list.co.uk/comedy Comedy
Falkirk ✽ Funny in Falkirk Various venues, Falkirk, funnyinfalkirk.com. One of the
newer comedy festivals on the scene, but attracting impressive names from across the UK. Kicking things off are Bruce Morton at Behind the Wall (8pm) and Gary Little at the Corbie Inn (8.30pm).
Saturday 21 Glasgow Comedy @ The State The State Bar, 148 Holland Street, 332 2159. 8.15pm. £7 (£5). The State Bar continues to attract some of Scotland’s best comedians to its wee basement of joy. Jongleurs Comedy Show Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £16. See Fri 20.
✽ The Saturday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879.
9pm. £15. See Thu 19 for line-up.
Edinburgh Comedy at the Cav Lava Ignite, 3 West Tollcross, 228 3252. 7–10.30pm. £15. See Fri 20. Saturday Night Live The Shack, 119 Rose Street, 226 4311. 8pm. £12 (£10). See Fri 20, but Ro Campbell is replaced by Rev Obadiah Steppenwolfe III. The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £7. See Fri 20. The Saturday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £15. See Thu 19 for line-up.
Falkirk ✽ Funny in Falkirk Various venues, Falkirk, funnyinfalkirk.com. Tonight’s highlights are Pete Firman at Falkirk Town Hall (8pm) and Tom Stade at the Dobbie Hall (8pm).
Sunday 22
Glasgow Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £1). Lo-fi comedy with Michael J Dolan, Leona Irvine and the How Do I Get Up There? boys. Edinburgh FREE Whose Lunch Is It Anyway? The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 1.30pm. Paul Graham and Stuart Murphy deliver another slice of improv action. The Sunday Night Laugh-In The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £1). Dave Longley, Bob Slayer, David Baxter and Ro Campbell.
Falkirk ✽ Funny in Falkirk Various venues, Falkirk, funnyinfalkirk.com.
Tonight’s line-up consists of Des Clarke (Grangemouth Town Hall, 7pm) and John Scott (Behind the Wall, 7.30pm).
Monday 23
Glasgow ✽ Fringe Previews Week Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 8pm. £3. A taste
of the Fringe, but for fewer pennies and just before madness descends on the east. With Jamie Dalgleish, Liam McDonnell and Matthew Ellis. See My Comedy Hero, page 50 for Dalgleish’s choice. Bright Club: Glasgow The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £5. An intoxicating blend of comedy and academia.
Edinburgh ✽ Comedy Variety Show City Café, 19 Blair Street, 220 0125. 8pm. £3
(£2; £1 if booked in advance through lastminute.com). Weekly new material night, hosted by Keara Patricia Murphy. The Beehive Comedy Club Newbees Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8pm. £2. Ben Verth hosts this new talent and new material night with the occasional old-timer dropping by to polish their act.
5 THINGS
THAT YOU HAVE TO SEE AT . . . FUNNY IN FALKIRK Pete Firman Middlesbrough’s magic man delivers jaw-dropping gags and funny conjuring tricks to the astounded masses of Falkirk. Now, should that be the other way around? Falkirk Town Hall, Sat 21 Jul.
Mark Watson He might look like he wants to fall asleep on the job, but the not-Welsh Bristolian is one of the hardest working chaps in the business. Maybe that’s the reason why he appears so bedraggled half the time. Falkirk Town Hall, Tue 31 Jul. Stewart Lee The lad Lee may have taken a severe swipe at Mr Watson on his last touring show, but we don’t think he really meant it. Fortunately, perhaps, they’re on stage at the exact same time in different parts of town. Behind the Wall, Tue 31 Jul.
The Ginge, the Geordie and the Geek This trio have gone fairly rapidly up the sketch show ladder, and this affair promises more of their silly and surreal shenanigans. Behind the Wall, Sun 29 Jul. Bruce Morton A genuine Scottish comedy legend takes his passionate campaign farther afield as he asks us to Vote for the Greater Shawlands Republic. Will the Southside ever be free? Behind the Wall, Fri 20 Jul. (Brian Donaldson) ■ See funnyinfalkirk.com for info.
