The Comedy Lounge

You may have noticed that we are partial to a bit of live comedy over here at Bobbysix.com. That Comedy Thing in Eastbourne quickly became one of our favourite nights out and, over on the other side of the globe, there is a similarly fun evening's entertainment to be had.

At Sydney's Cafe Lounge, Englishman Rhys Jones (above) hosts a Monday night feast of laughs with a whole lot of up-and-coming talent on display. Highlights amongst the nine comedians this week were a fantastic turn from the world-weary John Cruckshank (who headlines the week after next and is not to be missed) and surreal insanity from Nick Capper, who told stories about a woman giving birth to a pig filled with jelly beans (yeah, it was funnier when he said it), while Jones himself opened the night with his well-observed anecdotal tales. Elsewhere, there was dry self-deprecation from Michelle Betts and boundless enthusiasm from Umit Bhali, while the whole thing was tied together nicely by MC Michael Hing, who set the tone just right with his jovial interaction with the audience.

The venue itself is perfect for such an event, in that it has a warm, intimate charm. It's not called the Lounge for nothing, and the audience is positioned on mismatched chairs close to the stage, meaning there is plenty of banter flying about. Not heckling from the crowd nor cruel teasing from the comedians, but rather a comfortable, friendly atmosphere in which the whole room feels very much part of the proceedings. It makes for a delightfully laid-back evening.

Headlining this upcoming Monday is the rather brilliant Daniel Townes, who combines a laid-back delivery with a razor wit and killer punch lines. Pow! The MC for the night will be Dain Hedgepeth, who, according to the facebook event, is "one funny bastard". Also on stage will be John B Cahill, Justine Rogers, (former workmate of Bobby's) Andrew P Street, Danny Giles and more. Doors open 5pm, happy hour 5 to 7pm ($10 pizzas, $5 drinks) and the show starts at 7.30pm sharp. It all wraps up at a decent hour too, so if you were worried about going out on a schoolnight, then don't. You can laugh your knob off and still be home in time for the arse end of Q&A (wow, knob and arse in the same sentence. Who said we can't be high-brow?).

The Comedy Lounge is a fine, cheap and intimate way to spend your Monday evening. Give it a shot. Deets here.

Review by Bobby Townsend

Exclusive Diane Spencer interview

Flame-haired, award-winning comedian, Diane Spencer, shares a few words with Bobbysix.com ahead of her Edinburgh Fringe show, All Pervading Madness: 

What can people who come to your Edinburgh show expect?

They can expect, in a physical sense, a woman standing in front of them telling stories, and whatever pictures appear in their minds, will provoke laughter. I really enjoy telling stories, and quite often they are personal in nature. I don't deal in politics, yet... I more deal in the everyday, the emotional, the interpersonal relationships we all have whether with someone we love, or someone we meet on a train. My show is about a journey home, and there are some tangents on the way.

How did you first get into stand-up? Was it something you always wanted to do?
I just wanted to find out if I was funny. And no it certainly wasn't, but once I did it the first time, I simply had to do it again, and again and here I am. Stand-up is something so different and instantaneous. When you listen to how a comedian - a really amazing comedian - talks, it's incredible. They take your mind into new places.

After Edinburgh, what else have you got planned for 2011?
Whatever writing projects emerge from the Edinburgh Fringe really. I'm going to a comedy festival in Denmark, a place called Arhaus, which I've never been to before.

Longer term, what artistic aspirations do you have?
I love science fiction, I'm currently working to write a sci-fi sitcom... watch this space for beehives and lasers.

What music will you be listening to on the journey to and from Edinburgh?
John Williams - 40 years.
It's outstanding, it includes Indiana Jones, Superman and Jurassic Park.

Find out more about Diane - including tour dates - at her website.

Interview by Bobby Townsend. 

