Joe Kent-Walters - An Evening With Frankie Monroe
Surreal character comedy from one half of The Lovely Boy and winner of this year's BBC New Comedy Award. This was pretty good. It's a very energetic take on Northern surrealism with lots of echoes of Vic & Bob and The Delightful Sausage. Those influences sometimes seem a bit undigested or like the writing is not really keeping pace with the performance. A lot of the jokes are really just club gold given a sheen by the delivery and the character they come out of. And he could definitely stand to both broaden and deepen Frankie's context. Beyond the premise (which is delivered as straight exposition) we don't really get any details about Frankie. It's a way off the complex little comedic worlds of The Delightful Sausage. HOWEVER, he's a great performer, and he was able to deploy the looseness and improvisation of The Lovely Boys to create some great off-the-cuff moments and bits of crowdwork. He's still pretty early in his development I guess but the talent is definitely there and this show specifically is already almost Edinburgh-ready. If he's able to continue refining it over the next 9 months it could be very very good

This looks fun!

https://sohotheatre.com/events/the-amazing-banana-brothers-by-natalie-palamides-and-her-brother/

QuoteThe Amazing Banana Brothers: By Natalie Palamides and her Brother
Fri 12 Jan

After too long barking out orders from the sidelines, the coach puts on the jersey and slips onto the court.
FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY Natalie Palamides performers the Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominated Amazing Banana Brothers with Bill O'Neill in the director's chair.

Will she out-perform him and change the course of history? Or will she meet her demise on a stage of organic landmines?

Yes.

Starring Natalie Palamies
Directed by Bill O'Neill

Quote from: waste of chops on December 28, 2023, 07:05:22 PMThis looks fun!

https://sohotheatre.com/events/the-amazing-banana-brothers-by-natalie-palamides-and-her-brother/

It does, and she's doing a WIP of new show WEER there, from 16-20th Jan. Wish I could go to both!

Achieved a personal goal by seeing David O'Doherty at Vicar Street last night. I've seen him do versions of this show a couple of times in the last year and a half, and I still find his stories and style fresh and funny. It was particularly enjoyable seeing him play to his home crowd and to talk so much about Dublin, something I've not really seen that much of in London or Manchester. Just a really comfy comedian who I'm immensely fond of.

Paul Williams turned up to deliver a couple of gags for tax purposes, apparently.

Sam Campbell guested with another rush of stuff rammed into about 25 minutes, no bells and whistles. Was a bit weird seeing him in front of an audience about a third of whom knew his name, and who were clearly taken aback by this sparking bag of nervous energy on the stage. It was a collection of bits I've seen him do before, some crowd stuff that amused me greatly, and I expect he was trying not to give too much away of what he'll be doing here next month when he returns for his tour proper. 

Just a hugely enjoyable Friday night out in Dublin, and Vicar St is absolutely gorgeous as a venue, envious of Dublin for having it!

Great lineup, I didn't know Paul Williams was in the hemisphere.

I'm going to that Palamides banana thing if anyone wants to say hi

Just a heads up for anyone in Manchester that XS Malarkey has some cracking bookings for their Tuesday nights in January and Feb, including Julia Masli, Olga Koch and Elf Lyons.

https://www.xsmalarkey.com/

I'm going to see James Acaster tomorrow. Finally!

Urooj Ashfaq - Oh No!
Caught this show from the best newcomer winner at the Soho Theatre. It's an introduction hour mostly about therapy and her family in India, but always pretty light hearted. A handful of funny lines, a very warm stage presence, and good crowd work. And there's a lot of stuff about India which was cool. Classic three star debut imo. Maybe 3.5 on a good day. Worth a watch when she goes on tour next week. One interesting thing I noticed: sometimes with young comics you can really tell that they all hang out together in north London. They have all the same jokes and mannerisms and they very quickly become cliches if you see a lot of comedy. So it was odd that Ashfaq had a bunch of those comedy cliches in her show as well, despite presumably not having the same access to that subculture? Maybe the Mumbai scene has just evolved in eerie parallel.

