Edinburgh | Page 33

Edinburgh Preview: Gavin Webster – The Sexist’s Sexist

August 11, 2015 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

Gavin Webster is a comedian I have very much looked forward to seeing in the flesh, having made him my Comedian Of The Month last August. I finally managed to catch a preview of this high-energy Geordie comic’s latest show The Sexist’s Sexist at the MAC in Birmingham.

Gavin begins with his tried and tested material; clearly the comic’s safety net of top-quality, trustworthy gags. From the early stages of the show, Webster showed an obvious competency, coming across as a man who gets the job done and gets it done well. He exudes natural charm and a genuine warmth, which came across progressively strongly as the hour passed by and references to friends and family were made, such as his late dad’s blunt life advice, which was a profound moment to say the least.

The Sexist’s Sexist is not what it may first appear from studying the poster or name alone: it is a well-crafted, personal hour which showcases Webster’s story-telling skills and admirable casual confidence. Talking of his delight at being crowned Comedian’s Comedian on Christmas Eve last year, Gavin demonstrated to us all why he received the award in the first place; not only is he a lovely guy but he also clearly understands his creative responsibilities as a stand up. He expertly toes the line between comfort and danger, teasing us with elements of the two.

Gavin Webster’s latest show is a satisfying blend of home comforts and absurdist anecdotes, making him one to watch at this year’s Edinburgh Festival.

Gavin Webster is currently performing his show The Sexist’s Sexist at the Edinburgh Festival.

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH… GAVIN WEBSTER

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A Guide To Edinburgh 2015

August 7, 2015 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

That time of year is upon us once more; thousands of performers, reviewers and audience members are preparing to visit the holy grail of comedy that is the Edinburgh Festival. Here is a quick run through of everything MoodyComedy would be attending if only I could get there this year. Do get in touch if you attend any of these shows, or see something else that you think should be featured. You can also catch up with the past week’s exclusive MoodyComedy interviews.

Stuff That’s Gold

Katherine Ryan

Katherine Ryan is performing her latest show, Kathbum, currently riding high on her phenomenal rise to fame in recent years and showing no signs of stopping any time soon. With every new show, Katherine only increases in her wisdom, experience and cutting sass, similar to that of Irish charmer Aisling Bea who brings her second show, Plan Bea, to the festival. Another name to watch out for is that of Luisa Omielan, who will perform a very limited run of her second show Am I Right Ladies?!. Omielan is a performer that cares about her audience to an extent I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed before: her show is empowering, lively and not to be missed.

James Acaster presents another whacky hour of surreal yet surprisingly dramatic story-telling stand up in his show Represent and Joe Lycett returns, with possibly the best show title of the year: That’s The Way, A-Ha A-Ha, Joe Lycett. And it would frankly be a mistake to miss out on seeing Bridget Christie‘s latest show, A Book For Her, which sees the launch of her debut novel, and showcases her trademark blend of feminism and spectacular comedy.

Stuff That’s Odd

Tony Law, the king of surreal comedy, is performing his new show Frillemorphesis where he explores ideas such as shouting, moving and talking, absolutely standard. A live show from the Tone Zone is an opportunity not to be missed, or forgotten in a hurry, and his being in this category is by no means a suggestion that this show will not also be Gold.

Shouty extraordinaire Bobby Mair brings another dark and bitterly funny show off the back of his recent television successes, entitled Filthy Immigrant; Tom Allen performs Both Worlds with his signature sinister calm and endearing flamboyance and Harriet Kemsley, who spent the first part of this year supporting Katherine Ryan on tour, also performs her debut hour, Puppy Fat, which has got the critics excited. If you like a bit of audience interaction, Jonny Awsum’s show Everything Is Awsum will be another unforgettable experience, as will Patrick Monahan’s seventies-inspired show The Disco Years.

Stuff That’s Free

Now any Edinburgh Festival-goer will be able to tell you that ticket price does not necessarily dictate quality; free shows are on the rise as they are a great way of ensuring the trip is more affordable for comedians and fans alike. There are some real gems performing shows this year that rely on kind donations alone.

Lou Sanders

Rob Auton has prepared another delightfully off-kilter, poetical concept show entitled The Water Show where he considers everything surrounding the theme of water, much like his previous shows which have centred around themes such as Yellow, Sky and Face. Elf Lyons‘ Being Barbarella is a high-octane adventure, discussing science fiction, liberation and sharks. This lady is a true one-off, who’s surreal form of comedy is often likened to The Mighty Boosh. And Lou Sanders, being the wonderful shambles of a performer that she is, brings her insane show about her efforts to get accepted into Eton College For Boys, of course entitled: Excuse Me, You’re Sitting On My Penis Again.

