COMEDY Events are listed by date, then by city. Submit listings at least 14 days before publication to comedy@list.co.uk. Listings are compiled by Kirstyn Smith. ✽ Indicates Hitlist entry
Thursday 17
Glasgow Sense Scotland Comedy Night The Comedy Lounge, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, sensescotland.org. uk 7.30–10pm. £6. Guilt-free comedy, all raising funds for Sense Scotland. The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £10 (£7; members £5). Bruce Devlin hosts the weekend’s line-up of Rob Rouse, Pete Cain, Julia Sutherland and Martin Bearne. Edinburgh The Thursday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £10 (£7; members £5). Stu Murphy hosts this gem of a line-up: Brendon Burns, Teddy, Luke Benson and Elaine Malcolmson.
Friday 18
Glasgow The Friday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £12 (£10; members £6). See Thu 17 for line-up. Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £10. With Dougie Dunlop, Stu Who? Phil Walker and Geoff Boyz doing their thing. Vespbar Comedy Club Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 10pm. £8 (£6). Billy Kirkwood, Pearse James, Andy Todd and MC Viv Gee strut their stuff. Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £8. Local and visiting comedians to tickle your funny bone. The Friday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £12 (£10; members £6). See Thu 17 for line-up.
Saturday 19
Glasgow Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £12. See Fri 18. Comedy @ The State The State Bar, 148 Holland Street, 332 2159. 9pm. £7 (£5). The granddaddy of Glasgow comedy venues continues to attract some of Scotland’s best comedians. The Saturday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 9pm. £15. See Thu 17 for line-up. Vespbar Comedy Club Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 10–11.30pm. £8 (£6). See Fri 18, with Anders Gibson replacing Andy Todd. Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £8. See Fri 18. The Saturday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £21. See Thu 17 for line-up.
Sunday 20 Glasgow Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £1). Redmond eases your weekend to a chilled close with Bruce Morton, Kieron Nicholson, John McGoldrick and Stephen Callaghan.
Edinburgh FREE Whose Lunch Is It Anyway? The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 1.30pm. Freestyle comedy wizards Paul Graham and Stuart Edinburgh Red Raw The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £2. The Stand’s new talent night, encouraging the latest comedy stars out of the woodwork.
64 THE LIST 17 Oct–14 Nov 2013
MY COMEDY HERO DES CLARKE Punchline, Perth Concert Hall, Fri 25 Oct and Picture House, Edin- burgh, Sat 26 Oct; The Saturday Show, The Stand, Glasgow, Sat 26 Oct; Jongleurs, Glasgow, Fri 8 & Sat 9 Nov
When I was first getting into comedy about 2000, it was a great time for Irish comedy with Dylan Moran and Ed Byrne breaking through. And for me, Tommy Tiernan was someone who was just so mesmerising to watch. What he does as a comedian is draw people in while never pandering to an audience, he never says to a crowd, ‘I’m your pal, let’s talk’ what he does is say ‘this is who I am’ and he’ll wait till an audience comes to him. I saw him at this raucous Late ’n’ Live in the old Gilded Balloon in the
Cowgate, where everyone died: even the guy sweeping the stage at the interval died on his arse just for being up here. Tiernan walked on and I thought, ‘here we go, they’re not going to take to this storyteller regaling us with whimsical stories about growing up in Ireland’ but he absolutely took the roof off that gig, just by standing still and drawing people in. He’s spellbinding and can paint pictures with that poetic Irish use of language and just being bloody funny with it. He’s never compromised or tailored what he’s doing for TV or anybody else; he does what makes him happy and is true to himself: that is the strongest quality you can have as a comedian. (Interview by Brian Donaldson) ■ Des Clarke can be heard every weekday morning at 6am on Capital Radio.
Murphy fire up the imagination with more improv action. Howard Marks: Scholar, Smuggler, Prisoner, Scribe The Pleasance, 60 Pleasance, 650 4673. 7.30– 10.30pm. £15. The author and former drug dealer shares his experiences. Part of Pleasance Sessions. The Sunday Night Laugh-In The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £1). End the week with John Ross, Eleanor Morton and Richard Hunter, Becky Price and host Ben Verth.
