Comedy ✽✽ Tom Stade Live The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £10. Tom Stade takes his first national tour on the road.
Edinburgh FREE Whose Lunch Is It Anyway? The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 1.30pm. See Sun 1.
✽✽ Dan Clark The Queen’s Hall, 87–89 Clerk Street, 668 2019. 8pm. £15. The star of BBC3’s How Not To Live Your Life brings his comedy songs on tour. See interview, below. The Sunday Night Laugh-In The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £1). Those prepared to stay out on a school night get to see Sanderson Jones, Rick Molland, Martin McAllister, Richard Gadd and host Billy Kirkwood for not very many pennies.
Monday 9
Edinburgh Fit O’ The Giggles Out With the Old City Café, 19 Blair Street, 220 0125. 8.30pm. £3 (£2). See Mon 2. Red Raw The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £2. JoJo Sutherland shepherds the baby comedy lambs to the slaughter. The Beehive Comedy Club Newbees Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £2 (£1). See Mon 2.
Tuesday 10
Glasgow Red Raw The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £2. Newbies night with host JoJo Sutherland. Edinburgh Electric Tales The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £4 (£3). Comedy and storytelling with the sole aim of cheering you up. With Sian Bevan and Susan Morrison.
Dundee Richard Herring Whitehall Theatre, 12 Bellfield Street, 0871 702 9486. 8pm. £15. The man who once grew a Hitler moustache to make a point turns the Bible into a comedic classic.
Wednesday 11
Glasgow The Fun Junkies The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £5 (£4; members £2.50). Weirdness and magic from the How Do I Get Up There sketch boys. Edinburgh Melting Pot The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £5 (£4; members £2.50). Fresh comedy every month performed by a troupe of actors. Vote for your favourite and ensure the future of the country.
Thursday 12
Glasgow The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £8 (£7; members £4). Bruce Devlin sails the good ship comedy with mates Mark Nelson, Michael Fabbri, Michael Manley and Alan Scott. Edinburgh The Thursday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £8 (£7; members £4). Compère Scott Agnew introduces his band of funnymen: Paul Tonkinson, Steven Dick and Toby Hadoke.
Friday 13
Glasgow Foster’s Comedy Live @ highlight Highlight, UGC Building, 11 Renfrew Street, 0844 844 0044. 8.30pm. £12. Sparkling humour from Karen Bayley and pals Roger D, Sean Meo and Barry McDonald. 50 THE LIST 28 Apr–26 May 2011
The Friday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £10 (£9; members £5). Top headliners, great support acts and two days to recover. See Thu 12 for line-up. Jongleurs Comedy Show Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £15. R David, Barry Castagnola, Steve Harris and Dougie Dunlop show off their sparkling wit.
Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £4–£7. See Fri 29 Apr.
✽✽ Foster’s Comedy Live @ highlight Highlight, Omni Centre,
Greenside Place, 0844 844 0044. 9pm. £10. With Martin Mor, who is joined by Keith Farnan and his thought-provoking rants, and the vivacious Junior Simpson. The Friday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £10 (£9; members £5). Leave your worries at your desk and settle down with a pint in front of some top live comedy. See Thu 12 for line-up.
Saturday 14 Glasgow Ha Ha Comedy DRAM!, 232–246 Woodlands Road, 332 1622. 8pm. £7 (students £5). A bunch of local comedians. Foster’s Comedy Live @ highlight Highlight, UGC Building, 11 Renfrew Street, 0844 844 0044. 8.30pm. £15. See Fri 13. Jongleurs Comedy Show Jongleurs,
The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £15. See Fri 13. The Saturday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 9pm. £15. It’ll sell out so get in early for a chance to see some of the finest acts around. See Thu 12 for line-up.
Edinburgh Dom Joly: Welcome to Wherever I Am The Queen’s Hall, 87–89 Clerk Street, 668 2019. 8pm. £21. The Trigger Happy TV man reflects on some of his most extraordinary memories from skiing down a volcano to getting arrested while dressed as a yeti. See 5 Things, page 49. The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £4–£7. See Fri 29.
✽✽ Foster’s Comedy Live @ highlight Highlight, Omni Centre,
Greenside Place, 0844 844 0044. 9pm. £13. See Fri 13. The Saturday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £15. Funny people are sexy: reach the climax of your weekend with five of them (kinky) down The Stand. See Thu 12 for line-up. Jekyll and Hyde Comedy Club The Jekyll & Hyde, 112 Hanover Street, 225 2022. 9.30pm. £8 (£6). See Sat 30.
Sunday 15 Glasgow Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £6 (£5;
members £1). Put off preparing for the week ahead with super chillaxed Michael Redmond. Tickling your eager funny bone tonight are Michael Fabbri, Mark Bratchpiece, Jason Murphy and Ancient Annie. Edinburgh FREE Whose Lunch Is It Anyway? The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 1.30pm. See Sun 1. The Sunday Night Laugh-In The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £1). End the week with a dolly mixture of comedians. Featuring Gary Little, Gerry McDade, Phil O’Shea and Will Setchell.
Monday 16
Glasgow Improv Wars The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £4 (£2). Another battle commences between improv experts Garry Dobson, Stu Murphy and Billy Kirkwood. Edinburgh Fit O’ The Giggles Out With the Old City Café, 19 Blair Street, 220 0125. 8.30pm. £3 (£2). See Mon 2. Red Raw The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £2. Hosts Davey Connor and Sian Bevan smooth the path for some promising new stand-ups. The Beehive Comedy Club Newbees Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £2 (£1). See Mon 2.
PREVIEW STAND-UP DAN CLARK Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, Sun 8 May
When the BBC comedy Episodes kicked off at the start of the year, Dan Clark must have experienced an intake of recognition. Having had a hit with three series of his sitcom, How Not to Live Your Life, talks begun with a US network, mirroring the odd indignity which the Tamsin Greig and Stephen Mangan characters suffered. Happily, this didn’t include having Matt LeBlanc throw up on Clark’s shoulder. ‘Episodes was so truthful it was unbelievable,’
Clark says. ‘They tell you you’re great and you think “wow, this is amazing” and a week later they’ll not be sure about x, y and z, and you’re thinking, “but last week you loved x, y and z!” They do have a lot of great writers, but over there it is just a business because they could potentially make a lot of money out of shows.’ Discussions are ongoing then, but for now Clark is
happy to be back on the road with a live show having had a period away from regular gigging due to writing and filming commitments. After an appearance in March at the Glasgow Comedy Festival (‘If you ask them rhetorical questions, they give you answers which is better than an audience sitting and nodding’), he shows up at the Queen’s Hall, a venue he hasn’t visited since seeing Phil Kay perform there in the mid-90s. Given that his sitcom has attracted a brand new audience, he feels fine with splitting this show with old and new material. ‘Initially I thought I’d just put on a kind of best-of show from the last few years, but then I realised that some of it didn’t quite resonate, so I’ve done some updating. When I was doing those shows in 2006 and 2007 I was talking about the rise of social networking which felt quite of the moment, whereas we’re all too aware now. There are a few bits about my obsession with technology and phones and computers. I was taking my phone into the toilet with me; that’s how bad it’s got.’ (Brian Donaldson)