Mike Fielding

Review: Noel Fielding – An Evening With Noel Fielding

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Symphony Hall is a beautiful venue in itself, but walking into the room last Thursday evening meant stepping into a fantastical world that I never wanted to leave.

Symphony HallAn Evening With Noel Fielding is an incredibly diverse spectacle, beginning with an announcement from The Moon, quickly followed by around forty minutes of intelligent yet ridiculous stand up from the secret king of observation himself. Noel is a natural performer; confident enough to be comfortable doing an impression of a herbal teabag in front of 2000 people. In other words: when this man starts a sentence with “I had a dream I was a teabag,” you know it’s going to be an interesting night.

The stories were far-fetched to say the least, but it was surprisingly easy for the audience to get on board with any zany idea that the group presented to us and the atmosphere was remarkable. Both Tom Meeten and Mike Fielding had multiple hysterically funny roles that were all superbly acted (give or take a few giggles here and there, but I think they made the show even better).

Judging by the shouts and cheers, the crowd was clearly delighted to see the abundance of plenty of well-loved Luxury Comedy favourites, particularly Fantasy Man, Joey Ramone and New York Cop. We were also introduced to many new characters, played by Tom and Mike, that are already so intricately well-developed and brilliant that they may as well have been around since the The Mighty Boosh.

A striking aspect of this variety-style show was the impressive animation and fluency of its integration into the evening, to the point where I began to believe that a giant plasticine Joey Ramone could actually walk straight out of his plasticine world and onto the stage. I guess a horrifically creepy and violent human version would have to suffice. Everything about An Evening With Noel Fielding has been made with stunning quality, from the efficiency of New York Cop’s audience interrogation (minus a nearly broken toe) to the fantastic music and choreography throughout the proceedings.

Noel Fielding

Thanks to Noel’s lovely managers, Anna and Sean, I was reserved a backstage pass which meant I actually got to meet Noel, Tom and Mike after the show, and it was truly an honour to be able to speak to these lovely people. Anyone who knows me will know that Noel is my absolute hero, so this was a massive deal for me, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

It’s strange to look back over events and realise the vast expanse between the show’s humble, low-key beginnings with just Fielding on stage, to a mission in a plasticine world with a couple of deluded nitwits riding on a unicorn. But we didn’t even notice the transformation as it happened; that is how skilled these comedians, and everyone working behind the scenes, have been in creating this absolutely wonderful evening of quality entertainment and madness.

Information and tickets are available here

NOEL FIELDING’S MOODYCOMEDY INTERVIEW

Noel Fielding Interview, Part One: An Evening With Noel Fielding

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An Evening With Noel Fielding

Noel Fielding has recently embarked on his first live tour since the second Mighty Boosh tour over five years ago, and this time he’s got a whole new agenda. Noel is my comedy hero, and I was honoured to be invited to talk to him about his tour, An Evening With Noel Fielding.

How’s the tour going so far?

It’s going well. Well, it’s alright. It started off well and then I got a bug so I was really sick… but you can’t really stop, that’s the problem. You’ve got to keep going; got to keep doing the gigs! The tour won’t stop so you just have to sort of get on with it.

But it’s going well. The best one, so far, was Halifax.

You’ve added more dates recently as well.

Yeah, tonnes more, I think there may be another thirty or forty, and then twenty after Christmas. I think we’re going to Australia and maybe America, even some parts of Europe or New Zealand, we don’t know yet.

I’d love to do something in America at some point; something completely different. But this is going to be quite a big tour. We’re only at the beginning of it really.

Artistically speaking, what were your aims for this tour?

Well, I wanted to try and make something good, and have it be interactive and have animation so I could make a show that showed all aspects of what I do. But something you’d still be able to enjoy without you having to have seen the Boosh or Luxury Comedy or my stand-up.

I wanted it to be funny for people that hadn’t seen me before and have some audience interaction as well as stand-up, some music and a narrative. We’ve been working on it religiously all year. My brother’s in it, Mike, from The Mighty Boosh and Tom Meeten, who’s a really great comedian.

What kind of ages have your audience members been this time?

I think it was pretty broad even with the Boosh. There were lots of young screaming teenagers but that’s okay, and there were lots of older people in the audience as well. This tour has been quite mixed. There’s a bit where I go into the crowd as a character called New York Cop and I have to interrogate the audience and I chat to them. It’s much more mixed than I thought it would be, which really pleases me.

