabre themes. In short, it really will be the stuff of nightmares, but much funnier. Special guests this time are the West Midlands' finest - Johnny Sorrow, Jimmy Frinton and Andrew McBurney. The full line-up lives here: https://www.facebook.com/events/463770883654506/?fref=ts

Then on Wednesday at the Cookie Jar, Richard Peel presents his special Halloween show Monsterdrome for your delectation. This promises to be a multimedia performance of the strangest and spookiest kind, featuring vampires, monster trucks and all kinds of weaponry and gadgets, all lovingly acted out for you by Richard Peel and Chris Slowe. Musical support comes from Hey Nostradamus, who are described as a 'post sailor-rock powerhouse' - I have no idea what this means, but I'm bringing earplugs just in case. Check out the flyer and full blurb here: http://www.richardpeel.com/monsterdrome/index.html

How to Enjoy a Live Comedy Show - the basics.

Last night was a good night for Leicester, comedy-wise. Abstract poet, stand-up and Partridge-sidekick Tim Key was performing his tour show Masterslut at The Y Theatre. Meanwhile over at the Looking Glass, Ship of Fools Comedy Club were hosting a new acts night with a very diverse bill of local talents.

I was lucky enough to make it to both shows, and very enjoyable they were. Sadly, both shows were also slightly marred by people who clearly don't understand how a live comedy show works. Incredible, I know... So let's remind them of the basics, shall we? 

1. Stand-up comedy is LIVE PERFORMANCE. It is not the telly in your living room, a football match or a  drunken chat amongst friends.

2. The comedian is a performer, who has lines to remember, whilst at the same time having bright lights shined in his/her face and a sea of expectant faces staring at him/her, who have paid to be entertained. This is actually bloody stressful (have you ever tried it yourself?) and thus the comedian is deserving of our respect (whatever we may think of his/her material)

3. This means you shouldn't just shout whatever you want, whenever you want at the acts, because unlike the people on the telly, THEY CAN HEAR YOU and in most cases it will distract them from their job of entertaining you. 

4. The same goes for just talking away amongst yourselves. If you just came out to drink and chat all night, why on earth are you in the audience of a comedy show?

5. Many acts encourage audience participation, generally looking for a springboard for some banter or an ad-libbed segue into their next routine. Some, like Pat Monahan, base entire shows on messing about with the audience. This is the exception though. Most acts only want your contribution IF THEY ASK YOU FOR IT DIRECTLY. If this happens, knock yourself out!

6. If not, your job is to listen and laugh. And as if by magic, the more you listen, the more you will laugh. This is the way to get involved in a show, because a comedy show is, generally speaking, a journey through a comedian's mind. Some are pretty easy to follow, some most certainly are not, but just like every journey you've ever taken in your life, if you're not paying attention to where you're going, you can find yourself lost and frustrated. Likewise, the more complex the journey, the more rewarding it often is when you reach your destination, so stick with it.

7. The final thing to remember is that unless you are the billed performer, NOBODY IN THE ROOM HAS PAID TO HEAR YOU. If you feel you are not being entertained, go somewhere else. The more distracting and destructive input you have in the show, the more people you are going to piss off. Nobody likes having their evening ruined, especially when they have paid good money to be entertained and have fun.

Rant over. 

You may now continue to laugh responsibly. 

If it's funny.

Otherwise, applaud politely and leave at the next available opportunity.

Er, I'm just going to shuffle away now...

PB.

OCTOBER COMEDY LISTINGS FOR LEICESTER

It's October - the month that makes everybody habitually spout such waffle as "Oooh I can't believe it's October already", "Where did the summer go?" and "Oooh isn't it getting dark early", as if none of us had ever experienced the changing of the seasons before. Jolly lucky that there are plenty of funny folk out there to offer us an amusing and inventive alternative to the barrage of moronic truisms we're subjected to during the day. And here they are in full:

Tue 2nd - The Comedy Occurence @ Just the Tonic
Wed 3rd - Writers Stand Up @ Exchange Bar
Thu 4th - Chris Martin, Angela Barnes @ Just the Tonic
Thu 4th - Ross Noble @ De Montfort Hall
Fri 5th / Sat 6th - Tiffany Stevenson, Chris Martin, John Mann, Johnny Candon @ Just the Tonic
Sat 6th - What's The Story? (Comedy storytelling workshop) @ Y Theatre
Tue 9th - Big Value Comedy Auditions @ Just the Tonic
Wed 10th - Ben Clark, Antony King, James Hately, Firm Handshakers, Lindsey Warnes-Carroll @ Looking Glass
Thu 11th - Bob Slayer, Martin Soan, Special Mystery Guest  @ Just the Tonic
Thu 11th - Stewart Francis @ De Montfort Hall
Fri 12th / Sat 13th -  Paul McCaffrey, John Robins, Dana Alexander, Eric Lampaert  @ Just the Tonic
Fri 12th - Live at The Barley Mow @ Barley Mow
Fri 12th - Unidentified Flying Improv @ Manhattan34
Tue 16th - Lions Eat Ice Cream @ Looking Glass
Tue 16th - Big Value Comedy Auditions @ Just the Tonic
Thu 18th - Open Mic nite @ Just the Tonic
Fri 19th - Jason John Whitehead, Keith Carter,Angela Barnes, Romesh Ranganathan @ Just the Tonic
Sun 21st - Should I Stay or Should I Go? @ Kayal
Tue 23th - Big Value Comedy Auditions @ Just the Tonic
Thu 25th - Robin Ince @ Cookie Jar
Thu 25th - Barbara Nice, Chris Martin @ Just the Tonic
Fri 26th / Sat 27th - Phil Nichol, Susan Murray, Daliso Chaponda, Darrell Martin @ Just the Tonic
Sat 27th - Chris Ramsey @ Y Theatre
Sat 28th - Gary Delaney, Sarah Kendall, Lloyd Griffith, Mark Simmons @ Y Theatre
Mon 29th - Clever Peter @ Just the Tonic
Tue 30th - Lions Eat Ice Cream @ Looking Glass
Tue 30th - Big Value Comedy Auditions @ Just the Tonic
Wed 31st - Richard Peel presents Monsterdrome @ The Cookie Jar
Wed 31st - Mark Thomas @ The Y Theatre

As usual, send me any of your additions to the list via email, the facebook page or tweet @leiccomedyscene

REVIEW: Hurricane Pat hugs his way into town

Winner of ITV's 'Show Me the Funny' and walking hug-factory Patrick Monahan was kind enough to pop into the Looking Glass for an hour or so last night, to do exactly what he does best - mucking around with the audience. The judges on comedy's version of the X-Factor tried their best to make him stand still and deliver jokes instead of actually being himself, but clearly they failed (thankfully).

After dashing up from London for the gig, Monahan arrived at the Looking Glass during the interval  to cheers, and treated us to a hugging workshop, lashings of ad-libbing and audience banter, and a small amount of material about Bear Grylls carrying the Olympic torch and the best costume in which to run a marathon.

He then dashed off to get the last train back to London, narrowly missing out on his target of hugging everyone in the room before he left. It was a fairly brief set, but it was enough to remind us why he's so popular on the circuit and why he won 'Show Me the Funny' despite the judges' best efforts to clip his comedy wings.

Also appearing on the night were Ian Crawford, a well-crafted character act with some hilariously daft safety advice about cutlery; and South African Brummie-convert Albert Smith, who was charming enough to get away with his treading-a-thin-line racial material and frequent references to his West Midlands home, although one couldn't help wondering how well the Brum stuff would go down outside the Midlands. The whole affair was compered in the usual assured style by Ship of Fools founder Alan Seaman.

The next Ship of Fools night is Writers Stand Up (part of the 'Everybody's Reading' festival) on Wednesday 3rd October at the Exchange Bar.

...and we're back! SEPTEMBER COMEDY LISTINGS

Hello there comedy fans! Long time no see. Well, August is over, and as well as meaning that Autumn is knocking on the door like an insistent religious nutter, it also means Edinburgh is finished for another year and as a result we have a full programme of comedy shenanigans in the city once again - hurrah!
And what a bumper month it is, with big names like Pat Monahan, Mark Watson, Jack Dee and Dara O'Briain gracing us with their presence, as well as plenty of quality line-ups in a plethora of venues across the city to keep you amused as the nights start to draw in.