Stuart Goldsmith will also be recording episodes of The Comedian’s Comedian Podcast where he interviews everyone that is anyone in the world of comedy, delving deep into the psyche of the performer and having many laughs in the process. The line up for this year is stellar and although the recordings are free to attend and non-ticketed, the venue will undoubtedly fill up quickly on the night so plan ahead.

You can purchase tickets for all shows mentioned on the Edinburgh Festival website.

READ EDINBURGH PREVIEWS HERE

Seven Questions With… Ari Shaffir

August 6, 2015 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

Ari Shaffir is an American stand up comedian whose face you may recognise from recent appearances on Comedy Central as well as being the host of one of the top-rated podcasts on iTunes, the interview-style show The Skeptic Tank. This year’s Edinburgh Festival sees Shaffir bring his storytelling TV series This Is Not Happening to the stage, accompanied by various other comics as they share anecdotes from their personal lives with a live audience.

To learn more about the man behind the comedy, I asked Ari these seven questions…

1) Do you enjoy the great outdoors?

Dude! I love it. All I look forward to in the summer is getting mushrooms and going to Joshua Tree. Or getting mushrooms and going to Sequoia National Park. Or getting mushrooms and walking around the city, but I guess that’s not really the great outdoors. The point is, yes, I love being in nature. People and their creations are overwhelming. I like being away from as many of them as possible. When I leave comedy, it’ll either be to commit suicide or to get on a boat and just sail out until I never see anyone again.

2) Which comedians are you influenced by?

Burr, Bobby Lee, Kinison, Brody Stevens, some dead guys, the Simpsons, Joey Diaz. I guess I’m influenced by almost every comedian I’ve seen. I like seeing different techniques, different paths to get at a problem, different styles. I can take from anything. I like arm movements and pauses. If I see somebody nailing it with a technique I’ve never used, of course that’s gonna influence the way I go at ideas.

3) Books or e-books?

Books. But probably neither. I’ve read like, 3 books in the last 15 years. I read a shitload all through university, but then I stopped cold as soon as I got out. E-books seem like a great way to have your book with you, but it seems lame for some reason. It’s probably not justified. I have the same problem with dating websites. I remember the time when online dating was for losers and mutants. But that time is done. And yet, I’m still stuck thinking it’s a problem. I gotta get over my younger self.

4) How would your friends describe you?

They’d describe me as a fun dick maybe. I don’t know. I don’t even want to think about this. I don’t know how they’d describe me. They’re my friends. They’re idiots. They’d probably describe me as tall and bearded.

5) Is your stage persona the same as your own personality?

My stage persona is almost identical to my personality. The only difference might be that I feel freer sharing embarrassing details in front of a crowd than I do in front of a couple people. But I’m coming to things from the same place on stage or off.

6) Do you ever feel like you’re too honest?

I feel like I’m very honest compared to most people. For sure. But, no. I don’t feel too honest. It’s gotten me in trouble before. Plenty of times. But I still don’t think I’m too honest. I rather think most other people are not honest enough. If everyone was open about who they are, we wouldn’t really be judging each other so harshly. Just be who you are and don’t worry about what people are going to say. They don’t matter. So that’s what I do usually.

7) What are you waiting for?

I’m waiting for this new special to be done so I can stop touring for a while. I’m waiting for the US revolution to start moving a little faster, I’m waiting for South Park to come back on. I’m waiting for a hot girl who’s also genuinely interesting and not self-absorbed. The revolution should be here first.

ARI SHAFFIR BRINGS ‘THIS IS NOT HAPPENING’ TO THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH…

Seven Questions With… Stuart Laws

August 5, 2015 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

Stuart Laws is a stand up comedian currently embarking on his third solo hour, entitled Who Said Anything About Stopping It?, at this year’s Edinburgh Festival. Having supported James Acaster on his UK tour throughout 2013 and 2014 as well as having directed multiple films and worked with big names such as Julia Davis and Robert Lindsay, Laws really is an interesting artist, who’s name, I’m sure, will soon be hard to ignore.

To learn more about Stuart, I asked him these seven questions…

1) Are you easily pleased?

What a great question! Thank you so much for asking it, incredibly kind of you.

2) Are you any good at doing accents?