How have you found the process of writing for a tour compared to writing for television?

It’s a different thing really to writing a TV show; I wrote TV shows back to back so I was getting stir crazy.

I like working with an audience and I love the energy of live gigs so when you’re making TV shows, you don’t really get much feedback other than on the Internet and a few reviews. It’s a bit like working in the dark or in a tunnel so when you come out and do live stuff it’s great to get a reaction straight away.

I had a lot of ideas for the tour show already because I hadn’t toured for a while and I just sort of brought them all together to make one show and made sure it wasn’t too lumpy or too much like a collage of different ideas. I wanted to try and make it flow.

Are there any comedians that you’d like to work with in the future?

I love Tony Law, Paul Foot and James Acaster. Being on Buzzcocks means you get to work with them, but, yeah, I’d love to do stuff with Paul Foot. He’s brilliant and so underrated. He should be a household name.

Russell Brand’s just written a book and I’d quite like to do something with him as well; an improvised show, something unplanned. I like working with Russell. He’s very brave.

What else would you like to do?

I’ve fallen in love with stand-up again whilst doing this tour. There’s about forty minutes of stand-up in the show, and I was very scared because I hadn’t done stand-up for a while, but I managed to do it and I was really enjoying it much more than I thought I would be.

I would like to do a pure stand-up show now as well. And with the Loose Tapestries, Serge and I are always talking about going on tour so that would be fun. I’d like to write children’s books too, so maybe I could do that. I want to do everything!

Information regarding Noel’s recently added tour dates for 2015 are here.

COME BACK NEXT WEEK TO READ PART TWO OF MY INTERVIEW WITH NOEL, FOR EXCLUSIVE INSIGHT INTO THE WRITING AND RECEPTION OF LUXURY COMEDY SERIES TWO.

TV Review: Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy, Series 2

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I wrote a post towards the end of July reflecting on the first episode of Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy: Tales from Painted Hawaii (series two) but this series has been so dense with artistic talent and clear passion, that I couldn’t possibly not revisit it after all five episodes.

It’s no secret that I am a massive fan of Noel Fielding and his work, so was obviously hugely excited that the long-anticipated second series had finally arrived. These episodes have taken a long time to produce because they are one of a kind; the process of making them seems to be more rigorous than that of various other Sitcom style shows. Love Luxury Comedy or hate it, it is impossible to deny that the makers of this show have presented their audience with great innovation: with the bright and complex animation from Nigel Coan; an eccentric soundtrack from Fielding and Kasabian‘s Serge Pizzorno; along with brilliantly intricate set and costume design from James Dillon and Ameena Kara Callender.

As well as the obvious beauty and detail involved in the visuals of Luxury Comedy, the stories are also packed full of references to art and literary culture such as Andy Warhol (of course), George Orwell and Yoko Ono. This alone is proof for me that the makers of Luxury Comedy have not been lazy during the creative process: every scene is punchy, a little bit mad, but also intelligent.

Reality Man

© MoodyComedy

Watchers of series one who weren’t impressed may be pleased to know that this series is a lot more relatable for audiences, with occasional cynical statements that can catch you off guard.

Smooth: “What do you do to escape?”

Reality Man: “Panel shows. What’s funnier than five men in shiny shirts taking a side-ways look at the week’s news?”

In this way, I think this series is a lot more self-aware, in fact, one episode even focuses on the idea of the show only having one viewer (a Brummie named Terry, played by Steve Oram) and the fact that they must save him from certain death.

In addition to the lovely Noel, the show is full of immense comedic talents such as his Mighty Boosh co-stars (Dave Brown, Rich Fulcher, Richard Ayoade, Simon Farnaby and Tom Meeten) and of course, the delightful star of Doll & Em: Dolly Wells and Tom Meeten’s partner-in-crime: Steve Oram (Sightseers).

I would have to say that this programme is probably one of my favourites to ever appear on television, particularly this new series. It appeals to all of my interests: comedy, music and art (and Noel Fielding of course) but most importantly of all: Luxury Comedy is a source of inspiration to me. Every aspect screams quality and I sincerely hope the show and its creators flourish in the coming months as a result.

