SlANl) tJl’ ALEX HORNE The Stand. Edinburgh. Sun 15 Mar; The Stand, Glasgow, Mon 16 Mar

‘Oh that’s a very strange bird,’ exclaims Alex Horne looking out of the window as he chats to me. ‘Once you start birdwatching, I tell you, any noise you just can’t ignore.’ Horne took up this leisure pursuit in 2006 when he had a bet with his twitcher father on who could see the most birds in the wild within a year. ‘I found birdwatching pretty impenetrable,’ confesses Home. ‘l was brought up with it; dad would birdwatch everyday, always walking out with binoculars.’ Despite being his father’s passion, the desire to watch the feathered creatures clearly wasn’t flowing in Home junior’s veins as he initially struggled with the project, but fellow twitchers helped him out. ‘They’re funny and knowledgeable and tend to be quite humble. I finally realised that they were my sort of people which was a hard thing to come to terms with because the more I went on the more I realised I was becoming like my dad.’

Becoming more like papa Horne he may be, but it’s a personality that’s served him well on the comedy circuit. His endearingly bumbling, hesitant and punning style went some way to earn him a Perrier Best Newcomer nomination at the Fringe in 2003 with his debut show Making Fish Laugh. Now, Birdwatching takes a similar format to his previous shows including the use of PowerPoint to illustrate, through amusingly low key graphics, his quest to spot as many of the 10,000 plus species in existence. And there’s a bird-naming test for the audience, some beat-box impersonations and even a few attempts at humour from Home Snr. (Marissa Burgess)

Events are listed by date, then city. Submit listings at least 14 days before publication to comedy@list.co.uk. Listings are compiled by Sian Bevan. Indicates Hitlist entry

(ilasgtns ('onicd} l‘cstnal pi'c\ it‘\\ s. this \scck ll'tllll Stti \Vho'.’ and ls'cara Murph_\. The Thursday Show 'l‘Iic Stand. 5 York l’lacc. 55S ’37:. ”pm. LS it"; tnctnhcrs £4). Ra} tnond Mcarns hosts this cwning. \\ tth coincdians .r\aron (’otintcr. l’atrick Rolink. .lo linrtght and Danicl Sloss all pcrt‘orinrng.

Heresy 'l‘llt‘ .lt‘k} ll K ll_\tlt‘. l l: llttllt)\ L'l' Slrcct. 335 303:. ”pm. [3. M(‘ Rick Molland l|l\ itcs inorc coincdians to tcll lllc ligltltlt‘SI tokcs lllc} klltm.

Glasgow

The Thursday Show 'l'hc Stand. 33.3 \Voodlttllds Road. 0870 (‘00 (30.5.5. 8.30pm. t'S t£71 incnihcrs £4). (‘otnpcrc Stisan Morrison brings on Simon Bligh. Mark .\'clson. Ro (‘amphcll and Martin .\lc.-\lllslt‘l'.

Edinburgh

Fit 0’ The Giggles @ The Mercat 'l'llt‘ Mcrcat. 33 \Vcsl \llllllttnd Strcct. 335 87 lo. S.30ptn. £5 tf3). Too morc

Glasgow

Jongleurs Comedy Club Jonglcttrs. l'(i(‘ Building. l l chtrcts Strcct. 0844 S44 004-4. .S'pni. liroin £13. JoJo Smith. Andrus MttrTcll. l’hil \Valkcr and 'l‘on} Hendricks do thc stand—tip thing.

The Friday Show lllk' Stand. 3“ \\oo\ll,rn\l\ Right. tis"i) hilt) m )55

\ 30pm L l0 t". iricrtthcrs L5) Scc lhti 5 DAM Fine Comedy t ‘ait- t iiairioton. l\lll‘._' Sttcct. 55.3 “l“ ‘lprn :5 lon Stanlcs hosts this popular \tcckl) night. lcattrring art cxt'r changing lrnc tip

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Jongleurs Comedy Club .longlt-tirs. ()nini (critic. ( itccnsitlc l’lacc. t).\.l-l S-l-l not: -15pnt l torn Ll l \ltckc} llttttori. Jason .lohn \\ hitchcad. Bcnnt'tt -\rron and Sit-\t- llarris do thcit longlctirs thing

The Friday Show llit- Stand. 5 York l’latc. 55\ “3": ”pin L'ltML‘l. irit'inhcis t5) Scc lllll 5

Glasgow

Jongleurs Comedy Club .longlt-tiis. l (i(‘ Building. ll chltcss Strcct.0.\-1-1 SH 00“ Split l'lUlll L l: Scc l'l’l ti. The Saturday Show l'hc Stand. 333 \\t)t)tll.llltl\ l\)tl.ltl. ”3..” Nil) 0055

S 30pm Ll3 Scc lllll 5 Comedy @ The State lllL‘ Statt- Bar. HS Holland Strct't. 33: 315‘). ”pm t5 loriight lcattircs gticst M(‘ Rick Mollattd. as rcsitlcnt coinpcrc (‘hris Brooinlicld \lllls llllt) lllt‘ l‘tllt' til llt‘.ltlllllt'l Woodlands Bumper Value Comedy Club 1 tsgc Bcallta. 3 3.3 Ill) \\oodlattds l\’t).ttl. 33: loll. ”put to ttlli Mt‘ .\l.lll \iitlt-rson introdttccs .inothci sclcction ol linc totiicd} talcnt,

Edinburgh

Jongleurs Comedy Club .longlctirs. ()iiiiii (critic. ( ii‘ccnstdc l’lacc. USN S-l-l till-H “.l5pin. limit [I l. Scc l'l'l (i.

