The Comedy Store, Manchester – 23rd July 2010

July 25, 2010 by sherby57 Leave a Comment

It’s been about 5 years since I last visited Manchester’s Comedy Store, and I chose a good night to make my return.  The MC for the evening was Ian Stone who I last saw in Warrington in November when he struggled valiantly against insanely late-arriving audience members disrupting his set.  This time he did a great job of getting the (already in place) audience ready for the rest of the acts and he provided a lot of laughs.

The first act on was Micky Flanagan, who delivered a confident and funny set.  I first saw him about 5 years ago (again in Warrington) and really liked him, so was a bit disappointed with his recent TV appearances as he was using the same material (yes, I know I’m being harsh).  He was on excellent form tonight though, and it’s clear why he’s one of the most popular names on the circuit.

Next up was Justin Moorhouse, a stalwart of Warrington’s version of The Comedy Store and a steady hand to complete the first half of the show.  I’ve seen Moorhouse several times and can’t think of him repeating any material, which is always a good sign for the regular comedy-goer.

The second half of the show was kicked off by Dave Williams.  He’s one of those comics that I vaguely recognised but had no idea where from.  This seemed pretty symbolic of his set as a whole.   He wasn’t poor, by any stretch of the imagination, and he provided enough laughs, you just couldn’t help but feel that it was all slightly run-of-the-mill.

The headline act of the evening was Canadian Tom Stade.   My friend Si saw him a few months ago and said that he was hilarious, but I didn’t know what to think as his appearances on McIntyre’s Roadshow and Mock the Week left me a bit underwhelmed.  I really shouldn’t have doubted Simon.  Stade was hilarious.  Most of his material wasn’t particularly TV friendly and this may go some way to explaining why he hadn’t quite clicked for me in the past.  I highly recommend going to see him if you get the chance to.

Anyway, it was a great evening of entertainment.  I loved it.  I know it’s not a very reviewy thing to say but it’s true.

P.S.

I’m really unhappy with this post, I can’t review comedy at all. Please just take this as a list of people that I have been to see.

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Richard Herring @ Night & Day Cafe, Manchester – 6th July 2010

July 7, 2010 by sherby57 3 Comments

I bought the tickets for this gig thinking it was just an Edinburgh preview for Richard Herring‘s Christ on a Bike – The Second Coming, but it also featured a preview for Josh Howie’s Gran Slam and MC Hayley Ellis.  All that would be a bit long for a title for the post, though, so I’ve just stuck Mr Herring’s name on.  I hope this doesn’t cause offence.  Not that it would.  I don’t know why I even mentioned it, to be honest.

Anyway, we arrived at the Night & Day Cafe a bit late, following a semi-traumatic journey, and so were without seats for the show.  This was about the only downside of the evening, the venue had a friendly atmosphere and was rammed with an enthusiastic audience.

The show opened with MC Hayley Ellis, who did a great job of warming the crowd up.  She particularly enjoyed the people with beards and those with rashes, in the audience.  For the record, I’d only eat a strawberry if I’d gotten to know it really well as a strawberry first (this will only make sense if you were there).

The first Edinburgh preview was of Josh Howie’s Gran Slam – the story of him and his wife living with his grandma.  It was still clearly a work in progress, and he used a script to keep on top of things, but there was lots of good material throughout and he was comfortable enough with the audience to make the most of the bits that didn’t quite work yet.  I’d definitely go and watch the finished article, especially to see if he managed to get his treadmill routine to fit in with the rest of the narrative.

Next up was Richard Herring with Christ on a Bike – The Second Coming.  I’ve mentioned Herring a few times on my blog before and he’s one of my favourite comedians, so I was always predisposed to liking this, but I was especially impressed by how well formed it was already.  The show is a re-working of a previous Edinburgh show, so I guess he had a good base to start with, but he was really on form with his delivery and the show is definitely a winner.  Like all his shows, Herring delivers an incredibly well structured routine that maintains his theme throughout. COAB takes a scathing look at the bible and what the true meaning of Jesus’s life might be, but don’t be put off by the seemingly serious subject matter as the show is hilarious and he manages to weave in the silly and absurd, along with an uplifting and positive ending.  Herring is one of the best comedians in the country and I highly recommend seeing the show if you get the chance to.