The whole of Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy: Tales From Painted Hawaii is available on 4OD.

TV Review: Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy: Tales From Painted Hawaii

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Yesterday, on the 24th of July, 4OD previewed the first episode of Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy: Tales of Painted Hawaii, which was, of course, greeted with open arms by the Fielding community. Noel has previously said that this series took a lot longer to write than the first, and that audiences should be prepared for a very different show format. This is down to the fact that the making of series one of Luxury Comedy was a chance for Fielding and the other creative minds behind the show to throw lots of ideas into the mix, as well as there being an obvious need to establish a few core characters and concepts, and as a result, the show’s debut was a colourful combination of the insane and the psychedelic.

Although this first series was adored by fans all over the world, it also received a fair amount of criticism from people who thought it was a step too far and many suggested it was self-indulgent. I can’t say I disagree with the latter, but I wouldn’t say it was a bad thing: it is important that creators of content are in love with what they are producing, and I think Fielding’s passion for both art and comedy shone through. From what has been shown of series two, however, Luxury Comedy has evolved into a wonderful sitcom, rather than the fast-paced sketch show it was previously. By approaching the format in this way, Noel and Nigel Coan (who co-wrote the show) have been able to add a great deal of depth to all the characters, which is evident from the first episode alone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmND4XGw0zE

There is a fresh new energy within the cast, that is made up of Noel Fielding, Mike Fielding, Tom Meeten and Dolly Wells, but still has the same feelings of warmth and familiarity of previous episodes. Actually, there are many subtle changes as well, such as the way Noel is much more self-depreciating and, therefore, more ‘human’. That is a definite theme I picked up on: the show has suddenly become a lot more human. This is made clear in the dialogue where characters often refer to the audience, or the fact that the show didn’t have many viewers (though it did, of course).

With the immense talent that is Serge Pizzorno (Kasabian) working with Noel to create the show’s music and the famously gifted Dave Brown putting together the unique and recognisable animation, the programme is absolutely seamless. Subsequently, right at the start of this first episode, with the title sequence that features efforts from both sides, there really is a lot to sing and dance about.

I cannot wait to see the rest of the new series of Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy and will probably write up a full post about it when it finishes as I just can’t help myself; Noel is my idol.

The Mighty Boosh Revisited: S1E8, Hitcher

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Episode: S1E8, Hitcher

Air Date: 6 July 2004

Summary: This episode has elements of the Boosh stage show from many years before the television series was made, with the iconic scene where Howard and the Hitcher are in the car being recreated. Ivan the bear has got too violent as a result of constant bullying from Fossil and it’s time for him to be sent to Animal Prison. Vince and Howard are sent on a road trip to get rid of the angry bear but they are soon arguing and Vince decides to “vacate the vehicle”. This leads to Vince having a wonderful time meeting the adoptive parent from his childhood, Brian Ferry, in the forest while Howard is in a spot of trouble with a strange hitch hiker with a large thumb.

The Hitcher © Baby Cow

The Hitcher © Baby Cow

 

What Else? We get a big insight into Vince’s Gary Numan obsession and yet further insight into Howard’s love of Jazz Funk, which Ivan the bear hates, that sounds very similar to Old Gregg’s song from series two. There is another animation sequence where Vince explains his childhood that was spent in the forest being raised by Brian Ferry. The storyline of this animation is very much like a warped and twisted Jungle Book. Vince’s excellent turtle impression comes in handy when passing the hours on the road with Howard and the brilliant song from the Hitcher and the Piper Twins is sung, before the hitch hiker manages to do his back in again.

Quote of the Episode:

Bob Fossil [to Naboo]:  “Technically, you’re not a Peeping Tom if it’s one of your relatives.”

Familiar Faces: Noel Fielding as the Hitcher and Rich Fulcher and Dave Brown as Jim and Jackie Piper, the Piper Twins. Julian Barratt has the role of Brian Ferry.

THE END:

So, we have reached the end of The Mighty Boosh series one and I have thoroughly enjoyed revisiting every episode with you. MoodyComedy will soon be revisiting one of the most criminally underrated British comedies ever: Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace. The first, and only series, of the programme aired January-March 2004.

