COMEDY
Events are listed by date, then by city. Submit listings at least 14 days before publication by using our ‘Add an Event’ service at list. co.uk Listings are compiled by Kirstyn Smith. ✽ Indicates Hitlist entry
Thursday 17
Glasgow ✽Alan Davies: Little Victories SECC, Finnieston Quay, 0844 395
4000. 8pm. £25. Sharp and inventive wit from the QI regular. FREE Comedy in the Basement Tennent’s Basement Bar, 191 Byres Road, 339 7203. 8–11pm. A range of acts every week. Vespbar Virgins Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 8pm. £2. Raw comedy talent from some of the best up-and- comers, hosted by Graham Barrie. The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £10 (£7; members £5). Jojo Sutherland hosts Addy Van Der Borgh, Teddy, Lynn Ruth Miller and Jamie Dalgleish.
Edinburgh Absolute Improv The Tron, 9 Hunter Square, High Street, 225 3784. 7–8pm. £5 (£3). ToBeContinued take audience suggestions and transform them into fast- paced improvised comedy. Men with Coconuts The Canons’ Gait, 232 Canongate, 556 4481. 8.30–10pm. £5 (£4). Improv comedy from Men with Coconuts, aka Fringe faves Impro FX. The Thursday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9.30pm. £10 (£7; members £5). That Bruce Devlin hosts this weekend, with Steve Gribbin, Parrot and Julia Sutherland.
Friday 18
Glasgow The Friday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £12 (£10; members £6). See Thu 17, but Lee Kyle replaces Jamie Dalgleish. Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £15. With Jonathan Mayor, Del Strain and Christian Reilly. Vespbar Comedy Club Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 10–11.45pm. £10. Lee Kyle headlines with support from Richard Hunter, Michael Porter, Aldis Hamilton and resident MC Viv Gee. Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £9. Ben Verth presents a weekend packed full of top local and visiting comedians. The Friday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £12 (£10; members £6). See Thu 17, but Angela Barnes replaces Julia Sutherland.
Saturday 19
Glasgow Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £16. See Fri 18. The Saturday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 9pm. £15. See Fri 18 for line-up. Vespbar Comedy Club Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 10–11.45pm. £10. See Fri 18, but with Lee Kyle, Richard Hunter, Peter Wood, Gregor Wappler and resident MC Viv Gee. Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £9. See Fri 18. The Saturday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £15. See Fri 18 for line-up.
52 THE LIST 17 Apr–15 May 2014
Thursday 24
Glasgow FREE Comedy in The Basement Tennent’s Basement Bar, 191 Byres Road, 339 7203. 8–11pm. See Thu 17. Vespbar Virgins Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 8pm. £2. See Thu 17. The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £10 (£7; members £5). Susan Morrison hosts Carey Marx, Steven Dick and Chris Betts. Edinburgh Absolute Improv The Tron, 9 Hunter Square, High Street, 225 3784. 7–8pm. £5 (£3). See Thu 17. The Thursday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £10 (£7; members £5). Stu Murphy is all over this weekend, bringing with him Addy Van Der Borgh, Stuart Mitchell and Abi Roberts.
Friday 25
Glasgow The Friday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £12 (£10; members £6). See Thu 24 for line-up. Vespbar Comedy Club Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 10–11.45pm. £10. See Fri 18, but with Jojo Sutherland, Martin Bearne, Gary Meikle and Gregg Wilson. Resident MC is your host. Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £9. See Fri 18. Portobello Comedy Night Dalriada, 77 Promenade, Portobello, 454 4500. 8.30–11.15pm. £10. Stand up by the sea with Bruce Fummey, Rod Hunter, Ross Leslie, Jonny Thomson, Steven Davidson (MC) and a special guest. The Friday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £12 (£10; members £6). See Thu 24 for line-up.
Saturday 26
Glasgow FREE Great & Good Govan Old Parish Church, 866 Govan Road, 440 2466. 7–9pm. An evening of poetry, comedy and music. Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £15. With Alan Anderson, Dougie Dunlop, Philberto and Brian Higgins. The Saturday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 9pm. £15. See Thu 24 for line-up. Vespbar Comedy Club Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 10–11.45pm. £10. See Fri 18, but with Jojo Sutherland, Martin Bearne, Stephen Buchanan and Sandy Boutell. Resident MC is your host. Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £9. See Fri 18. The Saturday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £15. See Thu 24 for line-up.