That concluded a cracking evening of comedy for the bargain price of just £10.  Check out the Night & Day Cafe website, here, to see what other upcoming comedy they have.

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Rob Rouse @ The Brindley, Runcorn – 27th May 2010

May 28, 2010 by sherby57 8 Comments

It’s been a while since I’ve visited The Brindley, so it was nice to be back.  The gig was in the venue’s smaller room – The Studio – and it’s the first time that I’ve been there when they’ve sold enough tickets to get the proper seats out (probably 50-60 people).  This made the room seem much more like a theatre and less like a quiz night in a school gym, as it has in the past.  I’m not sure whether that’s a good thing or not.

Although I’ve seen Rob Rouse pop up on telly quite a few times, I had no idea what to expect from his live act.  The first half of the show was mainly about how his life has changed after becoming a parent.  The material seemed a little bit disjointed at times, but he’s a likeable and engaging performer, so this didn’t really spoil my enjoyment of it. After the interval, he performed his last year’s Edinburgh show, “My Family …and the Dog That Scared Jesus”.  This was essentially two extended stories; the first was about his overly amorous dog and the second was about the birth of his son.  There perhaps wasn’t quite enough material in the tales to fill the entire hour, but there were plenty of laughs along the way and some extremely vivid mimes that you have to give him credit for sticking with.

I only bought the ticket at the last minute, so it definitely made a pleasant change for a Thursday evening.  At £8 a ticket, it was a bargain.  If there’s some live comedy on in your area then go and see it.  It sure beats watching the TV.

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Comedy Night @ The Lounge, Warrington – 11th May 2010

May 12, 2010 by sherby57 2 Comments

Somewhere in the far reaches of my mind, a thought has always lingered that I’d probably be pretty good at stand up if I ever gave it a go.  Of course, I’ve never actually acted on that thought because it would be far too scary and I was all too aware that I was probably wrong.  Well, I attended my first open mic comedy night last night, and rest assured I didn’t get up to give it a go and I’m glad that I didn’t.  I fully expected that most of the budding comics would be awful, but,  remarkably, the ten or so acts that appeared were (largely) very good and it really hammered home how difficult stand up really is.

Anyway, I won’t attempt to review the gig because I can’t remember what the comedians were called and we left before the winner was announced.  But don’t let my lack of detail put you off.  Apart from getting a good night’s live comedy for just £3, the organisers should be commended for attempting to bring a bit of culture to Warrington.  It’s about time somebody tried.

The next comedy night is arranged on the 25th May at The Lounge Bar on Springfield Street.  I’ll see you there.  If either of us go.

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1000 Years of German Humour DVD

March 27, 2010 by sherby57 Leave a Comment

So, I’m finally getting around to reviewing the third of four stand up DVDs that I bought in December.  There is a good reason why I don’t buy many of them.

1000 Years of German Humour is the latest DVD from German Comedy Ambassador, Henning Wehn and Otto Kuhnle (the funniest man from Düsseldorf).  I bought it on the strength of their previous effort, Four World Cups and One World Pope!, which I bought a couple of years ago.    In that, the duo performed separately, but in 1000 Years, they’re both on stage together, as they take us through the last millennium of Teutonic comedy.

It’s frankly a deeply odd show.  Henning does solo stand up, while Otto sits and watches; and then Otto does his stuff, while Henning watches.  Otto’s material is not that easy to describe, but it generally consists of doing something extremely silly while playing a musical instrument.  It sounds like it shouldn’t be funny and yet it somehow really is.  The pair do combine at some points, such as a shambolic recreation of Grimm’s fairy tales.  There’s a slightly amateurish feel to the whole thing, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The DVD itself is self-produced, so the camera and sound quality varies wildly.  Personally, that’s something that I can easily live with; it’s good that less well known comedians are able to make their shows available for us to enjoy.  It’s not the most polished show that you’re going to ever see, but it’s enjoyable and is refreshingly different.