The Saturday Show 'l‘lit‘ Stand. 5 York

l’lacc. 55S 7353. ”pm [I 3. Scc ’l'hu 5.

Glasgow

Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service ’l‘hc Stand. 333 Woodlands Road. time not) 0055. S30pni. t5 itlt; inciiihcrs {I ). 'l‘hings tick along happt|_\ tn thc Sunda} \\t)l’ltl ol Rcdniond. \\ llll

\ isitors this \scck such as Mark .\'clson. l)a\c Strong. Iain Stirling. Rick Molland and John (lax in.

Edinburgh

Whose Lunch is it Anyway? 'l'lic Stand. 5 York l’lacc. 55S 7373. lptti. ltnprox iscd coincd} lun lroin thc lricndl}

ncighhourhood ad lib lords Sttt and (iarr).

The Sunday Night Laugh-In The Stand. 5 York l’lacc. 553 7373. S30prn. £5 iL'J; tnciiihcrs U l. Stisan (’alinan coiiipci'cs. \\ itli a \llti\\ \thich incltidt's Kcun Bt‘idgcs. l’atrtck Rolink. Mtchacl .'\tl;llll\. .lctl Brighton and .\ll\llll l.o\s.

Edinburgh

Fit 0’ The Giggles Absolute Beginners Bcchn c Inn. (‘ii'assniarkcL 235 7I7I. Spin. [3. (io \L‘t’ a sclcction ol ncss coincd} talcnt.

Red Raw lhc Stand. 5 York l’lacc. 55X "333. S30pni. £2 it'l i. Morc llt‘\\ coincdtans lcap to thc slagc u itli coinpcrc Start chn and hcadlincr .-\nd_\ Sir.

Glasgow

DiScOmBoBuLaTe (‘( ‘;\. 350 Saticliichall Strcct. 352 4000 7.30pm. £4 it: ). lair Macl’hcrson hosts anothcr cclcctic cscning u rth rcadtngs l'roin :\l. Kcnncd}. lain llcggic. .-\lati Bissctt and olhct‘s. 'l'tckcls ;i\ailahlc at lhc door. Red Raw 'l'hc Stand. 333 \Voodlands Road. 037) 000 (i055. S.30pin. £2 it'l ). Bill} Kll'k\\t)tkl and Mark .\'clson arc thc Hurnhlcdorcs of this cxcning. guiding along thc llL'\\ coincd} \st/ards.

Edinburgh

Melting Pot The Stand. 5 York l’lacc. 558 "373. S30pin. 95 HA; inctnhcrs £3.50). Next \sriting talcnt haxc thcir

Mark Watson A man wrth rnany thoughts and a hundred itinny w; ys of saying them. Two chances to wrtness raw genius. iron Hrmt/e, Glasgow, Sun 75 a Mon 70 Mar;

Mark Nelson He's popping tip all over the place this fortnight. but this date has the inaugural Scottish Comedian of the Year delivering another lesson in caustic crudity. Smile, You Son of a Bitch is the charming title. Slab/(friars, G/asgow. Thu 72 Mar.

David O’Doherty The current itcornedy mantel-holder tries his luck on this most inauspieious of dates. Yet. every night is Davrd O'Doherty Time, surely? The Stand. Glasgow. Fri 73 Mar.

Reginald D Hunter The powerhouse of contemporary stand-tip might well say the unsayable. but if you believe that he's the 'black Bernard Mannrng'. then there's something not quite right in your brain. The Stand, Glasgow. Sun 75 Mar.

Jimmy Carr The Joke Te(:/rn/Cian plugs you deep into his warped imagination. SECC, G/asgow, Wed 7 8 Mar.

coincd} skctchcs pcrl'orincd h} a group of" actors. \tith thc atidicncc thcn picking l thcir lasour'ttc.

Hairy Watt Comedy Club 'l'hc l'nion. ”Until-\Villl l 'lll\ L'rsll). RlL‘L‘itntill. 45l 5333 0pm. {-1 t£3 in advance). Magical cornpcrc Stcxcn Dick is hcading out with his hag of tricks. introducing Scott Agnew and (hits l‘orhcs.

Glasgow

Midweek Comedy Cabaret The Stand. 333 Woodlands Road. 0870 600 (i055. H.30pin. £4 (£2). (iary Little and Ro ('arnphcll arc on hand to turn that l‘rown upstdc-dottn. ill a non-Violent wa).

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5—19 Mar 2009 THE LIST 41