Interesting - going to see her in Manc at the end of the month. I don't think I'm familiar with the young north London comedians you refer to so should feel fresh to me :-)

Oh nice. Enjoy, should be a fun night. I'd be interested to hear what you thought about her style and whether it sounds fresh or familiar to you

I enjoyed Urooj in Edinburgh and think she has chops, but was still flabbergasted when she took home the medal.  I think there were stronger candidates in the field.

Quote from: Tiggles on January 09, 2024, 01:32:21 PMJust a heads up for anyone in Manchester that XS Malarkey has some cracking bookings for their Tuesday nights in January and Feb, including Julia Masli, Olga Koch and Elf Lyons.

https://www.xsmalarkey.com/

I've never been there for some reason but quite fancy the Elf Lyons show having just watched her last special on YouTube. Is it normally a full set there (support + headline kind of thing) or will she be part of a larger mixed bill?

Quote from: itf on January 10, 2024, 08:07:09 PMI've never been there for some reason but quite fancy the Elf Lyons show having just watched her last special on YouTube. Is it normally a full set there (support + headline kind of thing) or will she be part of a larger mixed bill?

She will be headlining after at least one other act, and Toby Hadoke of course as MC. If you click through to the individual listings in We Got Tickets it tells you what the lineup is for each night where confirmed.

I saw Elf at XS Malarkey (in a different venue) last year, she was excellent, and the club itself is more of a comedy community than one of the commercial ventures in the city.

Quote from: CaledonianGonzo on January 10, 2024, 08:38:25 AMI enjoyed Urooj in Edinburgh and think she has chops, but was still flabbergasted when she took home the medal.  I think there were stronger candidates in the field.

Big time

Last night went to Confuse Comedy at John the Unicorn in Peckham which has recently returned post-pandemic.
https://www.instagram.com/confuse.comedy/

It was my first time and I'd describe it as in the vein of a circa 1980 alternative cabaret-type thing which I'm all in favour of. The organiser and compere Edward At Last was very comfortable and even warm onstage presence which is a nice change from the often nervous energy I see from other comperes in southeast London. Lots of prop comedy and strangeness and audience interaction from 3 of the acts I saw. The audience were very enthusiastic.

Annabel Bashford, Rosa Garland and Ali Brice were all great. There was also a more standard comedian who was in his late 60s who might have been performing for the first time - some very hack material.

I'll go back for sure. Fun, unusual night out.

Quote from: Tiggles on January 10, 2024, 10:08:25 PMShe will be headlining after at least one other act, and Toby Hadoke of course as MC. If you click through to the individual listings in We Got Tickets it tells you what the lineup is for each night where confirmed.

I saw Elf at XS Malarkey (in a different venue) last year, she was excellent, and the club itself is more of a comedy community than one of the commercial ventures in the city.

Cheers - I've booked, I've just realised this is where I saw a Daniel Kitson warmup last year - will give the Elf Lyons gig a go and then think about becoming a member.

Anyone going to LCF next month?
https://comedy-festival.co.uk/

I was wondering if anyone could recommend some younger stand-ups who have a significant political component to their work (preferably on the left end of the spectrum).

I thought I'd try asking in this thread as there's more discussion of younger stand-ups here than elsewhere on the site.

Thanks!

Nish Kumar, if he counts as young. Ahir Shah is also very political albeit a bit less left.

This has prob already been posted, but the video of The Delightful Sausage's Nowt But Sea went up last month. Their Radio 4 show Icklewick FM starts on the 23rd.

Quote from: tribalfusion on January 11, 2024, 04:08:41 PMI was wondering if anyone could recommend some younger stand-ups who have a significant political component to their work (preferably on the left end of the spectrum).

I thought I'd try asking in this thread as there's more discussion of younger stand-ups here than elsewhere on the site.

