1) SAVE THE CELLAR BY NOVEMBER 27TH PLEASE

OXFORD was a weirdly difficult town for me to find venues to play in in the 00’s as I got more popular, as the main venues there were owned by big chains with strange surcharges and policies, although now I am happy doing long runs at the Playhouse.

Paddy Luscombe and the Cellar crew promoted me at The Cellar, and also at a now closed cinema up the Cowley Road, and The Cellar has been an important venue for Oxford music and comedy since I was there in the ’80s.

Obviously it is threatened by all the usual factors, on this occasion new fire regulations meaning there are construction costs, that kill live art in our cities, and it needs help.
I am going to do something concrete next year at the venue all being well.
In the meantime… The venue must reach its &pound80,000 goal by Tuesday 27th November.

There are loads of great rewards, including the chance to win Radiohead’s snare drum and loads of random Stewart Lee free stuff straight from my own cellar, so please donate here.
This actually looks achievable which is great.

DONATE HERE

2) BENEFITS

Dec 4th Comedians Sing Christmas, Bloomsbury Theatre, London.

Harry Hill spearheads a musical fundraiser featuring comedy’s biggest names.
The full-line of Comedians Sing the Christmas Hits! is:
John Bishop,
Jo Brand,
Alex Brooker,
Rob Brydon,
Alan Carr,
Jimmy Carr,
Roisin Conaty,
Nina Conti,
Tom Davis,
Jack Dee,
Nick Helm,
Harry Hill,
Stewart Lee,
Sean Lock,
Matt Lucas,
Joe Lycett,
Jason Manford,
Al Murray,
Sara Pascoe,
Vic Reeves,
Liza Tarbuck,
Paul Whitehouse and
Josh Widdicombe.

The gig takes place at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London on December 4 and will be raising money for Action Duchenne. The charity helps those with Duchenne muscular dystrophy,a rare and complex genetic muscle wasting condition.
Many of those with Duchenne lose the ability to walk in early adolescence and typically live into their late twenties. Hill, who is patron of Action Duchenne, said: “I’m thrilled at the response of my comedy friends. Inside every great comic is a singer waiting to burst out A great cause deserves a great show. Earplugs advised!”.
Hill became involved in the charity when the son of the graphic designer who worked on all of his TV shows, including TV Burp, was diagnosed with the condition.

TICKETS

Dec 9th, Stand-Up For Refugees, Playhouse, London
Benefit aiming to raise vital funds for refugees.
The Choose Laughs Festive Special in aid of Help Refugees takes place on December 9 at the Playhouse Theatre in London.
Help Refugees is a group of everyday people, taking joint action to improve the lives of refugees. In less than three years, they have become the biggest facilitator of grassroots aid on the continent, with more than 80 projects across Europe and the Middle East.
Boosted by the support of high-profile musicians, filmmakers, comedians and actors who joined have joined the Choose Love campaign, they believe that together with their ever-growing network of volunteers, fundraisers, and supporters they have pioneered a new movement in humanitarian response. Acting quickly and flexibly, their structure enables ordinary people to help those in need in the most direct of ways. Josie Naughton, Help Refugees CEO says: “We are absolutely overwhelmed by the support of all the brilliant comedians coming together to help raise funds for refugees this winter.

Freezing temperatures are just around the corner and people need warm clothes, blankets and nutritious food to stay healthy and safe. This night is all about laughter and love, bringing people together to have a great time while doing something practical to help”. This will be a BSL Interpreted Performance.
The full bill is:
Simon Amstell (Nickelodeon),
Angela Barnes (Mock The Week),
Sofie Hagen (Roast Battle),
Nish Kumar (Durham Review)
Stewart Lee (Multiple BAFTA, Olivier, British Comedy Award and Chortle award winner),
Rose Matafeo (New Zealand), &
Mawaan Rizwan (The Big Asian Stand Up).