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Exclusive Jim Bob interview for Bobbysix.com

I have a few heroes: the legendary Tom Waits, genius wordsmith/artist Jeffery Lewis, footballing god Bobby Zamora, charity good-egg Sophie Epstone, supercool Jarvis Cocker... the list goes on. One man who would sit towards the very top of that list though, is unquestionably Jim Bob. I first saw him perform as frontman of indie/pop/dance/punk band Carter USM at Brixton Academy in 1993 and have followed his career very closely ever since, through his solo work over the past few years right up to his recent reincarnation as an author. So when the man who I spent my teenage years singing along to in various sweaty venues around the country headed to the small town in which I grew up, I simply had to grab a few words with him.

Eastbourne's Gildredge Park was resplendent in the early evening sunshine as it acted as the setting for our interview. With birds merrily whistling in the background and trees dancing in the breeze, Jim and I talked about writing, about music and about the upcoming Carter gigs, before the affable Londoner headed across the road to the ancient Lamb Inn, where he would perform a 30-minute set to a sold-out room.

Below is the interview, along with a few musical snippets from his acoustic performance (note: you might need to whack the volume up to eleven as it came out a little quiet after the upload to Youtube and I'm too much of a luddite to know how to fix it). If you like what you hear from Jim Bob, you can find out more about all of his current projects by visiting his website.

Interview by Rob Townsend
For more stuff like this, follow Bobbysix at Facebook. Also, you can read my review of the gig here, and check out my previous interviews with Jim Bob here and here.
 

Josie Long and Jo Neary preview their Edinburgh shows at That Comedy Thing

As venues go, The Lamb Inn in Eastbourne on south coast of England is perhaps the perfect place for a comedian to try out new material. The crowd - made up of curious locals and people simply excited that something interesting is happening in their sleepy town - are warm to the acts that stand before them and wouldn't even dream of attempting a impatient sigh, let alone a heckle. So this is perhaps why so many quality comedians are taking the opportunity to run-through their upcoming Edinburgh performances in the old ale-house. Recently, Isy Suttie brought her embryonic show to town and this week Josie Long and That Comedy Thing compere and organiser, Jo Neary, stood in front of a healthy turnout and set about workshopping what they had come up with thus far.

Opening the night, Neary performed her one-woman show about a bunch of schoolkids in the west country who were building up towards a local talent contest. Set in the 1980's and alluding towards some level of autobiography, Neary's story contained countless references to life in those days, all of which certainly resonated with audience members of a certain age. Mentions of Touché Turtle and Five Star were cleverly weaved into a narrative which wonderfully demonstrated the humiliation of being a teenage girl. In amongst some fine wordplay (the "virile shadow of a future moustache," on Gavin Pascoe's upper lip, for example), Neary also demonstrated some fun dance moves to Jack Your Body and Star Trekkin and painted a lovely, funny picture of the embarrassment and awkwardness that teenage love and lust can bring. To be honest, so sweet and disarming is Jo Neary's stage presence that I could happily watch her read the phone book for 45 minutes, so the fact that she has crafted something which struck such a chord was doubly pleasing.

Josie Long (pictured, top) is similarly affable to Neary and, armed with a fistful of scribbled notes, she launched into an impassioned and funny political diatribe. Venturing down a kinda Mark Thomas route, she spoke with intensity, knowledge and intelligence about subjects such as tuition fees, the protest in Fortnum and Mason, David Cameron and the like. While her anti-Tory stance may have fallen on a few deaf ears (Eastbourne has more than its share of right-leaners), generally her opinions were met with concurrence. After all, when someone is arguing for the importance of manners, free art and decent education for everyone, it would take a fucking idiot not to agree.

While Neary's show seemed pretty close to completion, Long's clearly was very much in the early stages of being written, but it was still a pleasure, in an increasingly apathetic world, to hear someone talk about political wrongdoings with such passion. That said, the moments when she veered into less heavy territory were always welcome, and her tangential ramblings about The Beatles and the Bronte sisters brought some of the biggest laughs of the night.

A couple of very different shows then, by two equally lovely performers. We've said it before and we'll say it again: That Comedy Thing at The Lamb Inn is a brilliant night out featuring acts of amazing quality. And the fact that you can buy a ticket and get change from a tenner is quite remarkable. If you live in the area and haven't been along yet, then, frankly, you're a ruddy fool. Why not head along to this Tuesday's show (28th June), featuring Steve Pretty and sketch group Jigsaw - comprised of Dan Antopolski, Tom Craine and Nat Luurtsema? Book your ticket now at oxboffice.com or email thatcomedything@gmail.com to secure your seat.

