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Review: Bramall Comedy Night, Laura Lexx, Andy White & Christian Reilly

March 11, 2015 by Becca Moody 1 Comment

Last Thursday brought the latest comedy night at the University of Birmingham, and, not wanting to break tradition, I obviously went along.

Laura Lexx

The compère for the evening was the lovely Laura Lexx, a comedian I had never heard of before, and proof that going to comedy nights such as these are vital for comedy fans who want to expand their knowledge and understanding of who is actually out there performing material. Laura is one of the sweetest and most delightful comedians I’ve watched perform, who was able to balance her well-spoken, polite voice with the occasional dark humour and abstract concepts. She was also the first person to ever pick on me in the “who-are-you-what-do-you-do?” sort of sense which is surprising given the number of gigs I’ve attended over the years, but maybe more of a shock for my friend who was also singled out and had never been to an event like that before.

There is something a little magic about hearing stand up material about the specific area you live in, and, coming from Birmingham himself, Andy White was able to give that to us. Referring to an audience member from Harborne as “Your Majesty” and making humorous digs at Birmingham City University (not to be confused with the university he was performing at), Andy crafted a set that was meaningful to the people in the room. With his naturally chilled manner and remarkable red velvet jacket, this comedian comes across very confidently on stage, which is always reassuring as an audience member in a relatively small crowd.

Christian Reilly

Christian Reilly was the only comic on the bill who I’d heard material from before, by which I mean occasionally hearing him sing a couple of songs on TotalRock radio with Jeff Leach. As well as obvious musical skill, Reilly has an aptitude for pushing boundaries with risky subject matter which gives his songs an extra, often sinister, layer. His style of comedy is all-or-nothing; he takes a stance regarding a topical issue or popular celebrity and works from there, incorporating harsh criticisms hidden in between bouts of silly humour. A highlight would have to be an Avril Lavigne song in the style of Brian Ferry.

As always, the comedy night at the University of Birmingham certainly did not disappoint and, again, I encourage you to join me at next month’s event on April 9th.

BRAMALL COMEDY NIGHT: FEBRUARY 2015

Review: Josie Long, Cara Josephine

February 21, 2015 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

I have wanted to see Josie Long live for a long time due to her infamous political comedy but also because she is one of the most articulate, kind-hearted comics out there. Cara Josephine is her least political show for a long time and I think that may be because the message of this set is far too positive to be weighed down by the heavy nature of British politics- we can forget all that for a little while. Supported by the eccentric Tom Allen, these two supplied a superb Wednesday evening of entertainment.

Photo: Steve Ullathorne

Tom Allen expertly juggles being slightly sinister with being endearing, friendly and flamboyant; his delivery fluctuates between being downbeat and slow-moving, and charmingly playful. With a presence similar to that of the well-spoken stand up comedian Simon Evans, Allen showed an incredibly dark streak; a welcome contrast to the abundance of crowd-pleasing ‘safe’ comedy that has emerged in recent years. Tom showed a talent for altering the metaphorical distance between himself and his audience, as we soon began to warm to each other and he opened up more and more about his family and his childhood.

Josie and Tom were very different in their material, delivery and stage presence but I noticed one major similarity: what they say is perfected by the way in which they say it. Tom Allen’s material would not be done justice if spoken by anybody else; he has a compelling presence on stage and a very distinctive voice. In Josie’s case, she uses her delightfully childish humour to break up heavily emotional or political segments which makes for a fantastically rounded and widely accessible show.

Josie Long’s Cara Josephine is a carefully constructed work of art. She begins on the surface, talking about her recent experiences taking Maths A Level as a 32 year old because she kept having nightmares about taking Maths A Level (I know, it makes perfect sense), and gradually getting more and more intimate until we reach the crux of the show: issues regarding our own self worth. I had heard that this was Josie’s most personal show to date, but had not expected her to be so wonderfully open about her past loves and losses, and make it so bloody funny.

Photo: Giles Smith

With a passion for poetry and an Oxford University education under her belt, Josie makes no effort to hide how well-read she is, and, frankly, why should she? I really appreciate the kind of comedy that values intelligence and the art of learning, and this show in particular enables audiences to learn about the woman on the stage, but also about her perception of events that happen to us all throughout our lives. This comedian talks to an extent of the difficult time she had as a teenager, and seeing where she is now, and despite only being seventeen myself, I think all of her fans feel a strange sense of pride for all that she has achieved.