1000 Years of German Humour is available from Henning Wehn’s website for £8 + £2 p&p.  The link to it is here.

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Richard Herring @ Chorley Little Theatre – 16th March 2010

March 17, 2010 by sherby57 1 Comment

I’ve never been to Chorley before.  The only thing I know about Chorley is that they’ve been engaged in a fruit-filled cake-based armed conflict with Eccles for over 200 years.  And I’ve just made that up.  Nevertheless, as the Parr Hall\Pyramid failed to book Richard Herring for his current show, Hitler Moustache, then I was forced to brave the arduous 40-minute drive.  It was actually more arduous than I had anticipated as my sat nav seemed to take me through the forest from the Blair Witch Project.  It was very scary.

I don’t need to point out that since I’ve never been to Chorley before then I’ve also never been to the Chorley Little Theatre before.  It’s a 230-seat theatre, which isn’t that little, but is the perfect size to watch comedy in.  The theatre is entirely run by volunteers and this is reflected in the friendly, welcoming atmosphere.  I also managed to park on the road right outside, which was a bonus.  I’m sure I’ll be back again soon.

Anyway, on with the show.  Hitler Moustache is Herring’s attempt to reclaim the toothbrush moustache from its associations with Hitler, back to its original Charlie Chaplin comedy connotations.  It’s a bit like when U2 had that feud with Charles Manson.  The show sounds like it could be a bit gimmicky, but it’s merely a springboard for a comic at the top of his game to explore issues such as racism, fascism and the importance of voting.  This could make it sound a bit po-faced but nothing could be further from the truth.   It’s the rare performer who can thoroughly entertain and make you think about serious issues at the same time.  It’s a highly recommended show, especially with an upcoming general election.  Go and see it if you can.

In summary, great show, lovely venue and I got a bit scared driving through some woods.

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Rhod Gilbert @ The Parr Hall, Warrington – 12th March 2010

March 13, 2010 by sherby57 1 Comment

Although I’ve seen Rhod Gilbert on TV quite a few times I didn’t really know what to expect from his stand up.  Other than he was probably going to be a bit shouty.

The support act for the evening was the excellent Tom Wrigglesworth who won the crowd over with his ability as a story-teller.  An extended tale about being in the audience of the Jeremy Kyle show was hilarious and warmed he audience up nicely for the main event.

During the interval I listened to a hilarious routine about a murder mystery evening that went horribly wrong.  But that was just my friend Joanne telling me about her week.  It was as if she was auditioning to be the female Rhod Gilbert.

Mr Gilbert was just as shouty and grumpy as I had thought, but he somehow managed to pull it off with likeability.  This is quite impressive as he didn’t let his mask of melancholy slip but he does it with such conviction and gusto that you’re taken along for the ride.  His whole shtick is to rail against the trivial annoyances in life and I felt quite exhausted by the sheer pace of his moaning.  But in a good way.

The seemingly disconnected show all came together for a nice conclusion and there was an inspired encore about the lack of enthusiasm for his encores.  For those of you looking for value for money, the whole evening was almost 3 hours long (including the interval), so we certainly weren’t short changed.

The most intriguing thing in the show was the woman sat near us who was crying inconsolably in the interval and then immediately started laughing hysterically when the show started.  We’ll never know what went on there.  But the show was really funny, and I guess that’s the main thing.

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The Comedy Store @ Pyramid Arts Centre, Warrington – 6th March 2010

March 7, 2010 by sherby57 Leave a Comment

I’ve not been to the Comedy Store in Warrington since November, and I’m happy to report that the audience was as mental as ever.  The MC for the evening was Justin Moorhouse, who’s an old hand at the Pyramid and knew how to cope with the odd mix of people, with the ladies of the Warrington Day Nursery on the front row getting the bulk of his attention.

The first act on was Andrew Lawrence whose Frank Spencerish voice, unusual appearance and quirky delivery divided the audience.  The half of the audience who understood the concept of comedy seemed to find him very funny; the half of the audience that had seemingly been plonked there at random were utterly bewildered by him.  The second act was Andi Osho whose confident delivery won the audience over.  She’s a very likeable performer and she thankfully got the other half of the audience back in the swing of things.

