The days are getting colder and the nights drawing in, yep, winter is well and truly among us and, thus, you can probably be excused for feeling a little less than cheerful at the moment. What you really need right now is a good laugh, and maybe a nice pint, well, you’re in luck, because the Nottingham Comedy Festival is returning with another plethora of brilliant comedy talent for you to enjoy.
Once again the organisers have put together a great line up featuring a blend of comics from across the UK – and beyond – for you to check out at venues across the city including good old fashioned stand up, improv and, well, even sock puppetry. It’s fair to say that comedy is a varied art.
It all kicks off this Friday, controversial US born Scot Jerry Sadowitz brings his blend of outspoken comedy and sleight of hand magic to the Nottingham Arts Theatre stage, expect a show that should have neon warning signs stating Not for the easily offended, hell even those that are not easily offended may still need to be careful, it will, however, be pretty damn funny.
Scott Bennett
The festival runs throughout the week and they’ll be more comedians than you can shake a stick at across the city, one of our tips to check out it is Beeston’s Scott Bennett, fresh back from supporting Rob Brydon on his latest tour, Scott is fast rising up the comedy ranks and is well worth checking out on the Beestonian Pubcast which he is a co-host on (I especially recommend the episode I guested on). You can catch “Scott Bennett Vs Scott Bennett: Work in Progress” at The Navigation on Saturday at 3.20pm and at 9.15pm on the Wednesday at The Lacehouse.
Scott’s Saturday appearance at The Navigation is part of an all day fillet o’ fun at the venue, kicking off at 2pm with ‘The Nuneaton & Hinckley Technical College Revue’ a work in progress show from Josh Pugh, the 2016 English Comedian of the Year.
Also part of a day of comedy is one of the most unique performances of the festival, The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre who bring their latest show Socks Do Shakespeare (yes you read that right) to Nottingham after a hit Edinburgh run. Let’s be honest who hasn’t wondered what it would be like to see the Bard’s greatest works performed by sock puppets? Be at the Navigation at 7.20pm on Saturday to find out.
At the Angel Microbrewery you’ll be able to catch Andrew O’Neill’s History of Heavy Metal a show which confirms everything you already knew about heavy metal and a crap load more, this show has become such a hit that it’s now also become a book. Catch Andrew’s show at 9pm.
Prior to that at the Angel you can join Katie Mitchell and Sam Lane as they take a gaze into the void and the swirling abyss of death with their show Psychopomp(s) which kicks off at 7.30pm.
There is also plenty to enjoy at the Nedd Ludd with Ben Shannon’s To Old To Be a Power Ranger when you can find out whether Ben will ever grow up and just how easily he gets distracted.
On Sunday there is a chance for those parents with a baby to enjoy a laugh without having to worry about finding a babysitter thanks to Bring Your Own Baby which takes place at the Poppy and Pint at 12pm, featuring great comedy for the adults and soft play, lights and toys for the baby’s this promises to be fun for all.
Johnny Awsum
Talking of little ones Johnny Awsum made a promise to his daughter that he would play live on stage at the O2. You can find out if Johnny kept his promise at his show Honey, I Promised The Kid at the Canalhouse at 6pm on Sunday.
Also at the Canalhouse you can catch Chortle Best Female Act and Leicester Comedian of the Year Jo Enright, having also appeared on TV in shows such as The Job Lot and Phoenix Night’s this hugely popular comedian, who Peter Kay said was in “the same league as Julie Walters” will be taking to the stage at 8.40pm making her show the perfect way to end your weekend.
While you may not be familiar with the name you will probably know Ian Stirling’s voice as he spent the summer narrating the ITV2 smash hit Love Island, now he’s back doing what he loves best and you can catch this BAFTA-winning comedian explore issues such as dinner party etiquette, feminism and the pressures of a generation being brought up in a world of instant gratification – so, you know, the small things – when he appears at Nottingham Trent University’s The Loft on Monday at 7pm.
If it’s improv you are after then head to the Angel on Monday where you can catch the University of Nottingham’s finest improv group the Red Herrings who will make a complete coherent story from a single word from the audience. This being improv, of course, anything can happen – which just makes it all the more fun.
Poetry gets a bit of a bad press at times, though Nottingham bucks the trend and has some of the best finest talent you’ll find, and is often brushed off as being dull – thanks largely to how it’s taught at school (at least when I was young), however it can also be fun and inspiring and that’s exactly what you’ll get from Pub Poetry at the Canalhouse on Monday night.
There is a lot going on at the Ned Ludd across the festival and for that you can thank Jeanette Bird-Bradley who is running things there, however as well as organising everyone else at the venue Jeanette is also taking to the stage. Jeanette will be performing Jeanettic Defect the follow up to her sell out show at the festival. Join Jeanette as she sifts through the memories of childhood, thanks to the return of her childhood stuff from her mums loft, a time when happiness was a pet potato.
Patrick Monahan is a regular at the Nottingham Comedy Festival, not to mention a multi-award winning comedian who won ITV’s ‘Show Me The Funny!’ and even appreared on Splash. He’ll be at the Canalhouse on Tuesday talking about life growing up with Irish Iranian parents and the world before social media.
Ever fancied a go at improv? If the answer is yes then make sure you’re in the audience for NICE – Nottingham Improv Comedy Experience at the Lacehouse on Tuesday. The second half of this 2-hour show will be opening the floor to anybody who wants to get involved. Before that though you’ll have plenty of chance to get experience as some of the best improv comedians in the East Midlands will be performing for your enjoyment.
Improv not for you? Fancy a go at stand up instead? Then head to The Angel where Ersatz Animus are hosting an open mic night offering up 5-10 minute walk-in slots giving you the chance to show just how funny you are – or at least think you are!