This is because Josie Long is everyone’s friend. She opens herself up to her audiences, making herself vulnerable, all for the sake of her art, and I think that is something to be admired. Her comedy certainly blossoms because of it. With her infectious, bubbly personality, Josie has managed to build up consistently warm and friendly audiences which meant that the atmosphere in Wolverhampton was supportive and encouraging. This lady talks of growing old, but in my eyes she’ll be young her whole life: she has clearly learned a lot in the past few years, but hasn’t let this harden her in anyway and she remains as bright-eyed and spirited as ever.

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH… JOSIE LONG

Review: Bramall Comedy Night, Andrew Ryan, Ben Norris & Romesh Ranganathan

February 17, 2015 by Becca Moody 1 Comment

Last week saw the fourth instalment of the University of Birmingham’s ever-growing comedy night with a stellar line up consisting of Andrew Ryan, Ben Norris and Romesh Ranganathan. This month undoubtedly saw the biggest crowd so far which was very nice to see.

Irish comic Andrew Ryan compèred the evening and he was one of the best I’d ever seen fill this difficult role, with unwavering energy and and effortless charm. In a way that reminded me of Jason Byrne (no, not just because he’s Irish), Andrew is very skilled at developing a unique set based on the audience on the night, from what I saw. A fifteen year old on the front row received most of the comedian’s conversation as he was so young, which was a near miss for me, being seventeen and on the front row myself!

Ben Norris was next, walking on with a stern face and surprising us all with his lighthearted style of comedy; I don’t think many people were expecting him to be so lovely, but he really was. With hilarious personal anecdotes broken up by a few fantastic one-liners, Norris presented a perfect blend of the topical and silly, with the dark and twisted. I laughed all the way through his set, particularly because his observations of aspects of politics and religion were spot on, and would definitely pay to see him again soon.

The last act of the night was one of my favourite stand up comedians, Romesh Ranganathan, and I was delighted to finally be able to see him live. Talking about his kids, one of whom is an “unacceptable human being”, Romesh’s comedy has something for people of all ages (he’d probably be horrified to hear that I am one of five girls, when he thinks three boys is ridiculous). His material is very specific to him, covering the things he has experience of such as parenthood, teaching, veganism and dealing with racism, all tied together with his trademark passive aggression and sarcasm.

It was a pleasure to finally see Rom in person and I will definitely be following what Andrew and Ben are up to from now on (and of course attending next month’s comedy night at the Bramall).

BRAMALL COMEDY NIGHT: JANUARY 2015

Review: Bramall Comedy Night, Ivo Graham, Holly Walsh & Nathan Caton

January 20, 2015 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

Last Thursday I visited Bramall Hall at the University of Birmingham for the third instalment of their fantastic comedy night. It was great to see a very busy venue this time, as opposed to the relatively small numbers I had seen in previous months, perhaps due to the fact the names on the bill seem to get bigger each month.

Ivo Graham was the night’s compere and showed an impressive ability to build a set around the answers of the few people he questioned, whilst remaining open to the audience as a whole. Only a small portion of what was said was obviously material and Graham seemed to derive most of his laughs from impulsive remarks as his energy bounced of the audience. With a love for Mario Kart, Ivo Graham is a wonderfully endearing loser (like the majority of us deep down) and was able to laugh at himself without it seeming constructed or forced.

First up was Holly Walsh, who I’ve watched for years on numerous television shows, particularly panel shows like Never Mind The Buzzcocks and Mock The Week, but more recently on Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled. Holly brings a lovely enthusiasm to a room and has such a delightfully positive vibe about her, and as she pointed out, she sounds ridiculously sweet when she swears, so it doesn’t have the desired effect. Introducing herself as “Holly. Or if my parents are telling me off, Holiver,” it was great to finally see this funny woman in person.

Nathan Caton

Nathan Caton was a name and face that I knew, but I hadn’t seen that much of his stand up as I’d only ever seen him on shows like Mock The Week and Good News. Caton’s personality on stage is brilliant; he is cool and relaxed, with material spanning family, politics and race, amongst others. His impressions of his grandmother got the audience laughing the most, and were my favourite part of the night, as well as his newfound fear of white women in dark alleyways.

This comedy night just keeps getting better and better, and I truly can’t wait for next month (check the line up to see why).

BRAMALL COMEDY NIGHT: DECEMBER 2014

Review: Bramall Comedy Night, Suzi Ruffell, Caimh McDonnell & Paul Sinha

December 13, 2014 by Becca Moody 2 Comments

This Thursday saw the second instalment of the University of Birmingham’s brand new monthly comedy night, with three new fantastic comedians on the bill.

Compèred by the impressively quick-witted Suzi Ruffell, this small audience felt at ease within minutes and the atmosphere was comfortable: ready for some sophisticated Thursday night comedy. Ruffell showed great skill while compèring; she was friendly and enthusiastic but her role definitely felt more like any other act on the bill, which I definitely prefer as often compères can border on annoying, in my opinion.