Oh aye, absolutely I am (Scottish). To be sure, to be sure (Welsh). What a lovely potato (Cockney). Yum, yum, I love onions and baguettes and garlic (My Mum). Pop a couple of chimps on Bar-B. (Australian animal themed pub owner). Guten tag, wie geht’s dir? Ich habe eine grosse meerschweinchen mit Mayo (Bermudan who learnt German).

3) Do you ever feel like time moves too fast?

Terminator was released in 1984. So was I. There have been four sequels to the Terminator and none to me. So I think what I mean is: yes, but I manage to not fall into molten metal, so perhaps I move slowly through time.

4) Do you envy any other comedians?

I’ve ended up wearing a gilet on stage, as standard now. I’m envious of anyone who gets to wear an item of clothing that isn’t designed to keep them extremely warm. Envious of Sean McLoughlin because he has the courage to say that he hates Studio 60 on The Sunset Strip. Otherwise, no, not really, just really admire a lot of them for being really great at what they do: Acaster, Helm, Kemsley, Sanders, Wang, Pacquola, Long, Hodgson, Kearns, Cahill, Stephenson, Daykins.

5) What is your favourite item of clothing?

Invest in socks. If you have the option of a luxury purchase then prioritise new socks. Makes a huge difference.

6) Who is your favourite serial killer?

David Griffin (Keanu Reeves in The Watcher). Keanu didn’t want to do the film but was forced to after a friend forged his signature on the contract. So that makes David Griffin the most unwilling and weak-willed serial killer in history. To be that unskilled and to still qualify is pretty impressive.

7) Is comedy that offends people important?

Yeah, probably. From the point of view that never will the world achieve harmony of opinion so offence means that someone had the freedom to express a thought deemed repulsive. And really, thinking about it: freedom is more important than harmony of opinion. But it would be nice if less people had really shit opinions, but banning and marginalising those opinions won’t create less shit opinions. For example: people who like Lost In Translation. I won’t ban them, but I won’t trust them. Did I answer the question? I think my position on offensive comedy is most probably summed up in my choice of serial killer.

STUART LAWS WILL BE PERFORMING HIS LATEST SHOW ‘WHO SAID ANYTHING ABOUT STOPPING IT?’ AT THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FROM 8TH-15TH AUGUST

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH…

Seven Questions With… Michael J. Dolan

August 4, 2015 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

Michael J. Dolan is an infamous comedy Miserable Guts; past shows of his have considered themes such as the futility of human existence, so that may give you an idea as to what this comedian is all about. With an incredibly dark wit and bleak outlook on seemingly all elements of life, Dolan is preparing to embark on his latest stand up hour, where he discusses more existential queries he has about his personal life as well as the inevitable demise of humanity.

I asked Michael these seven questions to learn more…

1) What item is most personally valuable to you?

That would be my 3DS, specifically for my Animal Crossing town which is on the memory card. I’ve probably spent more time talking with those animals in the last two years than I have talking to my wife. I live in mortal fear of losing the console, or having it stolen, although if I’m honest things in my little town haven’t really been the same since Rizzo the rat moved out about a month ago. He was my favourite, he’d been my neighbour since I arrived. He didn’t tell me he was going until he’d packed everything up because he knew I wouldn’t let him leave. Now I feel like you’re judging me but you can stick it up your arse, I love that town more than any real place I’ve ever been in my life.

2) Do you believe in fate?

Fuck no. Is that a trick question? You might as well open with ‘are you an idiot?’ I’ve never believed anything really, I’m not even totally convinced that this is real but you can’t live your life like that so I try not to think about it. When they’re demanding a council tax payment you can’t just shout ‘how do I know this isn’t a simulation?’ at them, they’ll fine you eighty quid.

3) Where do you want to be right now?

In bed. Always. I love my bed. I think I might be a bit in love with my bed. Shame about all the nightmares though, they put a kind of a shitty tint on things but then nothing’s perfect, not even the sweet escape of unconsciousness.

4) Do you have a tidy workspace?

My whole house is a shit tip, but I don’t really have a workspace as such. Out of myself and my wife I’m probably the tidiest and I’m not remotely tidy. I have to follow her around picking up discarded tissues and orange peel so we don’t end up on one of those fucking hoarder programs. The other day I found a balled up tissue behind a fucking picture frame, how does that even happen?

5) Do you find routine comforting or boring?

Maddening is probably accurate. Free time is an incredibly valuable thing, it’s remarkable to me how little we’ll sell our own for. When are you meant to do all your thinking? The Edinburgh Fringe is probably the closest thing I get to a routine all year, doing that many shows in a row, but there’s plenty of other stuff to offset the horror, the sudden prevalence of Bratwurst sellers in the street for one thing.