Review by Rob Townsend
For more reviews, follow Bobbysix.com at Facebook.

Jim Bob and Isy Suttie at The Lamb Inn, Eastbourne

Eastbourne, in the South of England, is not known for much other than being the place where blue-rinsed octogenarians tan their leathered skin on pebbled beaches. It has never been 'on the circuit', as it were, so Jo Neary, the organiser and compere of the relatively new That Comedy Thing, deserves the mother of all pats on the back for the volume of talented, well-known individuals that her night draws to the the town. With the likes of Robin Ince and Josie Long already having graced the stage of the ancient Lamb Inn, yesterday saw arguably the best line-up yet, with Jim Bob and Isy Suttie doing their thing.

The first time that this particular reviewer saw Jim Bob (above) was in 1993 when he was playing at the Brixton Academy, as one half of indie-pop-punk-electro duo Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine. Nowadays, Jim Bob is a solo-artist and author and seems as happy playing intimate, sit-down gigs such as this as he is belting out the hits to the masses (he'll be back at the Brixton Academy in November, Carter fans).

It must be a tough gig, being the musical entertainment on a comedy night. The audience, primarily, are there to laugh, so it is just as well that Jim's wordplay was witty as hell and he offered a wry turn of phrase as he performed a half-hour acoustic set. After the opening cover of Mr Blue Sky, we were treated to a ditty about the Tesco riots - which he would go on to deconstruct in a Stewart Lee-esque manner, explaining the song's three jokes and why they were funny. Other highlights were a song about a swearing food technology teacher and a cynical take on The Wheels On The Bus. He also occasionally dipped into his "emergency set-list", much to the joy of the Carter fans in the room. Glam Rock Cops and The Only Living Boy In New Cross, rather than sounding as though they were being played out of obligation, were delivered - to steal a line from one of those songs - with utter comfort and joy. It was as though Jim was introducing two of his oldest and dearest mates to a largely uninitiated audience. The fact that, a couple of decades after they were written, they still had resonance and sounded exciting, bodes well for the Carter reunion gigs later in the year. Also, the inclusion of some new material left fans excited about the possibility of a new release somewhere in the not-too-distant future.

After an interval in which Jim chatted with fans at the bar, it was time for the headliner. Isy Suttie (above) used her 45-minutes in Eastbourne as a warm-up and sounding board before she takes her show to the Edinburgh Festival. Combining stand-up and song, Isy's performance was themed around a strange love story between two characters called Pearl and Dave (which Isy alluded to when she chatted to Bobbysix.com recently).

Being a work in progress, there were plenty of rough edges to Suttie's set. Indeed, much of it existed in the form of scribbled notes, yet there was something rather appealing about seeing her vision in the process of coming together. It was almost as though, through the feedback that bounced off the audience, the show was being formed before our eyes - as though we were part of something tangible, something fluid. Despite its embryonic nature, the set was still great. The best thing about Isy Suttie is that she doesn't rattle off jokes, but rather weaves genuinely funny truths into her songs and stand-up. Like Jim Bob before her, she is quite the wordsmith, and, as she dealt with the differences between dating pre and post internet, her observations were perfectly judged.

Perhaps the biggest compliment to pay Isy Suttie would be to say that her songs are as emotive as they are funny. She isn't just a stand-up who can sing a bit, but rather a genuinely talented songwriter, and, in fact, her best song of the evening worked because of its sentiment rather than because of the gags within. "Make sure you're sure the one you love is the last one that you'll ever love before you listen to Tom Waits with them," she sang in resignation, while everybody in the room who ever had a song or artist tainted by the memory of a former lover nodded in agreement. In a night of chuckles and guffaws, it was a wonderful moment of genuine depth and touching sincerity. And, besides, anyone who references Tom Waits in a song is okay by us.

