STAND UP ANDREW LAWRENCE The Stand, Glasgow, Thu 6 Jan; the Stand, Edinburgh, Fri 7—Sun 9 Jan
Fresh from winning the BBC Talent stand-up comic of the year, ex-librarian Andrew Lawrence won’t be letting this latest in a long line of awards go to his touched head. No, the 24-year-old Londoner with the guitar and eyes like Satan’s cigarette burns is already unbalanced enough, as anyone who has heard his songs of childhood misery and unrequited pensioner lust can attest.
Hilarious, twisted and ginger are only the most obvious ways of describing him. ‘I suppose it’s all there in the writing and the way I carry it on stage and the way I’ve got myself to look,’ he muses. ‘But it’s not something I particularly set out to bring across.’ To be fair, Lawrence isn’t evil. In fact, he’s disarmingly normal. The only hint of that creepy stage persona is his dirty giggle, like a gremlin enjoying a skinny dip.
Nor was his demonic side fostered during his time as a librarian. Despite his diabolic stage presence, he insists he never fantasised about hushing noisy borrowers permanently. He doesn’t deny however that the government tracks our reading habits to identify potential serial killers and their favourite romantic novelists: ‘l’ve signed documents, so I really can’t say. But librarians are well-adjusted, mild-mannered people who just want a quiet life. That whole business of wishing to wreak bloody violent bookdeath on your tormentors is merely a rich vein for comedy.’
So, was he bullied at school, then? ‘Some of it’s an act and some of it stems from real life. I don’t want to make it clear which parts are which but I don’t think my teenage years were that different from anybody else’s.’ Notwithstanding a casting call from MTV and the radio-writing gig that comes with the BBC Talent prize, he has few plans for the forthcoming year. ‘Stand-up is what I’ve always wanted to do and I just want to learn the craft of it, get to a really decent level of performance.‘
He’s all set for another Fringe appearance though, having written, directed and appeared in the sketch show Skin Pickings in 2001 and in double act Ministers of Satan the following year. ‘l’ve got a few things that
I’m waiting to bring out that are completely different to what I’m doing now.
I mean, I can’t really even play guitar.’ (Jay Richardson)
48 THE LIST 6—20 Jan 2008
Events are listed by date, then city. Submit listings at least ten days before publication to comedleist.co.uk. Listings are compiled by Rachael Street.
Thursday 6
Glasgow
The Thursday Show The Stand. “i \y‘txxllands Road. 0870 (>00 boss 8, 30pm. £(> i£5). ladgy (‘anadiari (ilenn \Vool roiris .\lark Bratchpiece. yy idereyed yyag :\r)tlr‘e\y l.ayyrerice. ()treritrn Reynolds and host Raymond .\1ear'ns tor a night ol jokes and tapes. See prey ieyy lor' altir'enieritioried yy rde-eyed yyag.
Edinburgh
The Thursday Show The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 0pm. £(> t£5). liyplosiye host l‘rarikie Boyle hririgs on the comedy talents ol' Key lll (iildea. local hoy s John Him and John Ross, pltis gagilllt'lslet' Ricky ('allari.
The Snatch Social The l.lt|tlltl Room. ‘JL‘ \llL'ltil'l'd Sll'c‘t‘l. 22.5 2.504.
l0.30pm 3am. £4 t£ 3.50). l‘ilthy cahar'et disco ltl\lt)ll lt‘dllll‘lll}: Tony (‘ai'teig llar'r'y .-\insyyorth. Bahes and Tl'L‘lltly Wendy. ('heck yyyyyy.siiatchsocial.coni lor more into.
Glasgow
The Stand The Stand. 333 Woodlands Road, 0870 (>00 (>055 8.30pm. £8 t£7). ()tiirky (and edgy) (‘ariadian (ilerin Wool stands up in the company ol ginger hoy John Hurt. John Ross. ()tientin Reynolds and coriipere Strsan Morrison.
Edinburgh
The Stand The Stand. 5 York l’lace. 558 7272. 9pm. £8 (£7). ('omedy aces KL‘Vlll (iildea. .Vlark Bratchpiece. Ricky ('allari arid ginger lllVL‘llltit‘ Andreyy Laurence (see pr'ey‘ieyy) share the comedy stage with host Jane Mackay.
Saturday 8
Glasgow
Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongletirs. l'(i(' Building. Reril'reyy Street. ()8707 370707. 8pm. £l3. liccentric storyteller" Mark Maier learns tip with Rey Boyd and hard—hitter). Ull-hlllng (ilasyy'egian Frankie Boyle. See caption for .‘Vlaier. Madcap Comedy Club The State Bar. HS Holland Street. 332 2l5‘). 8.30pm. £5 (£4). Woody takes to the spotlight yyith support trom lrish corriedienne l-‘rancis llealy and host Billy Boiikers. Is it possible to take to a spotlight'.’ The Stand The Stand. 33.3 Woodlands Road. 0870 (>00 (>055. 8.30pm. £l0 t£8). See Fri 7. although Jane .‘ylackay lakes oy et‘ as host.