Sunday 27
Glasgow ✽Frank Skinner: Man In A Suit King’s Theatre, 297 Bath Street, 0844
871 7648. 7.30pm. £28.50. Sharp satire and intelligent wit. See preview, above. Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £1). Redmond returns with his brand of lo-fi comedy to ease your weekend towards a chilled close with John Gillick and Phil O’Shea.
Edinburgh FREE Stu and Garry’s Free Improv Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 1.30pm. See Sun 20.
STAND-UP FRANK SKINNER King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Sun 27 Apr
He may have started in the stand-up game relatively late at the ripe old age of 30, but Frank Skinner can’t be accused of not making up lost ground. The Perrier winner of 1991 has done chat shows, chatted about football with his old flatmate while being paid for it, had a hit single, written a memoir that was, obviously, frank, and garnered respect from comics both young and older (on these pages, rising Scottish star Jamie Dalgleish picked Skinner as his comedy hero).
One thing that’s changed, though, is Skinner’s decreasing reliance on material that could best be described as adult. ‘I still have to do a bit of filth on stage,’ he says ahead of his Man in a Suit tour. ‘If I didn’t, that would be like Bernie Clifton not performing with his ostrich. So I go through a process of negotiation with my audience: “Let me read you some haikus, and I’ll trade you that for some knob gags later on.” It’s like training a dog: you have to sit while I say my bit, but then I’ll reward you with a chocolate biscuit afterwards.’ One thing he’s not such a fan of is the constant recording of stand- up now, whether the act has control over it or not. ‘So much stuff is recorded these days. Small clubs will often have a camera at the back of the room, and you never know where the footage will end up. In the end, memories will be completely closed down. YouTube has already totally killed the anecdote.’ (Brian Donaldson)
Sunday 20
Glasgow Bank Holiday Special The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £10 (£9). Celebrate the bank holiday with a line-up of comedians who, luckily for you, don’t get to take the day off. With Addy Van Der Borgh, Lynn Ruth Miller and host Michael Redmond. Edinburgh FREE Stu and Garry’s Free Improv Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 1.30pm. Stuart Murphy and Garry Dobson fire up the imagination with another slice of improv action. Footlights Comedy Edinburgh Footlights, 7 Spittal Street, 229 6466. 7.30–10pm. £3. New and experienced comedians for a Sunday night. Bank Holiday Special The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £10 (£9). See above, but with Steve Gribbin and Angela Barnes.
Monday 21
Glasgow ✽Aye Right? How No’?: Comedy Countdown to the Referendum
The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £7 (£5). Vladimir McTavish and Keir McAllister take on the independence debate in a show that blends stand-up, poetry, spoken word and politics. Special guests include Gary Little, Susan Morrison and Alan Bissett.
Edinburgh Red Raw The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £2. The Stand’s spankingly good new talent night, encouraging the latest comedy stars out of the woodwork. Then maybe putting them back in
afterwards. With Jason Patterson and host Joe Heenan.
Tuesday 22 Glasgow FREE Pop-Up Comedy The Halt Bar, 160 Woodlands Road, 353 6450. 8.30pm. Chris Henry picks out some of the Scottish comedy scene’s freshest talent. Red Raw The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £2. Weekly beginners’ showcase where the bright young things of Scotland’s comedy circuit strut their stuff for an entirely reasonable two whole pounds. With Jason Patterson.
Edinburgh Impro FX’s Improvised Comedy Workshops The Canons’ Gait, 232 Canongate, 556 4481. 7–9pm. £5. Flex your improv muscles with a little help from Edinburgh’s own Impro FX. Wednesday 23
Glasgow New Material Night Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 8pm. £3. Julia Sutherland hosts a night for comedians to try out their latest gags. Ronald McDonald House Benefit The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £8. Gary Little, Chris Forbes and Billy Kirkwood (plus more tba) get together to raise funds for the Ronald McDonald house. Edinburgh Jo Caulfield Presents the Good, the Bad and the Unexpected The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £5. Jo Caulfield hosts an evening of experimental stand-up, sketches and characters.