At the end of her turn, Suttie offered her gratitude to the audience for their patience during what was a useful run-through for her. Her humility was hardly necessary. Sure, the show may have been a work in progress, but it was still nuanced, honest and funny with a solid and interesting narrative. Anyone who sees this show once she has crossed the t's and dotted the i's is surely in for a treat. As for the future beyond Edinburgh, we would simply love to hear Isy Suttie pen an album. After all, she proved tonight beyond any doubt that she has the musical ability and lyrical nouse to produce something really rather special.

Words and pictures by Rob Townsend

If you want more of this kind of awesomeness heading to the South Coast of England, then you need to support nights like this. Next up is the return of Josie Long on the 21st June. Book at Oxboffice.com or find out more by dropping an email to thatcomedything@gmail.com. Also, Follow Bobbysix at Facebook for news of an exclusive video interview with Jim Bob and footage from this gig, coming soon.

Isy Suttie interview

Isy Suttie talks to BobbySix.com about her upcoming performance at That Comedy Thing:

When you see Isy Suttie's name in print, it is often followed, in brackets, by the explanatory words, (Dobby from Peep Show). While it is undeniable that this is the role she is best-known for, in truth, there are plenty more strings to her bow than being the anti-Sophie in Channel Four's fantastic sitcom. Indeed, Suttie spends her time balancing being a writer, actor, musician and stand-up comic. However, far from this being a case of her hedging her bets until she figures out exactly which direction she wishes to tread, Suttie excels in all of these creative endeavours and seems to relish being interminably busy. "I really like it," she beams. "There are new challenges and things to learn from each of them. I always wanted to write and perform. I wanted to act and went to drama school, but I wrote songs from a young age and was in a lot of bands. I like having my fingers in a few pies so the current state of affairs is nice - a bit of everything."

But, as award nominations increasingly land on her doorstep and her star ascends at pace, will one path eventually have to take precedence over the others? "I can't see myself ever stopping live stuff, so I think even if acting went well and I filmed something for a while or was in a play or something, I'd be itching to do some stand-up after. I like the teamwork of acting and (often, depending on what I'm writing) writing, but I like the control and raw nature of stand-up."

Excitingly for residents of sleepy seaside settlement Eastbourne in the South East of England, Isy Suttie is bringing her unique brand of stand-up there on June 7th for an intimate gig at The Lamb Inn as part of the monthly That Comedy Thing. It won't be her first visit to the south coast town either. "It was lovely," she recalls of her previous, and only, visit. "I saw some old people drinking tea and I thought, 'I would love to live here.'"

If old people drinking tea floats your boat, then Eastbourne certainly ticks all the right boxes. Conversely, if a stand-up set from one of Britain's most exciting comics is your thing, then it's also the place to be on June 7th. And what can punters who brave the cold to head to The Lamb expect from Suttie's turn? "I do a mixture of songs and stories and read out some stuff from my diaries and things my Mum has sent me," she explains. "Some of the songs are set in medieval times and others are set in the present. Absolutely none are set in the future."

Talking of music, what will be on Suttie's ipod as she makes the journey south? "I am bad at listening to new music," she admits. "At the moment I listen mostly to Nick Drake, Tom Waits, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and The Stone Roses. In terms of music that came out more recently than three years ago or longer, I really like Dizzee Rascal, Chris Wood and Rufus Wainwright to name a few. There's a Cardiff-based folky musician called Ratatosk who I'd really recommend."

Anyone who is either unlucky enough to not snap up a ticket before they inevitably sell-out, or that lives too far away to make a Tuesday night journey to Eastbourne will be happy to learn that Suttie will more than likely be making her way to every corner of the UK during 2011, while, of course, continuing to multi-task. "I'm gigging around the country and I'm working on a new show about a couple tentatively falling for each other, called Pearl and Dave. I might have the poster font in the Pearl and Dean typeset but that's not the only reason I called it that."

And the long-term future promises to see equally exciting projects coming from the ambitious and hugely affable Suttie. "I'd like to write, and be in, a musical sitcom. I'd like to do a bit more serious acting. Basically I'd like to play a housewife in a 60's epic where I'd get to fight, eat bacon sandwiches and chain smoke, if anyone out there's writing something like that. Maybe she bursts into song every few days, but that's not as important as the fighting, the meat and the fags. What the hell is?"

