Saturday 31 May & Sunday 1 June
Hi folks
I hope you have been out and about checking out some of the great comedy that the fest has been putting on. I know it can be tough trying to decide what to see. When I go to the Fringe in Edinburgh I look at all of the shows and think there is too much on, but worse of all it is so expensive.
One of the main things the Liverpool Comedy Festival team decided seven years ago was to keep the price to a minimum. Most of the one man shows are six quid; that’s the price of two Happy Meals, and comedy is healthier than scrambled dog! So I would suggest to have a gamble on one of these, you might not have heard of the people performing but most of them will be taking the same show to Edinburgh and I am telling you there is no way you would get in there for six quid.
My show is on Tuesday night at the Unity Theatre which is a great space to play and all the staff are so supportive. When you write a new show it never seems to be as ready as you would like it to be. For me this year the process started in January. I thought I would do a straight stand up show as opposed to last years Happy Days show that required sound effects and props.
You start thinking, 'ah, no worries, it's six months away - I'll start breaking in my new ideas at gigs in the next few months' and then BAM! It's three days to go and the paranoia kicks in. Have I written enough? Is there enough material? Will I overrun? Is the set in the right order? Should I start with my mum and dad stuff or is it better to talk about buying carpets and grout first? Is it wise to open up with a story or is it best to be more punchy? Is this too long winded, should I stretch this out, will they get the point? Oh, and I’ve forgot: is it funny?
I suppose you my audience will be the ones to decide that!
Hope to see you there
‘The Life Of Riley’Unity Theatre Tue 3rd June 8.45pm
Happy Days Bren x
Thursday 29 May
Hi folks
Well the fest is now well and truly up to speed, and last night saw some great shows from big TV names Craig Hill, Nina Conti and a slimmed down Gina Yashere, who’s actually lost weight for the show (the show is called ‘Skinny Bitch’). I think I’ll write a show called ‘How I Made My First Million’ or ‘Memoirs Of A Sex God’, well you never know its worth a try. Sadly my show in reality should be called ‘I Reached 40 My Back Hurts And I’m Nearly Bald’ at least I achieved that without too much effort.
Last night the final of the Funny Business workshops was held at Prohibition, these are comedy courses run through the year by the Comedy Trust for adults. Sam Avery, Chris Cairns and my good self teach these workshops and they are great fun, trust me they are. We can take you from a nervous wreck who has never written a joke to an aspiring comedy talent in six weeks. Jake Mills came first, well done mate and a special mention goes out Lauren Owen who I had the pleasure to teach, she is a true comedy natural, well done ducky.
The first weekend of the fest is when momentum of word of mouth and the press from the Echo and Daily Post kicks in. It’s great to have the support of our local papers, I’m sure its why each year the festival gets bigger and bigger, ticket sales had already eclipsed last years total sales before the fest had even started.
Shows to look out for tonight Mundo Jazz performs his totally off its head show ‘For Whom The Bell Ends’ tonight at downstairs at the Royal Court, he played my gig in Formby at Crimbo and absolutely stormed it, trust me its worth every penny of the six quid admission price, in fact! I am that confident if you don’t like it I won’t give you your money back. How about that then? Paul Merton and his impro chums is selling very well but as far as I know there are tickets still left give the festival box office a call.
Keep getting out there and watching live comedy.
Happy days
Bren x
Wednesday 28 May
Oh my God it's here again! Every year the Comedy Fest seems to sneak up like a comedy ninja and smack you around the funny bone, and funny bones were well and truly smacked last night at the Best Of Liverpool show held at the Royal Court.
With so many acts on the bill we are all restricted to eight minutes, its always a struggle to keep to time. Usually I haven’t finished saying hello and shaking the hands at eight minutes so you have to get straight to your gags and leave the hellos to the MC.
Les Dennis hosted the show and did a great job, it’s so important as a compere to just do enough in between the acts to keep it ticking over. This is probably the only show in the country where mainstream and alternative acts mix on the same bill, and for me it’s always a pleasure. Watching the more experienced acts like Micky Finn is always an education, especially in comic timing, but what makes the show so much fun is the dynamic mix of styles. As soon as Peter Price had finished his act to rounds of applause Simon Bligh exploded onto the stage and you could feel the energy lift in the room, it was a great show.
A special mention must go out to 17yr old Tom Hawskett he was a student of the Stand Out workshops run by the Comedy Trust. Playing such a big gig is nerve racking for me and I’ve done stand up for eighteen years which is a bit scary as I’ve been performing longer that he has been alive! Oh God, I feel old now. Anyway, getting back to what I was going to say he handled himself and his nerves really well and I’m sure if he wants a future in comedy he has got what it takes.
Well, that’s enough from me for now - I’ve got to dive in the shower to get ready for tonight’s gig! Enjoy the fest and I'll speak to you tomorrow…
Bren x
