Departure Lounge @ PopRokit PopRokit. 2 Picardy Place. 556 4272. 9.30pm. liree. Harry .»\insworth tests the mettle of his qui/ cabaret devotees in a nail-biting light to the finish. ()nly the quickest. \vittiest and brainiest can expect to walk away with the top pri/e of a case of
K Cider.
Glasgow
The Stand The Stand. 333 Woodlands Road. 0870600 6055. 8.30pm. £5 (£3). 1.ikeab1e. laid-back banter from Ireland‘s Dara O'Briain. ably supported by Rhodri Crooks. cult compere l-‘rankie Boyle and three Velvet Virgins.
The Comedy Club @ The Edge Chambers/The lidge. 57 (‘ochraite Street. 552 17-10. ‘).30piii. £6 (£4). Vladimir .\1cTav isli indulges in some no-holds- barred ranting. w ith backing from Raymond .\learns. Des ('larkc. compere James ('aiiipbell and open spotter Jamie McKenzie.
Edinburgh
The Fred MacAulay Show The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. ‘inii. £7 (£0). See “I‘d 2 1.
Reg Anderson’s Comedy Cellar 15in .‘ylacCools. 161 Lothian Road. 622 710)). 9pm. 1‘ree. The Reverend ()badiah Steppenvtolfe 111 takes a break from the siiiftil debatichery of l.ondon to preach to ltis Scottish converts. Backing comes from Dougie l)unlop.
Noble Comedy Nobles Bar. 44a ('onstittition Street. l.eith. 553 3873. 9pm. liree. The Reverend ()badiali moves in
my stei'ious vtay s. headlining his second gig of the evening. and again his faithful follower is Dougie l)un|op.
Big Word Performance Poetry (iilded Saloon. 233 (‘owgale. 226 6550. 9pm. £4 (£3). More upbeat poetic iiitisiiigs from Liverpool's Richard Allen. lrfaii Merchant. 50 word story master Stephen Barnaby. and the Royal .\lile's poltergeist man Jan-.-\ndrew Henderson. Jeni Rolls and Anita (iovan are the resident hosts. Snatch Club The Liquid Room. 9c Victoria Street. 225 2564. 10pm 3am. £3.50 (£2.50). See Thti 15.
Glasgow
The Stand The Stand. 33.3 Woodlands Road. 08706006055. 9pm. £6 (£5 ). Surreal improvised stories and whimsical musings from yet another Irish mirth merchant. lan (‘oppingeix Fighting fit in Scotland's corner are John 1"1int. James Ferguson and compere Jane Mackay.
Edinburgh
The Stand The Stand. 5 Yot'k Place. 558 7272. 9pm. £6 (£5). The mild-iiiannered man of comedy Dara ()‘Briain returns triumphant to lidinburgh. Rhodri Crooks and Frank Quinn stand tip in support. alongside compere Susan Morrison.
Dundee
Dundee Comedy Club The Doghouse. 13 Brown Street. 01382 227080. 9pm. £5 (£4).:\11 hail the almighty joking pow er of the Reverend ()badiali Steppenwolfe 111. So You Think You're liunny w inner .‘vliles Jtipp and Brendan Moohaii btiild tip to the irreverent sermon.
Saturday 24
Glasgow
The Stand The Siam . 333 Woodlands Road, 0870 (300 (i055. 9pm. £7 (£4 ). See Fri 23 btit w ith comperc Stisan Morrison. Madcap Comedy Club The State Bar. 148 Holland Street. 332 215‘). 9.30pm. £5 (£4). Billy Boiikers hosts another evening of hyperactive hilarity.
Edinburgh
The Stand The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. ()pm. £7 (£4). See Fri 23 only w ith coiiipei'e Jane Mackay.
STAND-UP IAN COGNITO oooo
Madcap Comedy Club, The State Bar, Glasgow, Sun 11 Nov.
Acerbic, self-deprecating, classic tragi-comedy
A wet night. An tinder-publicised gig. A small basement venue. An even smaller crowd. It's the stuff stand-up is made of. But this was no fledgling comedian. Fifteen-year veteran of the circuit Ian Cognito took to the stage at 10pm. Or rather. he didn't. Spurning both mic and allocated performance area. ‘The Cog' chose instead to perform unplugged and wander around the audience. And it was a true performance. delivered Wlll) all the presence. clarity and direction of
the Virtuoso player.