Sat 1st - Philberto, Joe Lycett, Anthony King, Eric Lampaert @ Just the Tonic
Sat 1st - Sit Down, Stand Up (6 acts) @ Upper Brown Street
Sun 2nd - Should I Stay or Should I Go? (comedy gong show) @ Kayal
Wed 5th - Patrick Monahan, Antony King, Ian Crawford, Alan Seaman @ Looking Glass
Fri 7th - Kojo, Kevin J @ Just the Tonic
Sat 8th - Adam Bloom, Julian Deane, Jonathan Elston, Craig Murray @ The Y Theatre
Sat 8th - The Noise Next Door, Danny McLoughlin, Shazia Mirza @ Just the Tonic
Wed 12th - Nibbles with Giggles @ Entropy
Thu 13th - Jason Byrne @ De Montfort Hall
Fri 14th - Sandi Toksvig @ De Montfort Hall
Fri 14th - Live at the Barley Mow (free comedy night) @ the Barley Mow
Sat 15th - Jeff Innocent, Bobby Mair, John Robins @ Just the Tonic
Mon 17th - Fear of a Brown Planet @ The Cookie Jar
Tue 18th - Lions Eat Ice Cream (open mic night) @ Looking Glass
Thu 20th - Jack Dee @ De Montfort Hall
Fri 21st - Junior Simpson, Rob Beckett, David Hadingham @ Just the Tonic
Sat 22nd - Ian D Montfort, Tiffany Stevenson, Bobby Mair, Ben van der Valde @ The Y Theatre
Sat 22nd - Junior Simpson, Rob Beckett, David Hadingham @ Just the Tonic
Thu 27th - Richard Peel presents Megaworld @ Crumblin Cookie
Thu 27th - Mark Watson @ Y Theatre
Thu 27th/Fri 28th - Dara O'Briain @ De Montfort Hall
Thu 27th - Zoe Lyons, Gary Delaney, Junior Simpson, Darrell Martin @ Just the Tonic
Fri 28th - Mark Cram, Ian Hall, Francis Jenking, Leanne Mckie, Richard Peel, Barnaby J Thompson (Dolly Rockit Rollers Fundraiser) @ Firebug
Fri 28th/Sat 29th - Addy Borgh, Dr George Ryegold, Ian Cognito @ Just the Tonic

As always if you have anything to add, email me, tweet @LeicComedyScene or post on  the facebook page.

JULY COMEDY LISTINGS

It's another cracking month of comedy in this fine city of ours, with plenty more Edinburgh preview shows to choose from, some big-name telly favourites such as Frankie Boyle, Richard Herring, Johnny Vegas, Andi Osho and Rhys Darby. Also there's the premiere screening of Lucy Peel's 'Doc:Comedy' documentary focusing on comedy in the city, as well as a special treat for proud Leicesterites - the 2-night resurrection of Leicester-centric comedy festival hit 'What have you done with Denise's 30p?'. Enjoy...

Wednesday 11th - Anthony King @Looking Glass
Wednesday 11th - Nibbles with Giggles @Entropy
Thursday 12th - Phil Kay, John Robins @Just the Tonic
Thursday 12th/Friday 13th - What have you done with Denise's 30p? @Crumblin Cookie
Saturday 14th - Philberto, Carl Hutchinson, George Egg, Romesh Ranganathan @Just the Tonic
Saturday 14th - Hal Cruttenden, Lucy Porter @Y Theatre
Sunday 15th - Frankie Boyle @De Montfort Hall
Sunday 15th - Gareth Richards, Chris Stokes, Matt Richardson, Chris Henry, Philberto @Cookie Jar
Sunday 15th - Ideal night feat Johnny Vegas @Just the Tonic
Tuesday 17th - Rhys Darby @De Montfort Hall
Tuesday 17th - Lions Eat Ice Cream (open mic night) @Hub
Thursday 19th - Richard Herring, Pete Firman @Firebug
Saturday 21st - Adam Bloom, The Raymond & Mr Timpkins Revue, Chris Stokes, Ian Smith @Just the Tonic
Sunday 22nd - Russell Howard, John Robins, Mark Olver @Just the Tonic
Sunday 22nd - Abandoman, Peacock & Gamble @Firebug
Thursday 26th - Andi Osho, Charlie Baker @Y Theatre
Saturday 28th - Justin Moorhouse, Romesh Ranganathan, Roisin Conaty, Chris Mayo @Just the Tonic
Saturday 28th - Doc:Comedy premiere @Cookie Jar

Double Edinburgh preview show at the Looking Glass tomorrow

Get in touch with your inner Alice and head for the Looking Glass tomorrow night, where you will discover a fantastic Edinburgh preview double bill, featuring James Dowdeswell and Andrew Watts. Dowdeswell has featured in Extras and Russell Howard's Good News, and combines deft stand-up with daft stories, whereas Watts is still building his reputation on the comedy circuit since quitting his job as a solicitor to become one of the most talked about newbies on the circuit.

The show starts at 8pm and tickets are a very reasonable £6 or two for £10 (reservable by texting 079414 71468).

I pity the Fool that misses this, er...sucka.

So, good long weekend was it? Whether it was all street parties, bunting and comically-exaggerated notions of 'Britishness', or whether you just took the opportunity to crawl into a drunken stupor on Friday and have yet to emerge, I hope you enjoyed it. Anyway, to help pick you up from the inevitable crushing depression you're bound to be feeling after going back to work tomorrow, get yourself to Ship of Fools Comedy Club downstairs at the Looking Glass on Braunstone Gate.
It's billed as a 'new act/new material night', and they are providing seven, yes seven, fine comedians to get you through that work hangover, and since you asked, they are: Anthony King, Mark Cram, Leanne McKie, Graham Milton, Robert Kemp, Ian Hall (as Blake Incarcerated) and Kevin Greet, and if that wasn't enough, compere Alan Seaman makes eight!
It all kicks off at 8:30 and tickets are only £4, which this humble comedy fan believes represents good value.
Here's a link to the facebook page, should you wish to view a picture of a stuffed monkey holding a union jack handbag:

https://www.facebook.com/events/309535415797862/

Here is the Headline. This. Here.