Suzi’s material was charmingly open, with topics ranging from adolescence to drunken shopping, and her delivery was self-assured yet the emotional nature of her material meant that she allowed herself to be vulnerable whilst on stage, which made for an interesting combination.

Suzi Ruffell © Andy Hollingworth Archive

Next, Irish comic Caimh McDonnell was welcomed to the stage, bringing his brilliant energy with him. With personal anecdotes about his wife and time living in both London and Manchester, McDonnell was able to establish a connection with his audience effortlessly, making us feel as though we all want him to be our friend, or that he already was so. I really enjoyed Caimh’s set, particularly the fact he brought a large wall clock on stage with him as he didn’t have a watch. I’ll definitely be on the look out for more of his stuff in the future, as I’d never heard of him previously but thought he was hilarious.

Paul Sinha brought an air of calm with him into the room with his steady-paced, straight-faced delivery of incredibly sarcastic lines. I have been a fan of Sinha since seeing him on series one of Stewart Lee’s brilliant show: The Alternative Comedy Experience, and he certainly didn’t disappoint. His set was endearingly honest, with frequent reference to the fact he is gay, and the implications this has had with various aspects of his life, such as his father’s amusing response when he found out. Whilst on stage, this comedian is very in control. He is steady and stable but not afraid to be silly or self-depreciating. On top of all of this, he is absolutely excellent.

This small-scale monthly comedy night in Birmingham is a wonderful (and cheap) event that allows us to see comics we might not necessarily have heard of before, or that aren’t currently touring the country with their shows. If you live nearby, I urge you to take a look.

SEVEN QUESTIONS… WITH SUZI RUFFELL

BRAMALL COMEDY NIGHTS

Review: Katherine Ryan – Glam Role Model

November 19, 2014 by Becca Moody 2 Comments

Katherine Ryan is one of my favourite comedians (I mean, people) of all time and I hadn’t seen her since the beginning of last year. Luckily, the evening of Wednesday the 12th of November finally arrived and I had the opportunity to visit the infamous Birmingham Glee Club for the first time to see Katherine’s delightful new show, Glam Role Model, at long last. And before the evening had even properly started, I got to meet my lovely twitter friend Sophie, someone who I wouldn’t have met if it wasn’t for Katherine (so nice one mate).

The support act was Sean Mcloughlin; a new comic for me who has a wonderfully confident stage presence that made his entire set look effortless. He is refreshingly open and modest to the point of self-depreciating, which is something he certainly doesn’t need to be as he is clearly a very naturally funny man. The material that we saw was relatable and accessible to all in the room, as Sean picked apart his own personality and his frustrating lack of money; two hangups that almost everyone has about themselves.

And then the highly anticipated moment arrived. Katherine’s set was honest, diverse and outstandingly funny; she effortlessly combines topical material about pop stars, the royal family and glamour models with precise and intentional messages that she relays to her audience without appearing overbearing at any point. The show also gave us insight into what living in Canada is like as well as comparing that to life in Britain, with clever observations of our culture that many of us living here all our lives haven’t noticed, such as the fact we are the only country where things like Glamour Models and Page 3 are entirely commonplace.

Here we have a comedian who isn’t afraid of potential danger; who often aims to shock in order to get her ideas across, and I think that is the best trait a comedian can have. If you don’t push boundaries with your material, what are you really doing? She has been described to ‘frequently skirt with bad taste’ and I think this captures aspects of her comedy style well, and though this is what has unfairly got her into trouble in the past, I believe it’s what makes her comedy so intensely brilliant. Katherine may be classed as ‘mainstream’, but she has elements of something completely different: this show is perfectly and intricately crafted so that everyone can feel included, but also tackles issues that your average ‘mainstream comic’ wouldn’t dare touch. And she tackles them with force.

Katherine Ryan

Katherine is a comic who leaves a room of people feeling like they have gained something, and they have. Glam Role Model has frequent references to celebrity culture (her signature thing) but she never aims to bring specific people down; rather, she shuns actions and certainly not individuals. Katherine has said that she “soon learned that you won’t get anywhere in this world unless you have a voice,” and that she feels “a great responsibility to say meaningful things through comedy.” Well she has certainly achieved those goals with this fantastic show.

I’ve made it clear in the past that I hugely respect any female comedian, not at all out of sympathy, but purely because I can see what an immensely difficult task that must be, being a teenage girl myself. However, my admiration and respect for Katherine goes beyond this. It’s obvious that here we have a lady who has been through difficult times, particularly relevantly with her reference to recent events in her life that she talks openly about, but Katherine is never one to moan or complain: she just gets on with it. And not only that, she has made something magnificent, heartwarming and ultimately hilarious as a result and that shows amazing strength of character.