Where a lesser comedian could have bemoaned his tiny but enthusiastic turnout. Cognito embraced it. This bitter master of stand-up exploited the fact a maximum of 30 people had found their way into the State Bar on a wet and windy November evening. He bought the entire audience a drink to celebrate his son's birthday the following day. And his inimitable brand of acerbic. self- deprecating and ultimately classic tragi-comedy was ideally suited to such an intimate setting. With border collie Poppy Curled tip in a chair at the back of the stage. Cognito ranted and spat his way through a tirade against the Queen Mother ('Does she cast a shadow?) anti-corporal punishment legislation ('1 now bruise my kids up every morning and just press “em later‘) and Islam ('lf Muslims can't gamble. why is the biggest chain of bingo halls in the country called
Mecca?) amongst other targets.
This electrifying. terrifying and ultimately vulnerable performer warmed a cold Glasgow audience to boiling point in a mere 45 minutes. Stand-up should always
be like this. Cheers. lan! (Jack Dickson)
Glasgow
Skitters The Stand. 333 Woodlands Road. 0870 ()00 6055. 8.30pm. £5 (£4). .»\ frenetic mix of characters. costume changes. and not forgetting a generous helping of gags from the resident Skillet-s team of (‘olin Ramone. John Littlejohn. .\liles Jupp and Jtllic ('oombc.
Edinburgh
Whose Lunch Is It Anyway? The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 1pm. l’ree with drinks or a meal. See Sun 18. Six On Sunday The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 8.30pm. £3 (£2). The wickedly vicious Bruce Devlin introduces a sextuplet of stand-up talent including John Him and (‘hris Cooper.
Monday 26
Edinburgh
Red Raw The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272.8.30pm.£1.1iight newcomers take their first steps on the comedy road under the watchful eyes of coiiipei'e Jaiiies l‘t‘l'gllsnll and double act Paul and Ray.
Edinburgh Andy Zaltzman The Pleasance. 60 The Pleasance. 650 9195. 8pm. £6 (£4).
listings Comedy
Ginger-haired. public-school educated. Jewish polemicist famed for his topical surrealism. This Comedy Network evening also includes try—outs for the Daily Telegraph Open Mic Award. Skitters The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 8.30pm. £5 (£4). See Sun 25. Reg Anderson’s Big Fun Quiz Night Noble’s Bar. 44a Constitution Street. l.eith. 554 2024. 9.30pm. £1 to play. See Tue 20.
Wednesday 28
Glasgow
The Comic Club Blackfriars. 36 Bell Street. 552 592-1. 9.30pm. £5 (£4). Deadpan delivery maestro Michael Redmond. plus Charlie Ross and compere James Campbell.
Edinburgh
Another Chance To See . . . Bob Doolally’s Balls The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 8.30pm. £6 (£5). The self-styled pundit takes on all comers. and that includes the audience and his celebrity guest panel. in a football gameshow fuelled more by vodka than sportsmanship. Departure Lounge @ PopRokit PopRokit. 2 Picardy Place. 556 4272. 9.30pm. Free. See Wed 21.
Dunfermline
Dunfermline Comedy Club Carnegie Hall. liast Port. 01383 31-1000. 9pm. £5. Dundee lass Joon Broon regales with raucous tales of life and Iager-swilling. whilst Glasgow hard man Raymond Mearns pulls the comic punches and Richard Allen comperes.
Thursday 29
Glasgow
The Stand The Stand. 333 Woodlands Road. 0870 600 6055. 8.30pm. £5 (£3). Best known as one third of Mr Trellis with Ardal O‘l-Ianlon and Kevin (iildea. Barry Murphy keeps the laughter going with his mischievous satire. Ben Darcy and compere Frankie Boyle complete the line-up.
Edinburgh
New Material Night Gilded Saloon. 233 Cowgate. 226 6550. 7.30pm. £2. New and established stand- ups try out their newest comedy gems. The Stand The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 8.30pm. £5 (£3). Young Martin Furby does a turn in the headline spot. with Colin Ramone. Marjorie and leopard-print diva Joon Broon.
Reg Anderson’s Comedy Cellar Fin MacCools. 161 Lothian Road. 622 7109. 9pm. Free. More hyperactive hilarity courtesy of Gerry Grant. John Littlejohn and Tim Lawrence.
Snatch Club The Liquid Room. ()c Victoria Street. 225 256-1. 10pm—3am. £3.50 (£2.50). See Thu 15.
iii-29 NOV 2001 THE LIST 69