Thanks!

This is maybe my least favourite type of comedy so I don't see much of it, but names I can think of include Milo Edwards, Ed Night, Alex Kealy, Rosie Holt, Pierre Novellie, Liv Ello, Ahir Shah, Matt Green, Tiff Stevenson, Joe Wells, Fin Taylor, Alfie Brown, Sean Morley, Jack Lewis Evans, Tom Ballard, Imran Yusuf, Omar Ibrahim

Would particularly recommend Sean Morley and Jack Evans' podcast Mandatory Redistribution Party which is an amazing piece of work along these lines

Disclaimer I definitely do not like all of those performers but they are political

They don't all come from the left either e.g. Fin Taylor

Yeah, Pierre Novellie's a centrist and Alfie Brown/Fin Taylor are sort of edgelord shithead contrarians. The rest of them are pretty firmly left

I'm on the left too but in political comedy I prefer either something like Taylor who explores and challenges leftist assumptions, or Mandos which does the same thing but pushes me further left.

Acts like Nish Kumar or Tiff Stevenson or Alex Kealy feel like they mostly just validate existing beliefs without exploring them, which feels pointless, although sometimes can be funny regardless

Quote from: edwardfog on January 13, 2024, 01:22:01 AMThis is maybe my least favourite type of comedy so I don't see much of it, but names I can think of include Milo Edwards, Ed Night, Alex Kealy, Rosie Holt, Pierre Novellie, Liv Ello, Ahir Shah, Matt Green, Tiff Stevenson, Joe Wells, Fin Taylor, Alfie Brown, Sean Morley, Jack Lewis Evans, Tom Ballard, Imran Yusuf, Omar Ibrahim

Would particularly recommend Sean Morley and Jack Evans' podcast Mandatory Redistribution Party which is an amazing piece of work along these lines

Forgot Kate Smurthwaite. Conrad Koch and Michael Spicer probably count here too

Of course the pre-eminent political comedian of his generation is Matt Forde.

in the UK at least 'political comedy' largely means 'comedy in which the subject matter is parliament', at least in the mainstream

Stew Lee seems to rate Alfie Brown but I wouldn't really be able to see past him being Jan Ravens' son.  I don't really rate Kumar et al either (I find him likeable enough, haven't actually seen much of his standup), but I do find the 'my usp is that I'm right wing, actually' doesn't really tend to be reproduced up my end of the aisle.  I'm quite familiar with Milo Edwards because I listen to Trashfuture but that doesn't seem to be where he comes from, comedically. 

I just find it a bit annoying because with that USP is the idea that most comedians or comedy are/is left-wing, which is simply untrue, probably caught up in the idea that liberal - especially socially liberal - equals left wing.  I don't think the average comedian, and certainly not the average TV comedian, is in favour of abolishing private property and seizing the means of production.  It just feels what it is, a contrived USP.  You either end up like Geoff Norcott and managing to maintain it, or you end up getting absorbed in your grievances and taking your lot in with the *ndr*w D*yle lot e.g. Simon Evans.

Basically if you do left political material and you aren't at least trying to be as funny as Alexei Sayle or as compelling as Mark Thomas then I'd hardly stretch to calling them political comedians, rather than people who talk about parliament.

Quote from: Pink Gregory on January 13, 2024, 10:24:35 AMI don't really rate Kumar et al either (I find him likeable enough, haven't actually seen much of his standup)

Onstage he's probably better than you'd expect and has improved a lot over the years. The last couple of times I've seen him he's been edging towards five stars.

Anyone else been spammed with adverts for this on the socials?

Quote from: CaledonianGonzo on January 13, 2024, 10:37:02 AMOnstage he's probably better than you'd expect and has improved a lot over the years. The last couple of times I've seen him he's been edging towards five stars.

I'd certainly be interested to see, I think it's more I don't really vibe with his performing style, unless that's a bit more developed as well?  That kind of overlaboured histrionics kind of thing