And of course, there is unfinished business between Dobby and Mark for us to look forward to. The seventh series of Peep Show proved to be one of the best for some time - not so much a return to form as the raising of an already high bar - with the Dobster playing an increasingly large role. "I think a lot of it's down to the writers, Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong," she says when I ask her why she thinks people have taken her character to their hearts. "She came along at the right time and Mark is well-loved and some people see similar qualities in the two of them."

And how much of Dobby is there in Isy Suttie? "I really love playing Dobby as there are certain aspects which remind me of me, but she's more kick-ass than me."

Catch Isy Suttie at The Lamb Inn perform on the same bill as the legendary Jim Bob in Eastbourne's Old Town on Tuesday 7th June. For ticket info, email thatcomedything@gmail.com or book now at Oxboffice.com

Interview by Rob Townsend. Follow Bobbysix.com on Facebook

Jim Bob is heading to Eastbourne in June!

It's something I never thought I'd hear: Jim Bob - the man who once seemingly made it his mission to oust Maggie Thatcher Milk Snatcher through the power of bile-fuelled, politically charged indie music - quoting Phil Collins.

"I do still think of myself as a musician, I suppose," he shrugs as we discuss the fact that, when we spoke last year, he told BobbySix.com that he had no inclination to put out any new songs or albums in the foreseeable future. "In spite of all the books and stuff, that's what I'll always be I guess. I have moments when I think I want to write a new album, usually when I'm inspired by hearing somebody else's music that I either love or hate. Phil Collins said recently that he wasn't making new music because he had nothing to say. I hate to quote Phil Collins but I do feel a bit like that at the moment. I get confused if I think about it too much. I feel like I've betrayed myself as a musician by being lazy."

The good news for attendees of June's That Comedy Thing in Eastbourne is that Jim Bob's back-catalogue is bursting with quality. The singer/songwriter has released plenty of solo records and had best-selling singles and albums in the early 1990s as part of indie/pop/punk/dance crossover duo, Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine. So, considering that he has to squeeze over two decades of music into half-an-hour, what can people expect from his performance at That Comedy Thing at The Lamb Inn? "I'm not totally sure," he admits. "I imagine a fairly short set of songs played on the acoustic guitar. I haven't done a conventional gig for quite some time, so I'll probably make things up closer to the night depending on how I feel at the time." He pauses. "I've made it sound rubbish, haven't I? It'll be an incredible set of my most popular songs interspersed with great anecdotes and probably a bubble machine."

The low-key and intimate night in the ancient Eastbourne alehouse stands in complete contrast to the gigs Jim has in store later in the year. While Carter may have been best-known for silly haircuts and angry social commentary, they were also an absolutely brilliant live band. So much so that, when, in 2007, they announced that they were to reprise the sweat-drenched live Carter experience with shows in London and Glasgow that would simultaneously serve as reunion and farewell gigs, tickets sold out in a heartbeat. Due to their popularity, rather than acting as the full-stop they initially intended them to be, the gigs marked the beginning of an occasional coming-together of Jim Bob and his old mate Fruitbat (below). In November, they'll be stomping around the stages of the Brixton and Manchester Academies, and preparations for these shindigs are coming along steadily. "We've been talking about the gigs and have a rough idea of the songs we'll be playing. We want to make the shows as good if not better than the previous ones. At the moment we have no surprises planned but I imagine there will be some. I tend to spend too much time thinking about what I'm going to wear and what to do with my hair. I'm incredibly shallow."

More pressing than these nights of singalong mayhem is their first festival appearance in a very, very long time. "Need to get fit," Jim says of their headline appearance at Beautiful Days at Escot Park in the heart of Devon in August. "Festival gigs involve more shouting and running than conventional gigs."

Carter concerts and entertaining Eastbourne's most discerning punters aside, Jim Bob's focus lies away from music at the moment. Having released the critically acclaimed novel Storage Stories last year, his new book is well on its way to completion. Storage Stories, a fictional autobiography told in words and pictures, was laugh-out-loud funny, gripping and often rather touching, as Jim Bob combined darkness with the wonderfully witty and surreal to create a strange sense of doomed romance in an otherwise mundane, miserable and menacing England. Will his new offering take a similar shape? "I don't want to curse it yet by giving too much away but basically it's about two blokes in a car driving from Devon to London and one of them has discovered the other's secret. It's similar in style to Storage Stories. It's funny and there are pictures. It's probably a bit darker. I hope to get it out in time for Christmas."