After the interval, Justin had another crack at the nursery ladies, and in particular one of them who was training to be a teacher.  She didn’t seem to like his implications that she was too thick to teach, but that’s what you get for sitting at the front.  The final act was Canadian Jason John Whitehead who delivered a confident, solid set and rounded off an excellent evening.

It was probably the strongest line up that I’ve seen at the Pyramid’s Comedy Store evenings for a long time and was well worth the £13 ticket price.

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Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People DVD

February 10, 2010 by sherby57 Leave a Comment

Those of you with excellent (and slightly obsessive) memories will recall that I bought some comedy DVDs in December and planned to review them all.  The first review, of Josie Long’s Trying is Good, was posted on the 27th December, and now here’s the second.  Yes, it’s really taken me 6 weeks to get around to doing the next one.

Nine Lessons and Carols is a Christmas show for atheists\rationalists that was organised by Robin Ince, in 2008.  I was gutted that I couldn’t go and see it at the time (bloody London!), so god bless the wonderful Go Faster Stripe for recording and releasing it.  The show is like a royal variety performance, but with intelligent people.  There are singers, comedians and scientists all performing, and it’s an eclectic and entertaining bill.

Part of the reason that it’s taken me so long to watch is because I started watching it in dribs and drabs, one performance at a time.  This was probably a mistake, and I should have just set aside the 2 hours it needed.  That said, it’s a very handy DVD to have if you have a spare 5 or 10 minutes to kill and want to watch something funny or informative.   It actually took me so long to watch that the 2009 version of the show was televised on BBC4 in the mean time.

I won’t go through the full list of performers, but they include: Richard Dawkins, Stewart Lee, Richard Herring, Andrew Collins, Josie Long, Simon Singh and Ben Goldacre.  Basically it’s loads of my favourite people.  The show is interspersed with talking heads interviews with some of the people who appeared on the live show, but not on the DVD version. These include; Jarvis Cocker, Dara O’Briain and Chris Addison.

The DVD extras are an extended version of the interviews (50 minutes), a backstage segment with Robin Ince, and a special easter egg dance routine.  A special thanks should go out to Chris Evans at GoFasterStripe.com for continuing to independently make such quality comedy DVDs.  You should all support their endeavours.

You can buy the DVD for a very reasonable £10 by clicking here.

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Tim Vine @ The Parr Hall, Warrington – 5th February 2010

February 7, 2010 by sherby57 8 Comments

I made a big point of saying that I don’t like jokes in last week’s write-up of the Jimmy Carr gig that I went to see, so you may find it surprising to find out that I went to watch Tim Vine on Friday.  I should probably clarify my position:  I don’t really like the sort of jokes that people tell you in the office, or that you find in ‘lads’ mags’, but I do love stupid jokes – this can be evidenced by my penchant for telling them, here.  Luckily, Tim Vine tells the stupidest jokes of all.

We missed the warm up act, due to a sat nav malfunction (a letter will be going out to the Binatone complaints department for a partial refund).  Fortunately, there was an experimental theatre troupe in the foyer performing an improv session about ‘da issues’, and this was highly entertaining.  Admittedly, this troupe did consist of me and Dr Angel, but we do find ourselves extremely funny.  It’s a gift.

Anyway, back to the real show.  I didn’t really know what to expect from Mr Vine, other than tons of jokes.  Well, there were certainly lots of jokes, but I didn’t foresee the barrage of wonderful surrealism and nonsense.  If you were to take examples of individual jokes you’d probably think that they were rubbish, but somehow they all combine together to make a show of the utmost hilarity.  Highlights included the song about a small piece of carpet and a jewellry box, his Bee Gees tribute and… well I could go on and on, and therefore ruin his act.  Also none of it actually sounds that funny unless you were actually there.  My advice is that you should just go and see him live, accept that he’s the daftest man on the planet and laugh your head off.

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