6) Who will you be going to see in Edinburgh?

Probably nobody, I’ll have a list of shows to see and then see none of them because I’m too busy gnashing my teeth in the dark and playing video games to distract myself from my own wails. On the list of shows I mostly won’t end up seeing would be Milo McCabe, Chris Stokes, Peter Brush, Nick Revell, so just loads of white men apparently.

7) What makes you passionate about comedy?

Hahaha, what? That’s the hardest question I’ve ever been asked. The end of it? I’d love to witness the death of comedy, which is a very real possibility at the Fringe. It’s easy to forget what inspired you when you began, you can grow very weary of comedy when it’s all you do. The best thing is to hear a voice you’ve not heard before, when somebody shows up with a new perspective on things. Katherine Ryan’s most recent tour show was probably the last thing I saw that felt revelatory, watching somebody be exactly what it is you think a real comedian is meant to be, even if I can’t ever quite put my finger on what that is. Socially relevant, a little transgressive, and just really fucking funny. Something like that.

MICHAEL J. DOLAN IS BRINGING HIS SHOW ‘MISERABLE GUTS’ TO THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH…

Seven Questions With… Tony Law

August 3, 2015 by Becca Moody 3 Comments

Tony Law is an absurd comedian to say the least, bettering himself with each passing year and crafting majestical shows which in the past have included musical numbers, finger lasers and puppet displays. The shouty surrealist is bringing his latest hour of nonsense Frillemorphesis to the Edinburgh Festival and it looks set to be another brash, bizarre yet beautiful assault of the senses.

I asked Tony these seven questions to learn more about the man behind the madness…

1) Why is your comedy so strange?

It’s not my comedy. It belongs to the earth. And I’d hesitate to call it comedy. Normal to some?

2) Which instrument do you wish you could play?

The flesh tuba. I’ve never learnt to masturbate. It’s high time. And piano. Be a great help the piano. Could fill my shows up with less words.

3) What bores you most?

Myself. Listening to me droning on about tree houses and cylinders all time. No one wants that.

4) Where is your safe place?

Culverts. P47 thunderbolts. My family. Training with master Cho.

5) If you were to write a book, what would the subject be?

Walking through landscapes and whistling new songs that are gone for ever on the wind. Just about that sorta thing.

6) How do you clear your head?

I’m afraid that’s rather easy, I just breath through my mouth and away I go. Really rather ……

7) What do you want your legacy as a comedian to be?

Hardest working man in show business. Loads of money to pay all these bills I forgot about. So then I could concentrate on whatever it is that I do on floors.

TONY LAW IS BRINGING HIS SHOW ‘FRILLEMORPHESIS’ TO THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH…

Edinburgh Preview: Alfie Moore – A Fair Cop Stands Up

July 28, 2015 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

Alfie Moore-Tony Briggs If you like your comedy shows to also be an educational experience, then Alfie Moore’s latest stand up hour A Fair Cop Stands Up may just be the show for you. Drawing upon his many years of experience as a policeman in Scunthorpe, Moore embarks on an hour of insightful observations and hilarious hypothetical problem solving. I caught a preview of the show at Birmingham’s MAC.

Alfie Moore arrived onstage armed with an abundance of facts and statistics which he delivered throughout the hour, using them as a springboard for jokes and anecdotes. There were occasional breathtaking moments of bitter sarcasm that gave the whole show a darker edge, such as Moore’s interjection regarding minority groups in the force: “we don’t allow people who are colourblind into the police force as they wouldn’t know who to stop search”. Other elements, however, remained endearing with the comic’s obvious nice character shining through, which served as an intriguing contrast against the shocking ironies of some of his lines.

Here we have a stand up who undeniably cares for his craft a great deal and the hours of work behind the material showed in the pages of notes he flicked through between segments. It felt at times that he was perhaps a little too eager to generalise ‘the public’ and our likes and dislikes, maybe this is a policeman’s trait, with some observational assumptions sneaking in as Alfie tried to tie his material together into a definitive narrative. I’m sure this is something he can work on over the coming weeks as the final parts of the show come together; it’s just a case of fine-tuning now.

Alfie Moore is currently performing preview shows of A Fair Cop Stands Up across the UK and will be taking the completed show to Edinburgh in August.