If you’re looking for a brilliant role model who just so happens to be a little bit glam too, look no further than my role model, the incredible Katherine Ryan.

Click here for more information about Katherine Ryan’s tour, which she has recently added new dates to

Review: Jason Byrne – You Name The Show

November 16, 2014 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

Jason Byrne arrived in Bromsgrove at 3pm on a Sunday afternoon, ready to perform to a relatively small crowd, more of a ‘group’ in Jason’s words.

On stage stood a giant, colourful wheel that was full of interesting headings that seemed unsystematic but gave us a tiny smidgen of insight as to what was to come. Alongside it stood a whiteboard full of winning titles from each night of the show, from Aberdeen to Colchester and everywhere in between. Each title made no sense to today’s audience as it’s clear each show developed its own ‘in-jokes’ as they progressed. With this in mind, I had no idea how very cliquey our experience was to be, and how strange the people I was surrounded by actually were!

Jason moved around the space with ease. He spoke confidently and we could see that he obviously hugely enjoys what he does. We were assured that he’d never performed stand up at 3pm before, and we were well aware that we were making history (though weren’t sure as to what extent yet).

The show was kicked into gear relatively early on, with an orchestrated act of theft from a man on the front row who, under Jason’s command, stole an air freshener from the toilets. This was entertaining and a source of laughter, but was certainly how the comedian expected things to go. That was until a person went out to the foyer later on and returned with a bin, and then another who came back with a chair, and finally, a man who returned with a massive 6ft stand from reception full of leaflets and flyers which flew everywhere as a small group attempted to get it up on the stage. The scene was an absurd, leaflet-y carnage.

Jason, Chris, and a room of lunatics

There was a clear definition between material and crowd-work but it ended up that the majority of the show was unique to us, which was by no means a bad thing. Most of the biggest laughs came out of moments of madness from within the audience: such as the person known only as ‘Someone Else’ and the man who spends his days looking at monkeys. This new style of show allows each performance to be entirely incomparable and mean something different to each audience that watches it, whilst also demonstrating Byrne’s brilliant improvisation skills.

Byrne ended by individually thanking each person he had spoken to during the show; people seated here, there and everywhere. As result, and as opposed to my experience in October with the audience for James Acaster (though through no fault of his own), everyone was brought together in beautiful unison. This skilled comedian had managed to make a room full of strangers feel like a gathering of old friends; the atmosphere was electric and many laughs were had.

And that was ‘Three Chris’s, Half a Finger and a Monkey Fucker’. Thank you Jason, and thank you Bromsgrove.

Review: Bramall Comedy Night, Kate Smurthwaite, Stephen Grant & Gary Delaney

November 13, 2014 by Becca Moody 1 Comment

A beautiful new music hall has opened at the University of Birmingham, and with it, a great new monthly comedy event is born. I attended the venue’s second comedy night last Thursday and with such a gorgeous room and discounted prices, what more could you possibly need?

This show works on the basis that there are three acts: a compere, a first act, and a headline act. This time around, our compere was Kate Smurthwaite, a skilful comic who was quick to bounce off her audience and got to know us within minutes. She effortlessly brought us all together, in typical compere-style, by communicating with people of all ages and backgrounds, from all areas of the room.

Bramall Hall Next was Gary Delaney, a man who I think understands comedy really well; probably because he works with it on such a small scale, as a one-liner comic. It must be a difficult juggling act performing singular lines to an audience, but Gary was able to judge the room excellently and adjust his material to suit it. As well as the obvious ability to memorise such a vast amount of material, which is often timing and word-order dependent so incredibly easy to get wrong, Delaney also showed great skill at being able to think on his feet by linking jokes fluently and responding to the reactions of people in the crowd. I’d never seen a one-liner comic live before, and though I think I would struggle sitting through a whole hour of solid puns and word-play, I still thoroughly enjoyed the set.

Finally, it was time for Stephen Grant’s relatable and friendly style of comedy. This comic was fast and cynical but open and personable, who spoke confidently with the audience and clearly enjoyed being on the stage. He easily had us all on side which paved the way for some more dangerous material, and one of my favourite jokes of the night, which, with it being the day after bonfire night, inevitably involved terrorists. Needless to say, I’ll definitely be following Stephen’s comedy after seeing this set.

This night of comedy at the Bramall was great fun and I look forward to visiting again later in the year. If you live in or around Birmingham, I definitely recommend you check it out.