From the enthusiasm with which he talks about his burgeoning writing career, and the fact that he mentions an idea he has had for another book and also a film screenplay, it's clear that this is where Jim Bob's heart lies right now. His creative juices have obviously been stirred and it seems that his foray into the literary world has opened plenty of other doors as well. "I've been enjoying what has happened to me in the past year or so. It was pretty unintended and unplanned. The little bit of acting in the musical Gutted, the comedy-related gigs and the literary events. I've met some amazing new people recently and every now and then one of them asks me to take part in something."

However, while it may seem that Jim's future lies away from the recording studio, excitingly there is still some musical output from this outstanding songwriter. "I've got one newish song on the Miles Hunt Shared album and I've recorded a cover of a song [Mr Blue Sky] for a radio comedy drama theme tune," he tells us. On top of this, two brand new acoustic tracks appeared on his Soundcloud page last month.

With so many creative ventures on the go, these are exciting times for Jim Bob and he is ready to embrace whatever the future throws at him. "Anything could happen really," he beams.

Jim Bob can be seen performing alongside Isy Suttie at The Lamb Inn in Eastbourne as part of That Comedy Thing on Tuesday 7th June. Such a strong line-up will ensure that tickets will sell out fast, so don't delay in booking yours today from Oxboffice.com For more information on Jim Bob, visit his website. In the meantime, here's one of his brand new songs:

LONDON 2012 by mrjimbob

Interview by Rob Townsend.

Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine - GI Blues

If, in 1992, you'd have told me that Jim Bob from Carter USM would one day play a gig in my local pub, I'd have probably pooed myself with excitement. But, in 2011, it is indeed happening. So, if you happen to be in the South East of England, then you'd be a flipping idiot not to get yourself to Eastbourne's Lamb Inn on Tuesday 7th June, when BobbySix's all-time hero straps on an acoustic guitar and provides the musical entertainment for That Comedy Thing, as part of a bill which also includes Isy Suttie from Peep Show.

There are full interviews with both Jim Bob and Isy coming up at BobbySix.com over the next few weeks but, for now, let's wind back the clock for a bit of old school Carter genius.

Words by Carter fan Rob Townsend (who used to sport that same haircut).

Kerry Gilbert brings sex and culture to That Comedy Thing. Oh, and wigs.

 
This Tuesday, Eastbourne's Lamb Inn on the South Coast of England once again plays host to the brilliant That Comedy Thing. This month's line-up sees Terry Saunders, James Sherwood, Thomas Hardie and Clint Westwood perform alongside Kerry Gilbert. On the eve of her debut visit to Eastbourne, Kerry tells BobbySix.com a bit about herself.

What can people expect from you at That Comedy Thing?
I’ll be presenting a small array of silly characters and strange behaviour, including a sexy bit, some culture and most probably some sort of wig.

Are you looking forward to your first trip to Eastbourne?
I’m quivering with anticipation. I’ve heard they have great fish n chips…

How did you get into comedy? Is it something that you always wanted to do?
I always liked playing the funny parts in school plays, despite being very shy and quiet in general. Being funny enabled me to come out of my shell a bit. Then at University I studied Performance Art as part of my English and Drama degree. It was the only practical bit of the course where we got to script and perform our own solo performance pieces. Most of the pieces I came up with were pretty twisted and self-indulgent performances about domestic abuse and sexuality, but the one I enjoyed the most was dressing up as a Bond Girl and belching my way through a rendition of Nobody Does It Better. I’m not proud of it, but I think that was probably the beginning.