We’re big fans of MissImp improv group here at NottinghamLIVE, in fact we had them open both our NottinghamLIVE at The Maze gigs back in 2012, and so we’re pleased to see they will be a part of the festival with a double bill show at The Angel on Wednesday. First up they will bring you ‘Clones’ which will feature Liam Webber and Lloydie James Lloyd creating great improv tales from audience suggestions. Then comes’ The Vox Pops’ win which a storyteller will tell a true story from their lives which The Vox Pops will then unpack to reveal the true meaning of via a cavalcade of characters and smorgasboard of scenes.
Also Wednesday you can catch ‘The Curious Incidents of the Gay in the Night-Time’ the debut solo stand up show from Russell Arathoon in which he takes us through tales about his nights out with big fat Sarah K, holes in Ibiza, his gluten free shi tzu and finding the one in Chelseas. Expect completely un family friendly fun at The Lacehouse from 7.45pm.
Head up Mansfield Road to The Maze on Wednesday for the Funhouse Comedy: Should I Stay Or Should I Go Gong Show featuring 12 acts who all get 2 minutes before the audience vote to decide who gets to stay and who has to go, all compared by Spiky Mike.
At the Canalhouse you can get a real bargain with The £1 Comedy Night and what’s more they have a special edition during the festival with the Nottingham Comedy Festival New Act of the Year competition taking place. Sponsored by Castle Rock this competition will feature the best acts to have performed the £1 Comedy Night of the Year, all battling out to win the title of New Act of the Year.
Laura Pattison
Fresh from supporting the excellent Katherine Ryan on tour, as well as on the back of stand out performances at both Leeds and Latitude Festival, Lauren Pattison is one of the rising young stars of the comedy circuit and her debut show is coming to the festival. Join Lauren at the Canalhouse on Thursday as she talks about embracing your flaws in this highly anticipated show.
At the Nedd Ludd Laura Monmoth discusses battling demons, jealousy and breakdowns in her show LGBTQZX. Find out how a lifelong addiction to retro gaming caused all three, and forced Laura into the biggest change in her life.
If you’re after something weird and wonderful then Phase Goblinz: Bag of Secrets 3 might well be the show to catch. Travel to a wondrous land whose boundaries of that are imagination – The Comedy Festival Zone. Join Benjamin Knight at the Angel for a cavalcade of outlandish acts in an immersive environment, from comedy to music to poetry to storytelling as you gaze inside the Bag of Secrets.
There is a chance for more improv on Friday with a double bill at The Angel. First up join Four Far Away as they whisk you off to a fantastical world based on your suggestions: Aliens! Vampires! Spaceships! Libraries – an hour of mystery awaits exploring a world of sci-fi or fantasy made up entirely on the spot.
After a short interval you can then join Rhymes Against Humanity for a fully improvised musical. The title of the musical will be drawn from a hat containing audience suggestions and then the performers will make up and entirely new and original musical immediately – this really does sound like something that needs to be seen.
Comedy outfit and podcast gang Verbal Discharge are at The Cross Keys on Friday with their Review of the Year in which they try to make light of a ever more depressing world.
Eleanor Conway
After a life of clubbing, debauchery and Tinder Eleanor Conway is now living the sober life and finding it to be pretty tough work, not least learning how dull Tinder is as a sober person. Join Eleanor for her critically acclaimed debut show about sex, sobriety and the modern addict within us all on Friday, 8pm at The Nottingham Arts Theatre.
Saturday is the final day of the festival and, as you can imagine, there is an absolute tonne of stuff going on for you to enjoy before the festival ends and you can get back to moaning about the cold weather and early nights.
Mock the Week fans will be familiar with Angela Barnes who is a regular panelist on the show, and is also host of Radio 4 Extra’s Newsjack. Angela will be at The Navigation on Saturday afternoon with her new show Fortitude.
Lost Voice Guy
You may not have heard of Lost Voice Guy but when Matt Lucas describes you as a “wonderful comedian” then you know you’re doing something right. A speechless comedian who uses an iPad for his comedy Lost Voice Guy aka Lee Rigley is, probably, the first comedian to use a communication device for his shows. A BBC New Comedy Award winner in 2014, Lee has warmed up for the likes of Jason Manford, Patrick Kielty and Ross Noble and appeared at clubs across the country and he’s bringing his latest show Inspiration Porn to The Angel on the final day of the festival. Come along and find out why Lost Voice Guy is sick of being an unintentional porn star, why he is not your inspiration and why he thinks stupid memes are bollocks.
Derby promoters Further From The Sea music are once again teaming up with Arts CIC to bring a night of comedy to The Cross Keys with their Stand Up Mi Duck showcase featuring some of the best up and coming East Midlands comedians.
The duo of Michael Bell and Thom Hodkinson are The Kamikaze Club and they’re bringing their first full-length show to the masses with Too Soon? Expect their special brand of daft humour, fun and games in The Understudy at Lord Roberts.
Finally you can head along to The Angel at 9pm for One Woman Labyrinth, a hilarious and heartfelt rendition of the classic Jim Henson movie from Katie Mitchell, who apparently actually cried when she found out that that wasn’t David Bowie’s real hair.
As you can see there is a huge amount of fun to enjoy over the week, and we have only shone a light on a small portion of what’s going on throughout the festival with many, many more gigs taking place from fantastic performers.
The nights may be longer, the weather colder and the mood gloomy but, in Nottingham at least, the laughter will win out – even if it’s just for a week.
The Nottingham Comedy Festival takes place from 3-11 November 2017, for more information including the full line-up, times and ticket prices check out the official website for the festival.
Darren Patterson – @pogester