Wednesday 25
Glasgow ✽ Fringe Previews Week Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 8pm. £3. See Mon 23, but with Soapbox: Comedy Debate Jam and Paul Sneddon & Keir McAllister. New Material Night Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 8pm. £3. Julia Sutherland hosts this night of new jokes. Best of Irish Comedy The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £7 (£6; members £3). Stand resident Michael Redmond introduces you to Martin Mor, Totally Wired, David Burke and Elaine Malcolmson.
Edinburgh Bright Club: Edinburgh City Café, 19 Blair Street, 220 0125. 7pm. £4 in advance; £5 on the door. The hardworking staff at Edinburgh’s universities celebrate Bright Club Edinburgh’s first birthday, so expect some surprises and, no doubt, cake. Beatnik Comedy The Tron, 9 Hunter Square, High Street, 225 3784. 8.30pm. £3 (students £2). Newbies show off their skills, presided over by a professional headliner. Hosted by Liam Withnail.
19 Jul–2 Aug 2012 THE LIST 51
STAND-UP KAI HUMPHRIES Jongleurs, Glasgow, Sat 28 Jul
Heckling is a comedian’s occupational hazard. Still, it’s an unfortunate stand-up that suffers verbal from an ex-teacher, even if, in mitigating circumstances, it’s Ross Noble’s mum. ‘Always the mischievous one at school,’ Kai Humphries explains that ‘I’m good friends with Anne Noble; she came to my last gig and we had a lively bit of banter. It’s nice she’s stayed in touch.’ The Geordie opens our conversation confessing to ‘feeling rough’
due to the previous night’s excess. Relatively new, with less than four years on stage but two Edinburgh Fringes under his belt, compering his own club night is central to a rapid turnover of material. ‘You end up spawning it by accident, just ad-libbing, getting off stage and writing it down.’ Humphries is now familiar to Scottish audiences, having supported Daniel Sloss on tour. ‘Even with marriage, you wouldn’t spend that much time with someone. For three months we were getting up every morning in the same hotel room, getting into the same car, driving to the same city, same gig, same night out. To not fall out demonstrates the strength of our friendship. It was odd though.’
Notwithstanding the exodus of Sarah Millican, Jason Cook, Chris Ramsey and Dave Johns, Humphries is convinced that the arrival of The Stand in Newcastle and a handful of other new gigs mean the north-east is becoming ‘a bit of a comedy hotbed.’ He’s already laid down a marker of sorts by defeating Adam Bloom’s legendary Rubik’s Cube skills. ‘His best time is better than my best. But when we were head to head, he lost his shit and messed it up a little.’ The interview concludes and he laments that, ‘I’m going rock climbing now. That should be good with a hangover.’ (Jay Richardson)
Red Raw The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £2. New talent night, with special guest Gavin Webster.
Falkirk ✽ Funny in Falkirk Various venues, Falkirk, funnyinfalkirk.com.
Tonight’s line-up features King Fred MacAulay (Behind the Wall, 7.30pm) and former Scottish Comedian of the Year, Australia’s Ro Campbell (The Goose, 9pm).
Tuesday 24
Glasgow ✽ Fringe Previews Week Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 8pm. £3. See Mon 23, but with Tony Jameson and Scott Agnew. FREE Pop-Up Comedy The Halt Bar, 160 Woodlands Road, 353 6450. 8.30pm. A free comedy event picking out some of Scottish comedy’s freshest talent. Red Raw The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £2. Newbies’ night, featuring the sketch madness of How Do I Get Up There?
Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Newbees Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8pm. £2. See Mon 23. FREE Tuesday Night Comedy Jam Belushi’s, 9–13 Market Street, 226 1446. 8pm. A wheen of stand-ups and comedy acts presented by Rick Molland. There are limited open spots available if you’re feeling brave enough to have a go yourself.
✽ Fringe Preview Double Bill: Ro Campbell and Gavin Webster
The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £8 (£7). See them now so you can smugly recommend once August rolls round. Ro Campbell’s Midnight Madness sees the Aussie devil at his storytelling best, while Gavin Webster’s controversially-titled Bill Hicks Wasn’t Very Good better have some hard, fast evidence to back it up.
Falkirk ✽ Funny in Falkirk Various venues, Falkirk, funnyinfalkirk.com. More from Fred MacAuley tonight at Behind the Wall, 7.30pm.