After University, my friend Kelly and I decided to take a comedy show up to the Edinburgh Festival, as we’d been offered a free venue by someone she knew. We were on at midnight in an old church hall and had an average audience of about three people, but had loads of fun and even got a decent review so decided we’d keep at it. We called ourselves ‘Kerry and Kelly’, which I think probably indicated the level of effort we put into the whole affair, and spent most of the time eating humus and gossiping. But we did manage to put on a few more shows which were quite well-received. After a while, Kelly decided to pursue a proper career and is now a successful TV producer, whilst I decided to carry on, finally taking my own solo character comedy show up to last year’s Edinburgh Festival.

After Eastbourne, what else have you got planned for 2011?
I’m working on a new live comedy show which I’ll be taking up to next year’s Edinburgh Festival, so am doing gigs to try bits and pieces out in London. I also have a few writing projects on the go, including a sitcom set around an old-fashioned sweet shop in a small seaside town.

Longer term, what artistic aspirations do you have?
My dream is to write and perform in my own television sitcom/sketch show. I’d also love to be in a Mike Leigh film and a period drama one day. Preferably as one of those neurotic women they usually have in them, like Imelda Staunton’s character in Cranford or Julie Walters in Pride and Prejudice.

Check Kerry out at That Comedy Thing at Eastbourne's Lamb Inn this Tuesday night (April 5th). It all kicks off at about 7pm and entry is a bargain £8.50 (£7.50 concessions). You can pay on the door or get tickets in advance at oxboffice.com.

Interview by Rob Townsend.

Getting To Know... Mae Martin

We chanced upon the affable and very funny Canadian comic Mae Martin at the recent That Comedy Thing and liked her so much that we simply had to find out more about her:

Comedy is a constant source of stress for my parents. Comedy can be everything from a powerful tool of subversion to a whoopee cushion and both are equally as valuable. For me, comedy is a way for to confirm whether or not my opinions and feelings are shared by others - I present them to an audience and if they laugh instead of staring at me blankly, then I know I am not insane.

I'm inspired by eating large amounts of cheese before bed. It helps me to have profoundly memorable dreams. I recommend half a wheel of brie half-an-hour before sleeping. Seriously. It's an expensive habit but you will thank me when you are having dreams about Angelina Jolie fighting zombies every night. I am also inspired by tabloid magazines, other comics who I admire (I am a massive comedy nerd), and the impending apocalypse, which provides me with a sense of urgency that helps me to write new material.

Canada is more than twice as big as the UK but with half as many people. So there is a lot of space to paddle around lakes birdwatching and communing with nature. In the event of a global catastrophe, Canada is the place to be. We can form a new Utopian society in the Great Canadian North where the zombies, flooding, and civil unrest can't reach us.

Canada is also where I began doing comedy, 10 years ago, when I was about 13 and in the midst of a fairly tumultuous puberty. I don't know if British audiences would have indulged me when I was that age, I was lucky to be doing comedy in a country that doesn't heckle. Since moving to London I have fallen in love with British audiences, especially the way they participate, answering rhetorical questions...

My father grew up in the UK and instilled a great love of British comedy in me, so it is thrilling to be here.

If I could only listen to three albums for the rest of my life they would be... WHAT?! STOP IT! This is an impossible question. I have been sitting, beads of sweat slowly trickling down my face, staring at the computer screen for 45 minutes trying to narrow it down to three. As my top 6 albums are all by The Beatles this question comes down to which three Beatles albums I like best. In this moment I think Sgt. Pepper, Abbey Road, and Let It Be, but ask me again in 15 minutes.

Runners up include Spice World, Dark Side of the Moon, John Lennon's Double Fantasy and an album which has yet to be recorded called Harry Potter: The Musical, starring the cast of all the Harry Potter films. They will sing, read excerpts from the novels and reenact my favourite scenes from the films.

It might surprise people to learn that the owl is the only bird to drop its upper eyelid to wink. All other birds raise their lower eyelids. What's up with that?!

Aside from comedy, I have no talents.

Find out more about Mae at her website.

That Comedy Thing at The Lamb, Eastbourne

Last week, That Comedy Thing took place once again at The Lamb Inn in Eastbourne, on the South Coast of England, and, as always, the wealth of talent on show in the cosy 12th Century boozer was impressive. Robin Ince headlined the night, with less a routine, more a 40-minute rant from a man aghast, confused and angry at a world he increasingly fails to understand as he edges further into his forties. Red-faced, he breathlessly jumped from topic to topic in a performance that was filled with truths. Funny truths too.