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Edinburgh Preview: Rob Rouse

July 20, 2015 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

Rob Rouse is a name I knew, but a face I did not, so it was great to finally be able to put a face to the name of this rising star in stand up comedy, at one of the Edinbrum Preview nights at the MAC in Birmingham.

Rob’s energy is consistently intense for the duration of his time on stage, perhaps reflecting who he is as a person. The general enthusiasm he presents his show with is admirable and would probably have been enough to see him through even if his material was sub-standard. But, of course this wasn’t the case and Rob’s delivery merely served to enhance what is already a well crafted, and satisfyingly personal hour, with material about his ‘wife’ and two young children, as well as delving (perhaps a little too far) into the details of his own health and recent visits to the doctor.

Throughout the show, especially towards the end, it appeared that a lot of what was being said was entirely impulsive, with Rouse bouncing off the audience as well as exploring his own ideas within the written show a little further. He showed skill in his noticing of which parts got the best reaction and running further with them, persistently driving ideas through to, and often past, their apparent conclusions, in order to get the most out of his material. Not only does this show great artistic bravery as a performer, it also allowed Rouse to demonstrate what an able storyteller he is, often delivering hilarious anecdotes that didn’t necessarily need any punch lines as such. The look in his eyes told us he couldn’t quite believe this untested, spontaneous material was going so well, which only added to the enjoyable element of comedic danger present in the room.

This hyperactive evening of comedy was greatly enjoyed by Rob’s audience and certainly, it was clear, by the comedian himself. It will be interesting to compare the end product of this show to the inner workings we were able to see.

Rob Rouse will soon be performing his new show across the UK.

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Edinburgh Preview: Angela Barnes: Come As You Are

July 13, 2015 by Becca Moody 2 Comments

Angela Barnes is a name I have followed for quite a while now, and I’ve even interviewed her, but only recently found the opportunity to see her perform live at the MAC in Birmingham: a preview of her second stand up show, Come As You Are.

Things have been changing for Angela in recent times. She has found love, had various strange health hiccups and her friends have all started having children. And though she is keen to share all that she has learned with her audiences, it is clear that her adventures and successes career-wise have not gone to her head. Her general demeanour on stage is very approachable and friendly, which made the whole affair feel a little like a lovely, small village meeting rather than a stand up show, particularly as a result of the decision to abandon the microphone early on.

The show itself oozed competence and natural flair, despite it being a work-in-progress with infrequent pauses and note scribbling (which was of course to be expected). The content fitted together well and it felt as though we, as an audience, left feeling like more of a collective, such is the relatability of Angela’s material.

This new hour contains multiple incredibly dark elements (a sick reference to Nigella Lawson here, an anecdote about a lonely pensioner there) which seem to crop up out of nowhere and really lifted the whole experience to a new level. Often following up her delightfully grim comments with questions like “was that too dark?” as though that’s a bad thing makes me worry that Angela might actually remove them from the show, but I greatly hope that she keeps them in. I’d argue that there’s still room for her to add more.

Angela Barnes is currently performing preview shows of Come As You Are across the UK and will be taking the completed show to Edinburgh in August.

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH ANGELA BARNES

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Edinburgh Preview: Paul Kerensa – Back To The Futon Part II

June 22, 2015 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

In theming his show around the cult film Back To The Future and its two sequels, it was clear from the outset that Paul Kerensa’s performance at the MAC in Birmingham was going to be an interesting experience, particularly as someone with a limited recollection of the trilogy other than the obvious standout features (aka time travel and hoverboards).

This comedian has an openness which borders on vulnerability on stage, meaning that he appears to be very approachable and is immediately liked by his audiences. Kerensa used his interpersonal skills to ensure that this somewhat niche topic did not alienate any member of the audience. Over the hour, he managed to make the subject matter accessible by all, using Marty McFly’s adventures as a springboard for more relatable material.

There was an unavoidable sense of nostalgia throughout the proceedings, with Paul clearly differentiating between his experiences at the Edinburgh Festival in 2006 performing Back To The Futon (part one) and where he finds himself now, having since married and had two children. The show itself is ambitious as Kerensa experiments with technology to create a homemade time machine, which seemed to still be in relatively early stages of production (understandable, of course, when you consider the difficulties of combining pre-recorded video with live stand up comedy).

The show was imperfect, but it was a preview after all and the flaws in the production helped maintain the friendly atmosphere that James Acaster had established an hour earlier. I have no doubt that the finished product will delight Back To The Future fans and general comedy enthusiasts in equal measures.

Paul Kerensa is currently performing preview shows across the UK and will be taking the completed show to Edinburgh in August.

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