THE REVISITED SERIES

The Mighty Boosh Revisited: S1E7, Electro

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Episode: S1E7, Electro

Air Date: 29 June 2004

Summary: Bad memories are stirred up for Howard when Vince is asked to join a band called Kraftwork Orange. Vince upsets one of the members of his new band, Johnny Two-Hats, who storms off when Vince criticises his fashion sense and this means the band are one person down for their important show that night. Vince asks the only person he can, Howard, but jazz-loving Howard Moon cannot play any instrument any more as a result of a meeting with the Spirit of Jazz many years ago. He was tricked into signing his soul away ‘in blood?’ no, ‘biro’s fine’. The concert has to go ahead with the Spirit of Jazz on the loose inside a vacuum cleaner and this causes chaos.

What Else? The conversation between a young Howard Moon and the Spirit of Jazz is obviously an iconic part of this episode, with the brilliant snippet of: “Yorkshire? What is Yorkshire?” “Yorkshire is a place. Yorkshire is a state of mind”. We get to see the Spirit of Jazz’s hat go up in flames, because apparently it wasn’t part of his “look”, but also a mini crisis when Vince gets angry about the Zoo and there is a lot of out-of-place bleeped out swearing as well as: “Vince, I thought you said you wanted to help the animals?” “I do, I want to help them all to die”.

Quote of the Episode:

Vince [to Howard]: “Science teachers and the mentally ill, that’s what Jazz is for.”

Familiar Faces: Sue Denim and Dee Plume (Robots in Disguise) play the parts of the girls in the band Kraftwork Orange. Fielding has the role of the Spirit of Jazz and Simon Farnaby pops up as NOT the manager of PieFace Records. Johnny Two-Hats is played by Dan Clark.

THE REVISITED SERIES

The Mighty Boosh Revisited: S1E6, Charlie

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Episode: S1E6, Charlie

Air Date: 22 June 2004

Summary: Howard decides he is going to become a writer in order to impress Mrs Gideon and the famous Hamilton Cork but is horrified to learn that Vince is already doing just that. Vince explains the basis of his Charlie books which receives dismissal from Howard: “That’s not a novel, that’s the scribblings of a retard”. Meanwhile, Bob Fossil has noticed a brilliant new way to make money from the Zoo: he is going to breed the ‘black-eyed Chinese people that eat sticks’ as this will attract visitors. Vince is bullied into dressing up as a panda and flirting with the female panda to get the male jealous. That evening, Dixon Bainbridge organises a writer’s party and Vince is invited but not Howard. Chaos quickly arises as Charlie decides to pay a personal visit to the gathering…

What Else? This episode made me learn that I want to be everything that Vince is; he’s the happiest kid at the Zoo. Naboo introduces the photograph of the kitten, Phillip, who helps calm Howard down in times of frustration and Vince shows off his poncho that makes him happy no matter what. The infamous “you know the black bits in bananas, are they tarantulas’ eggs?” scene is in this episode as well as the ‘Swear on Jagger’ joke. The brilliant Charlie song is played towards the end where the giant Hubba Bubba nightmare causes a scene. This episode is artistically very inspiring with heavy use of animation and great attention to detail (Dave Brown can be thanked for a lot of that, I expect).

Quote of the Episode:

Howard [to Vince]: “You’re always happy aren’t you. Everything’s fun. You see a peanut, the day’s off to a good start. You witness some soil, it’s a jamboree for Vince Noir. I need something more.”

Familiar Faces: Simon Farnaby as Simon McFarnaby (before the show) and Hamilton Cork (McFarnaby’s character in the show).

THE REVISITED SERIES

The Mighty Boosh Revisited: S1E5, Jungle

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Episode: S1E5, Jungle

Air Date: 15 June 2004

Summary: Ten years ago (well, technically twenty now) Tommy Nookah, previous owner of the Zoo, allegedly fell in the ocelot pit and died. Howard refuses to believe it and when Dixon Bainbridge, as the current owner, threatens to close the Zoo, it is clear that Howard must solve the mystery of Tommy’s disappearance once and for all. Vince and Howard work out that Tommy must be in the Jungle Room and set off in the hope of finding the calcium-faced midget. After hours of searching, Howard manages to find Tommy but he is old and his cheese eating habits are out of control (this bit always freaks me out as I have a stupid phobia of cheese). It is decided that they must grate Tommy’s head in order to save the Zoo: Tommy can help them, even in death.