Before him was the Canadian Mae Martin (pictured, below), who was natural and effortless as she chatted affably between playing some well-known covers on her acoustic guitar, replacing the lyrics with her own tales about - for instance - her unhealthy obsession with Don Cheadle. Her turn was especially pleasing in that she didn't reel off jokes, but just chatted away conversationally, as if she were just talking one-to-one with each member of the audience. Indeed, she was so engaging that I could have happily listened to her talk for 30 minutes without any musical interludes at all.

Before these two performances came the absolute triumph of the evening. Rachel Pantechnicon cleverly used repetition and a strange, awkward stage-presence to create a well-crafted character. Poems about elves on shelves and tiled bathrooms were rattled off at the kind of frenetic pace that demanded the audience kept up. Visual aids were frequently used, like the previously missing end section of the Bayeux Tapestry, which told of a plague of cats - one of which ended on William the Conqueror's head instead of a crown. Obviously it doesn't sound funny when I say it, but when spewing out of Pantechnicon's mad brain, such weird tales were side-burstingly hilarious.

The whole night was compered by organiser Joanna Neary (pictured at the top of the feature), who set the evening's warm tone with some chucklesome observations, some killer dance moves and a wicked impression of Bjork.

Neary deserves massive credit for putting on such a charming night and managing to attract such fine acts to a south coast town that isn't exactly on the circuit, so, if you live in the area and want to see more of these kind of events cropping up, then you need to put your full support behind That Comedy Thing. The event takes place on the first Tuesday of every month, so email thatcomedything@gmail.com to get yourself put on the mailing list.

Review by Rob Townsend.

Robin Ince graces That Comedy Thing

 

Once again, That Comedy Thing is set to hit The Lamb Inn on the South East Coast of England, and it offers a typically cracking line-up this month, with Robin Ince headlining a bill that also includes Mae Martin, Rachel Pantechnicon and Suzi Payton.

You can reserve tickets for the event, which takes place in the lovely Eastbourne pub between 7.30pm and 10pm this Tuesday 1st March, via thatcomedything@gmail.com. It'll set you back a pathetic £8.50 or just £7.50 with an NUS. You won't find a better bargain than that so get yourself to The Lamb and be sure to bring a spare pair of underpants, as you are more than likely going to wee yourself laughing. And who likes to sit in their own wee? Weirdos and pervs. That's who.

Find out more about That Comedy Thing here.

Words by Rob Townsend.

That Comedy Thing

 

Sleepy old Eastbourne, in the south of England, is probably best known for the plethora of blue-rinsed pensioners that meander along its quaint seafront in the summer months. What it is not known for is its diversity when it comes to things to do of an evening. And as for luring out-of-town entertainment, well, let's just say that Eastbourne is hardly on the the circuit. However, on the first Tuesday of every month, something is happening to steadily change all that.

That Comedy Thing is bringing a smile to the face of those who want a quality night out that combines outstanding stand-up talent with some musical magic. December's event saw Josie Long do her thang, while the legendary Darren Hayman provided the sweet tunes. In future months, you'll be able to see the likes of Robin Ince, Stewart Lee and the incredible musical talents of BobbySix.com's hero, Jim Bob.

The next That Comedy Thing is on the 1st of February, is compered by the wonderful Jo Neary (pictured, above) and features the immense talent of Isy Suttie (Dobby from Peep Show), Tony Law, George Egg and Dyball and Kerr.

If that weren't enough to make you want to venture into the cold winter night, then That Comedy Thing's venue is one of the most intimate and welcoming pubs ever. The Lamb Inn was built in the 12th Century and is a lovely little ale house in the quiet Old Town part of Eastbourne.

Still need encouragement to miss Holby and go out on a Tuesday night, you lazy arse? Okay, well how about the fact that tickets are a ridiculously cheap $7.50. Amazing, right? You can secure yours by calling 01323 749643 or emailing joannaneary@hotmail.com.

Words by Rob Townsend