Review: Paul Foot: Hovercraft Symphony In Gammon # Major

November 6, 2014 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

Another year means another Paul Foot show that I just had to see. This year, Paul brought along a support act in the shape of comical poet, Malcolm Head. Malcolm has a refreshing persona on stage, with his quirky dress sense, aka an over-sized jumper, schoolboy rucksack and small bongo drum, with a National Trust cap to top it all off, to promote the charity (inner workings at play there, as there’s a lot to be gained from having the National Trust on side, apparently).

This poet’s haikus are almost anti-jokes: deadpan and literal, but delivered intentionally tentatively. Malcolm came prepared for heckles of any kind (you’ll have to see him live to learn more) and also had a supply of observational poems and odd thoughts he sometimes writes down. He is a very quaint comedian with a quiet, calm voice but a powerfully funny comedy behind it; I really liked him a lot.

Paul’s show, on the other hand, was mismatched and frantic but planned meticulously and performed effortlessly, with a double-bluff fake entrance and lots of shouting and running around in circles- this style of comedy is niche, to put it mildly.

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a performer so happy to be on stage in front of a crowd, or so eager to become a part of the audience himself (at the expense of a poor man on the front row). Armed with a stack of whimsical stories, which we are assured are all lies, and a whole new batch of brilliant Disturbances, Paul had the audience in the palm of his hand. A hand that can’t keep still, mind, for this strange comedian’s physical ticks and exaggerated jolts, almost convulsions, are enough to convince an audience that he may be having some form of breakdown before their very eyes. His movements are air-guitar-esque, with hair flicking and head banging that tired him out so much, he had to take off his snazzy jacket.

But a talent of Foot’s is that he can effortlessly swap in and out of his seemingly uncontrollable lunacy, and come out with something quite profound, whether that be in the context of his ‘Hindu Humour’ or his take on homophobia (an extension, perhaps, of his infamous ‘levels of homophobia’ routine that explained the very worst kinds of homophobia, that are increasingly extreme, to say the least).

Paul showed his wicked side with pointless hypotheses, and here again I draw comparisons with Rich Fulcher’s Tiny Acts Of Rebellion, which highlights the most pointless but life-affirming ways to get your own back on the world, like deliberately upsetting owners of a bed and breakfast by abusing the unspoken rules of the breakfast diner. He also managed to mount the same man three times, scream at another man for being allegedly homophobic, and also give us insight into his life as a dinner party host.

I loved this evening of absolute madness and look forward to Paul’s next tour (you can still buy tickets for his current tour here) and I have also found a new hobby of meticulously checking Malcolm’s Twitter feed for more of his hilarious poetry.

READ MY REVIEW OF PAUL’S SHOW FROM LAST YEAR: WORDS.

Review: Tony Law – Enter The Tone Zone

October 14, 2014 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

Tony Law bounds onto the stage over an hour late, dressed in a black lycra catsuit and armed with a trombone. It’s what we have all learned to expect by now.

If you saw last year’s Tony Law show, Nonsense Overdrive, you might think that previous hour of material was relatively normal in relation to this one. There was shouting, brass instrument playing, beach ball throwing, plastic snake wielding, dancing, and even dreaded audience participation. Though the Tone Zone allegedly has no material and no plan, he certainly, and somewhat unbelievably, had absolute control over his audience who were hanging on to every whimsical word.

With the sound of a foghorn, Tony was off on a surreal adventure that spanned an array of absurd subject matter from viking quests to the death of a pet. And just as the insanity all got a bit too much, Tony would expertly change the pace with a reference to mainstream comedy such as Live at the Apollo or 8 out of 10 Cats, both of which this comic is slightly too weird for. With Apollo-worthy anecdotes about his beloved dog, Cartridge Davison, and his two trolls (human twins), Tony showed emotion, though he had to change his accent to suit this, naturally.

This, teamed with the strangest audience I have ever been a part of, made for a very intense comedy experience, or in other words: absolute chaos. Tony effortlessly dealt with challenges from a disheartened lady in the front row who “just didn’t get it,” and replied to her cries of “I just wanted to have a good night,” by explaining that she really should have done her research before booking tickets to see Tony Law of all people, which is fair enough. It is no surprise that the two complainers left during the interval, and it brought the rest of the audience together beautifully in a unified defiance.

You could be forgiven for assuming there could be no greater finale than that of last year: an interactive musical puppet show. But this time we were treated to a truly incredible performance, despite inevitable technical difficulties, including a slideshow and a trombone solo. Tony Law left in a Tony-Law-fashion: late for a train and clutching a deflating beach ball. It’s fair to say, the women on the front row would have absolutely despised the second half.

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH TONY LAW

Tony Law