What Else? This episode contains the brilliant: “We dream, but do we really dream?” sequence and also a mini instalment of: “Gather round, come closer, not you Fire!”. The Mod Wolves make a splendid appearance and delight us with the wonderful Mod Wolf Dance and we also hear one of my favourite crimps: Calm a Llama Down. The incredibly well-known Cheese song is in this episode. I love this little song but it gets so overplayed by people who haven’t ever seen the show so that irks me somewhat, so it’s nice to hear it in its natural habitat. We get to meet Rudy, the man who goes by many names and holds many tests, such as the Pipe Test (“many men would have taken the pipe…”).

Tommy Nookah © Baby Cow

Tommy Nookah © Baby Cow

Quote of the Episode:

Tommy Nookah: “I have survived only by eating cheese, and as the saying goes: you are what you eat. And I’m freaking cheese!”

Familiar Faces: Rich Fulcher as Tommy Nookah and Dave Brown briefly as Fire. We also get to see Martin Trenaman as the locksmith.

THE REVISITED SERIES

The Mighty Boosh Revisited: S1E4, Tundra

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Episode: S1E4, Tundra

Air Date: 8 June 2004

Summary: This episode has elements from the Boosh’s beginnings as it used many ideas from the television pilot and one of the radio episodes. Dixon Bainbridge has just returned from his trip to the Tundra where he failed to successfully steal the Egg of Mantumbi and Howard is annoyed at the attention Bainbridge is getting because he didn’t actually do anything. Despite the fact that the last person to get near the egg was frozen by the ‘icy bastard’ that is The Black Frost, Howard and Vince decide to make an attempt and head out to the Tundra in Gary Numan’s private jet. While they are there, Vince is abducted by a giant polar bear and Howard is visited by one of the Parka People who takes him to the cave where the egg is (though the little man is taking him there to kill him, not help him).

What Else? This episode features the often forgotten song: the Stickleback Crimp, and also has the brilliant little scene where Bob Fossil is interviewing two cavemen-like people to be Howard and Vince’s replacements: they just point at things saying ‘Topshop’ constantly. The brilliant Tundra song comes from this episode as well; one of the few genuine songs from The Mighty Boosh that is more than a few lines long. Vince claims he is ‘like Mowgli, the retro version’ and Howard’s moustache is accused of being more of a ‘cappuccino stain’.

Quote of the Episode:

Howard: The wind is my only friend.

Wind: I haaaaaate you.

Howard: Shut up wind!

Familiar Faces: Dave Brown as The Black Frost and Bob Fossil’s replacements for Howard and Vince were played by Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding themselves.

THE REVISITED SERIES

The Mighty Boosh Revisited: S1E3, Bollo

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Episode: S1E3, Bollo

Air Date: 1 June 2004

Summary: This episode is an exploration of death: Bollo is getting old and it is clear that he is dying (not that anybody seems too bothered, as always). While Vince is busy caring for Bollo in his last hours, Bob Fossil alerts Howard to yet another problem: the woman who sponsors Bollo is coming to visit and Fossil cannot let her see that the gorilla is ill. Howard is forced into dressing up as a gorilla and sitting in Bollo’s enclosure for the day and this results in The Grim Reaper getting confused and taking the wrong person off to ‘Monkey Hell’. Vince must rescue Howard from the Ape of Death before he is dropped into the fiery pits…

What Else? This episode has a beautiful moment near the beginning where both Noel and Howard are trying not to laugh for whatever reason. It also has the brilliant ‘floating cup’ scene as well as the appearance of Mr Susan and his mirror balls (look at them shine). Whilst Bollo is on his deathbed, the lovely little jingle of ‘the sun is shining, and you’re feeling fine, and the birds are singing in the trees’ is sung as well as the brilliant song from the Ape of Death towards the end.

Quote of the Episode:

Phone Caller: How’s your Pauline?

The Grim Reaper [on the phone]: She’s alright, she’s dead. How’s your Pauline?

Phone Caller: She’s dead.

Familiar Faces: Rich Fulcher as the Ape of Death, Julian Barratt as Mr Susan (look at them shine).

THE REVISITED SERIES