Bottle Rocket Christmas Special preview + Festival line-up released

It's around about this time of year when comedy fans start looking beyond Christmas and into the new year, as the line-ups for the next Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival start to circulate. The full brochure will be available in a multitude of venues very soon, and a few high-profile shows have already been publicised. 

Winners of Best Promoter at last year's festival awards, Bottle Rocket Comedy Club have just released their entire festival line-up, which features a plethora of acts - some well known, some less so - performing at at Firebug, the Belmont Hotel and The Y Theatre. You can check out their full festival roll-call and start booking your tickets at http://brcomedy.com/events/ - I've already started booking mine!

Whilst we're on the subject of Bottle Rocket, have you got your tickets for their cracking Christmas show yet? It takes place on December 15th at The Y Theatre, and is hosted by elder statesman of comedy and perennial Grumpy Old Man Arthur Smith. Headlining the bill is Boothby Graffoe, who combines comedy and music, best described by Stewart Lee as a "multi-talented, darkly hilarious, grade A British eccentric...A musical comedy act who is more musical than most musicians, and funnier than most comedians".

Also taking to the stage will be Gareth Richards (Frank Skinner's Absolute Radio Show), Radio 1's Tom Deacon and winner of Dave’s Leicester Comedy Festival Best New Show, Matt Richardson.

Tickets are £13 and it's bound to be a packed Y Theatre so get yours in now before they sell out!

http://www.leicesterymca.co.uk/y-theatre-whats-on-details.php?listing=1143

2012 Comedy Festival Awards - The Winners

For those of you who missed it, the winners of the Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival Awards were announced last week, in a ceremony at the City Rooms on Hotel Street. Chosen by a panel of 11 judges who were forced at gunpoint to watch more than 400 shows a day (okay that's a lie), the winners are:

Best Show - Chris Stokes for 'An Opera Written On Napkins'

Best New Act - Matt Richardson 

Best Venue with over 200 capacity - The Little Theatre 

Best Small Venue - The Crumblin' Cookie

Best Promoter - Bottle Rocket Comedy 

Special Contribution Award - Curve

Make Me Happy Community Project - Guerilla Knitting

Lifetime Contribution Award - City Council

Jolly well done and pats on the back to all the winners, and while we're on the subject of winners I may as well mention Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year winner Matt Rees, who won the coveted title and £1,000 back in February. Good on yer, sunshine!

Reach inside the Cookie Jar...

The Crumblin' Cookie (next to Dominoes toy store on the high street) used to be a great little place to eat lunch or grab a coffee, but now it's so, so much more... This humble little cafe has grown in scope and reputation immeasurably over the last couple of years, into a great place to have a drink in the evening and a cracking little music and comedy venue (winning Best New Venue at the 2010 Comedy Festival Awards and Best Overall Venue last year).
And it doesn't stop there - for there is seemingly no end to owner Antony 'Tinny' Hopkins' ambitions for this place. In late January, renovation work complete, he opened the Cookie Jar, the Crumblin' Cookie's basement venue, which hosted a plethora of paid shows during this years festival, whilst the free comedy took place upstairs. My recommendation - follow 'em on Twitter, like 'em on Facebook, and get along there to meet Tinny himself - literally one of the friendliest men I've ever met!
Shows coming up include Matthew Osborn + Matt Richardson + Carl Jones + Andrew Ryan MC on Thursday 29th March, and Andrew Maxwell on Thursday 26th April
Go here for tickets: https://www.facebook.com/thecookiejarleicester?sk=app_211526985586920
Go on, do it then...