Monday 21
Glasgow Roy Chubby Brown King’s Theatre, 297 Bath Street, 0844 871 7648. 7.30pm. £1–£22. Blue comedy from man branded ‘too rude for television’.
✽ Mark Thomas: 100 Acts of Minor Dissent The Stand, 333
Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £15 (£10). Renowned for causing mayhem in the quest for fairness and good.
Tuesday 22
Glasgow FREE Comedy in The Basement Tennent’s Basement Bar, 191 Byres Road, 339 7203. 8–10.30pm. A range of acts, plus food to fuel the laughter. Red Raw The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £2. Weekly beginners’ showcase.
Edinburgh ✽ FREE The Sunday Assembly New Empire Bingo Club, 50
Nicolson Street, 7pm. Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans bring their non- religious church-like entertainment ‘services’ to Scotland for the first time. Hallelujah. See feature, page 25. Electric Tales The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £5 (£4). A blended mix of comedy and storytelling.
Wednesday 23
Glasgow ✽ FREE The Sunday Assembly Central Community Hall, 304
Maryhill Road, 7pm. See Tue 22. Bright Club: Glasgow The Admiral, 72a Waterloo Street, 221 7705. 7pm. £5. An Independence special, with a mini referendum at the end. With Andrew
Learmonth and Bruce Morton. Tickets can only be booked online. New Material Night Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 8pm. £3. Julia Sutherland hosts a night for comedians to try out their latest gags. Edinburgh Chris Ramsey: The Most Dangerous Man on Saturday Morning Television The Pleasance, 60 Pleasance, 650 4673. 7.30–10.30pm. £12 (£8). Upbeat anecdotes, feelgood humour and witty observations inspired by being removed from the Soccer AM sofa for saying a naughty word. Pleasance Sessions. Cash for Kids Benefit Night The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £8. Keir McAllister, Ben Verth and host Susan Morrison make you laugh in aid of Radio Forth’s official charity.
Thursday 24
Glasgow Billy Kirkwood: Show Me Your Tattoo The Old Hairdressers, Renfield Lane, 222 2254. 8.30pm. £6–£9. Billy talks about body art culture. The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £10 (£7; members £5). A full-on comedy bonanza with Simon Munnery, Foil, Arms & Hog, Andrew Learmonth, Jay Lafferty and host Stu Murphy. Edinburgh The Thursday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £10 (£7; members £5). Hilarious acts left, right and centre, with Gavin Webster, Ian D Montfort, Darren Connell, Becky Price and host Bruce Devlin.
Friday 25
Glasgow Stand Up Comedy Night Manhattan’s Bar and Diner, 235 St Andrews Road, 429 4657. 7–10.30pm. £6. A different set of three comics each month. The Friday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £12 (£10; members £6). See Thu 24 for line-up. Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £10. Paddy Lennox, Barry Dodds, Gary Little and Stu Who? are here to make you laugh. Vespbar Comedy Club Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 10pm. £8 (£6). See Fri 18, but with Lee Kyle, Clair Michael, Sammy Dobson, Catherine Scott and MC Viv Gee.
Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £8. See Fri 18. The Friday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £12 (£10; members £6). See Thu 24, but Ian Moore replaces Gavin Webster. Perth Punchline Perth Concert Hall, Mill Street, 01738 621031. 8pm. £17.50 (£15.50). There’s Seann Walsh’s sharp observations, hospital radio madness from Ivan Brackenbury, Ian D Montfort’s psychic shenanigans and Des Clarke being his usual cheeky self. See My Comedy Hero, above.
Saturday 26 Glasgow Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £12. See Fri 25 Comedy @ The State The State Bar, 148 Holland Street, 332 2159. 9pm. £7 (£5). See Sat 19. The Saturday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 9pm. £15. See Thu 24, but Des Clarke replaces Simon Munnery. See My Comedy Hero, page 64.