Edinburgh Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongletrrs. ()rnni Centre. (ireeiiside Place. 08707 870707. 8.l5pm. £l3. l-‘risky Irishman Michael Legge enlists the corriedy talents ol‘.-\dam ('royy and (ilasgoyy corriedy legend Raymond Mearris.
The Stand The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 9pm. £10 (£8). See Hi 7. htit yy'ith coriipere Susan Morrison.
Glasgow
Michael Redmond's Sunday Service The Stand. 333 \Voodlands Road. 0870 (>00 (>055. 8.30pm. £4
t£| £3). Local joker John Flint and l)tinl'errrilirie‘s Steyen Dick join Mick in his regular lord's day comedy ol‘l‘ering.
Edinburgh
Whose Lunch is it Anyway The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. lprn. Free. Help heat the Sunday morning blues with a healthy dose of laughter provided by freestyle comedy wizards Paul (iraham
and Stuart \lurphy \ot the Blit'l controller Sttrart \ltirphy .i ditlererit
The Sunday Night Laugh-In The Stand. 5 \ork l’lace. 55S 7272 .S illpm L-l i£l £ 1) \eyy Year. iieyy name Bruce Heyliii rounds otl tlte yyeekeiid \\llll plenty ot laughs trorii his guests. including comedy sharp shooter \iidieyy l ayyrerice. ol yyhoni yy e hay e a prey ieyy Try your hand at the 'topical trashy \llll/i. yyith pr'i/es to he yyoii
Monday 1 0
Glasgow
Dance, Monkey Boy, Dance The Slalltl. 333\Vtkkll.ttltl\ Rtidtl. llh‘ 3” N“ (>055 8 illprii £1 .\lirch loyedcoiriedy irriproy night yyith Sandy \elsoii. Raymond .\leairis. Joe lleeiiari and lles Mclcari. plus their trusty _‘..‘llll.ll and piano tor company
Edinburgh
Red Raw lhe Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272 8 30pm L’l .\ host ol corriedy yirgiris try it out stand up style. \yith a helping hand lroni e\perieiiced ltrrinyiiieri Bruce l'itirnrriey arid ('oliii .\lc( illl
Tuesday 1 1
Glasgow
Red Raw The Stand. 33i\\'oodl.iiitls Road. llS7ll 0le (>055 S illpnr [3 Brut-t- l‘trriiriiey and Steyen l)ick lead the yyay lor' a hunch ol comedy neyycoiriers
Edinburgh
The Fred MacAulay Show The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 8 itlpm £8. (ieriial r‘acoiitetir' l'red .\lac.-\ulay and his guests proye that there is luri to he had on a school night yyith tyyo hotris ol cheeky antics. Dance, Monkey Boy, Dance ller'rol Watt l'riiyer'sity l‘niori. Riccar'toii. ~15] 53 33. ‘lpm. £ 3. Students and guests only See .‘ylori l0.
Wednesday 12
Glasgow
The Fred MacAulay Show The Stand. 333 Woodlands Road. 0870 (>00 (>055. 8. 30pm. £8. See Tue I l.
Glasgow
Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleiirs. l'(i(' Building. Renlreyy Street. 08707 870707. 8pm. £7. ('orriedy charmer Siriug Roherts stands up alongside amiahle Irishman l'.ddie Baririori. Ronnie lzdyyards and Atissie rmrnography analyst Jim Jellries.
The Thursday Show The Stand. Hi Woodlands Road 0870 (>00 (>055. 8.30pm. £0 (£5). Raymond .\lear'ris is your cornpere lor the night. yy itli cornedy musings lrom .‘ylancurirari Tony Burgess. plus laughter—irieister's (ir'aerne Tlltulltls. ('oliri .‘ylc(iill and Derek Johnstorie. Not the loothall pundit l)J. htrt a totally tlillerenl one.
Edinburgh
The Thursday Show The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 9pm. U) 0.5). lust and luriotrs comedy troin (it-ordie (iily‘lll Webster. Joe lleerian. l'ile hoy Steyeri Dick. Laura .‘ylc( Tllllll) arid yt est coast host l-‘rank'ie Boyle.
The Snatch Social The Liquid Room. 9c Victoria Street. 225 2501.
|0.30pm 3am. £4 (£3.50). See Thu (>.
Glasgow
Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongletrrs. l,'(i(' Building. Reril'rew Street. 08707 870707. 8pm. £l2. See Thu l3.
The Stand The Stand. 333 \Noodlands Road. 0870 (>00 (>055. 8.30pm. £8 (£7). It's a Lancashire double bill with storyteller Tony Btrrgess and ()ldham boy Dominic W’txxlyy‘ard. (‘olin McUill