(The following is a 'lost' post, written for publishing on 2nd May, which I just found in my drafts folder. How very remiss of me!)

Leicester's finest topical wits gathered downstairs at the Looking Glass last night to record a pilot episode of a new panel show entitled Here Are the Headlines. Tom Young is pitching the idea to BBC Radio Leicester in the hope of bagging himself a series, using an edited version of last night's proceedings as the pilot.

The setup is a familiar one, with Young and Chris Norton Walker as the 'regular' panellists, joined by guests Jim Shields and Lindsey Warnes-Carroll. Hosting was Bruce Edhouse, who in his most (quiz)masterful voice, asked questions about international, national and local news for the panel to give their best funny answers, and engage each other in witty, off-the-cuff banter.

Obviously it's a tried and tested format, and on the evidence of last night it should work pretty well on the radio. The guests were largely entertaining in their delivery of both prepared and ad-libbed material (even if occasionally the panellists forgot they were doing this for the radio and entertained us with a visual gag), and the inclusion of locally-focused and audience-inspired rounds gives a nice twist that should appeal to Radio Leicester.

It will be interesting to hear what makes it to the final cut, as there was plenty of laughter when things went awry, lines were fluffed or the panellists reacted snappily to each other's prepared jokes bombing. It would be nice to hear a quiz that kept in these kinds of blooper-reel moments, but I suspect the pilot will need to sound as slick as it can to secure the makers a series. Good luck with the pitch guys!

We're back, baby! May comedy listings...

Hello there you lot. Sorry I've been away for a little while, hope you haven't been too lost without your regular comedy updates. Of course you haven't - you didn't even notice, did you?

Anyway, I know we're already half way through May, but here are your listings for the rest of the month, so you can stop shivering and wretching like character from Trainspotting now:


Tue 15th - Lions Eat Ice Cream (open mike night) @Hub
Wed 16th - Nibbles with Giggles (charity comedy night with pie) @Entropy
Thu 17th - New Act Night (Ben Hustwayte MC) @The Cookie Jar
Fri 18th/Sat 19th - Barbara Nice, Rob Deering, Barry Castagnola, Romesh Ranganathan @Just the Tonic
Mon 21st - Laughing Glass @ The Looking Glass
Tue 22nd - Student Comedy Forum @Just the Tonic
Fri 25th - Isy Suttie @The Y Theatre
Fri 25th - Shaggers Comedy @The Cookie Jar
Fri 25th/Sat 26th - Nick Helm, Romesh Ranganathan, Dan Evans, Tim Clark @Just the Tonic
Sat 26th  - Leanne Mckie, Ian Crawford, Liam Mullone @ The Black Horse, Aylestone
Sun 27th - Should I Stay or Should I Go? @Kayal
Thu 31st - Andrew O'Neil, Rob Beckett, Nick Cranston, Rob Coleman, Tony Jameson MC @The Cookie Jar


There, that should keep you off the crack for a while. As usual, if you know of anything else that might have slipped my gaze, drop me a line on leicestercomedyfestival@gmail.com, on the Leicester Comedy Scene Facebook page or on Twitter @leiccomedyscene, and I'll duly add it to the list.
It's good to be back :)

Topical panel show and midweek stand-up at The Looking Glass

This week, The Looking Glass is the place to be for midweek laughs. Tuesday night sees the recording of the pilot for a new topical radio show called Here are the Headlines. Regular panellists Bruce Edhouse, Damien St John and Tom Young are joined by guests Jim Shields and Lindsey Warnes-Carroll to chew over some tasty current affairs, in an effort to digest them with lightning speed and excrete the finest nuggets of topical comedy (nice metaphor, Paul, hope you're proud of that one).
Entry is FREE, so get yourself down to Brauny Gate before 8pm for a little slice of local radio history.


Then on Wednesday, Alan Seaman's regular Ship of Fools stand-up night returns to the Looking Glass. Starting at 8pm, the line up features Bruce Edhouse (again), as well as Ben Clark, Jon Pearson, Jon Wagstaffe, Vinnie Vitriol and James Hately. I have been reliably (I hope!) informed that tickets are usually a fiver, but you might get in for half price if it's your first time - be prepared to present your comedy hymen on the door to prove it! (Good grief man - what is it with you and the metaphorical wrongness today??)