Comedy HITLIST THE BEST COMEDY EVENTS
Henry Rollins The punk icon and Black Flag man shares many a passionate and amusing stream-of-consciousness tale of his years in the business of show. This tour bears the title of The Long March. Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Fri 13 Jan.
Janey Godley Still one of the best and most forthright female comedians this country has produced, Godley delivers the goods to an expectant weekend crowd. See My Comedy Hero, page 19. Highlight, Edinburgh, Fri 13 & Sat 14 Jan. Mark Thomas A night with one of the few genuine political comedians left in the country features not a dull moment. Here he wants to create a People’s Manifesto built from ideas generated by his audience. The Stand, Glasgow, Mon 16 Jan.
Andrew O’Neill The vegan transvestite metalhead brings us some more breathlessly intelligent comedy. The Stand, Edinburgh, Tue 17 Jan; The Stand, Glasgow, Wed 18–Sun 22 Jan. Gary Delaney The one-ling king has been at this comedy game for a decade which means he has a vast stash of gags ready to unleash upon your bonces. Jongleurs, Glasgow, Fri 20 & Sat 21 Jan.
Nick Helm Yes, he shouts a lot, but underneath the bombast and aggression is a sensitive soul aching to get out. See 5 Things, page 61. The Stand, Glasgow, Thu 26–Sun 29 Jan.
Friday Fix A stellar Scottish line-up celebrate Burns Night, including Viv Gee, Vladimir McTavish and Billy Kirkwood. See feature, page 42. The Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, Fri 27 Jan.
Craig Hill Pretty much reaching legendary local status by now, the camp comic claims to have been Blown by a Fan! Naughty. Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy, Sat 28 Jan.
58 THE LIST 5 Jan–2 Feb 2012
Events are listed by date, then city. Submit listings at least 16 days before publication to comedy@list.co.uk. Listings are compiled by Kirstyn Smith. ✽✽ Indicates Hitlist entry
Thursday 5
Glasgow The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £8 (£7; members £4). The weekend starts with Ian Cognito, Chris Forbes, Nicola Mantalios-Lovett, Stephen Halkett and host Raymond Mearns. Edinburgh The Thursday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £8 (£7; members £4). Start the weekend with a line-up comprising Ian Coppinger, Ava Vidal, Sean Grant, Damian Kingsley and Gareth Waugh. Hosted by Bruce Devlin. Comedy Academy The Shack, 119 Rose Street, 226 4311. 9.30pm. £3. A platter of fresh comedy newbies taking their first wobbly steps onto the circuit.
Friday 6
Glasgow Foster’s Comedy Live Highlight, UGC Building, 11 Renfrew Street, 0844 844 0044. 8.30pm. £12–£15. Ever- reliable Billy Kirkwood kicks off highlight Glasgow’s new year, alongside Stu Who? and Daniel Townes. The Friday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £10 (£9; members £5). See Thu 5 for line-up, minus Stephen Halkett. Edinburgh Friday Night Live The Shack, 119 Rose Street, 226 4311. 8pm. £8. Jojo Sutherland introduces her pick of comedy acts from across the country. Foster’s Comedy Live Highlight, Omni Centre, Greenside Place, 0844 844 0044. 9pm. £10–£13. Dynamic wee Susan Morrison, Mike Milligan and King of Camp Craig Hill. The Friday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £10 (£9; members £5). See Thu 5 for line-up, minus Gareth Waugh.
FREE Fresh Meat The Butterfly and the Pig, 153 Bath Street, 221 7711. 8.30pm. Weekly new material night with six aspiring comedians and a professional headliner. Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £1). Redmond returns with his brand of lo-fi comedy to ease your weekend to a chilled close. Edinburgh FREE Whose Lunch Is It Anyway? The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 1.30pm. Regular freestyle comedy wizards Paul Graham and Stuart Murphy fire up the imagination with another slice of improv action. Sunday Night Laugh-In The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £1). Celebrate surviving another week by chilling out with some relaxed comedy.
Monday 9
Glasgow Improv Wars The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £4 (members £2). It’s a fight to the death (or until one of them needs a sit down) between improv experts Garry Dobson, Stu Murphy and Billy Kirkwood. Edinburgh Red Raw The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £2. The new talent night is hosted by Jojo Sutherland today.
Tuesday 10
Glasgow FREE Pop-Up Comedy The Halt Bar, 160 Woodlands Road, 353 6450. 8.30pm. A free comedy event picking out some of the Scottish comedy scene’s freshest talent. Red Raw The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £2. New acts and new material hosted by the rather wry Stuart Mitchell. Edinburgh Electric Tales The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £5 (£4). A mix of comedy and storytelling, making for a relaxed night of funny yarns and verse told by a range of performers.
Saturday 7 Wednesday 11
Glasgow Foster’s Comedy Live Highlight, UGC Building, 11 Renfrew Street, 0844 844 0044. 8.30pm. £12–£15. See Thu 5, plus Patrick Rolink. The Saturday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 9pm. £15. See Fri 6 for line-up. Edinburgh Saturday Night Live The Shack, 119 Rose Street, 226 4311. 8pm. £10. Let Jojo Sutherland and her pick of the freshest talent from across the UK spice up your weekend. Foster’s Comedy Live Highlight, Omni Centre, Greenside Place, 0844 844 0044. 9pm. £10–£13. See Fri 6, plus Danny Angelo. The Saturday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £15. See Fri 6 for line-up. Jekyll and Hyde Comedy Club The Jekyll & Hyde, 112 Hanover Street, 225 2022. 9.30pm. £8 (£6). Rick Molland presents a different line-up every week.
Sunday 8 Glasgow Glasgow Kids Comedy Club The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 3pm. £4. Every month a selection of comedians tweak their material for the toughest audience on the planet. No under 5s; all kids must be accompanied by an adult.
Glasgow The Fun Junkies The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £5 (£4; members £2.50). Magic, sketches and musical breaks from the How Do I Get Up There boys. FREE Gong Show Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 07909 822841. 8.30pm. The first half of the evening consists of open spots from pros, but the second half has a series of acts trying to beat the gong, as the audience mercilessly votes off those they don’t like. Edinburgh Beatnik Comedy The Tron, 9 Hunter Square, High Street, 226 0931. 8.30pm. £3 (students £2). Every week a clutch of Scotland’s comedy newbies show off their rib-tickling skills, presided over by a professional headliner. Hosted by Liam Withnail. Melting Pot The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £5 (£4; members £2.50). Vote for the best of the new sketches and skits from local comedy types.
Thursday 12 Glasgow The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £10 (£9; members £5). With Andy Sir’s laid-back stylings there’s also the eminently likeable Mike Newall and host Jojo Sutherland.