Choose Laughs Festive Special, Sunday December 9th 2018, 7.30pm Playhouse Theatre, Northumberland Ave, London WC2N 5DE Tickets on sale price &pound12.50 here.
0844 871 7615
Charity Website: HelpRefugees.org
Twitter: @ChooseLaughs

TICKETS

BELTER FOR THE SHELTER, 19th Feb 2019
BELTER FOR THE SHELTER, Hackney Empire, London, 19th Feb 2019, 7.30.
Join us for a spectacular evening of comedy in aid of Hackney Winter Night Shelter.
Going into its 5th year with an incredible line up at the Hackney Empire to help raise money for the Shelter’s vital work with local homeless people.
All money raised on the evening goes towards keeping people off the streets of Hackney, providing them with a hot meal and warm bed throughout winter.
Providing the gags for the evening will be;
Bridget Christie (News Review),
Kevin Eldon (TIE),
Sofie Hagen (Scandinavia),
Harry Hill (Tooting Medics’ Review),
Athena Kugblenu (Nish Kumar’s Edinburgh Nights),
Nish Kumar (Nish Kumar’s Edinburgh Nights),
Rosie Jones (Nish Kumar’s Edinburgh Nights),
Robert Newman (Steve Wright’s Radio 1 Posse) and
Stewart Lee (Richard Herring’s Fist of Fun)
(compere to be announced).

£10-£20.

TICKETS

3) CAPRI-BATTERIE W STEWART LEE, BRISTOL FASHION out on vinyl

CAPRI-BATTERIE. A trio comprised of Kordian Tetkov on drums, Tim Sayer on trumpet and electronics and Matthew Lord on Bass and Saxophone.
With an unrestricted approach to improvisation that embraces the philosophy of ‘freedom’, as an affront to oppression in all its modern day manifestations, this is music making unafraid of ideology and charged with abstraction.
The intensity levels achieved by Capri-Batterie are uncharacteristic for a small ensemble and the belligerent and anarchic fervour with which they coalesce the aesthetics of industrial rock, free jazz and noise art render their performances a highly energetic and intense undertaking.

YOU CAN GET IT HERE

4) Bridget Christie

My wife continues to be the most critically acclaimed British stand-up of the 21st century, while I am in painful and obvious decline.

December 2018
Monday 3rd – WHAT NOW? – Playhouse, NORWICH – 8pm – 01603 598598 – TICKETS

Saturday 8th – WHAT NOW? – Minerva (Festival) Theatre, Chichester – 8pm – 01243 781312 – TICKETS

5) TREES 21st DEC CAFE OTO LONDON

I am one of a number of singing guests at this.
THE ON THE SHORE BAND PLAYS THE MUSIC OF TREES £18 £15 ADVANCE £13 MEMBERS

The On The Shore Band plays the music of Trees featuring Bias Boshell & David Costa (Trees) with guest appearances from Stuart Estell, Stewart Lee & more.
‘If you are about to listen to On The Shore for the first time, then you are to be envied. In an era of mass communication and commercial misappropriation, there are few genuinely lost treasures to be discovered.‘ – Stewart Lee .

Signed to CBS in 1969, Trees put down two albums within one year, The Garden Of Jane Delawney and On The Shore. Shortly after the release of the second album, and after two years of intensive live work, the original members had begun to go their separate ways, and their brief appearance and small body of work was left to posterity.
Since then their music – described variously as acid-folk, psychedelic, gothic, arcadian, ‘a perfect mixture of west coast acid rock with dark lilting English folk, timeless and beautiful’ – has continued to achieve mythical status and the acclaim of a growing band of devotees, mostly not even born at the time Trees disbanded.

The On The Shore Band is a collective of like-minded musicians from a variety of bands (Friendly Fires/Pattern Forms, Corinthians, more) and genres (psych, pop, drone), working alongside two of the original members of Trees to produce a contemporary and inventive soundscape, exploring a selection of tracks from the two albums.
There’s no intent of facsimile or reproduction – simply one of inspiration drawn from the originals, and of the sheer enjoyment of the music of Trees.
ontheshore.uk

TICKETS

6) Late Junction/s ON RADIO 3

Stewart Lee becomes a Radio 3 presenter sharing his eclectic musical tastes. Stewart Lee is to host a series of eclectic musical programmes on Radio 3 this Christmas.
The comedian takes over as guest editor of the Late Junction for three nights, being joined by Tim Key for one of them.
Radio 3 says: ‘From his time spent in record shops as a teenager, to more recent work moonlighting as a music critic, comedian Stewart Lee has had a long-time fascination with music. Over the years he has built up a deep collection, with improvised works, post-punk and folk traditions all well-represented.’
On Christmas Day he will be joined by folk musician Richard Dawson; on Boxing Day by fellow comic and fellow leftfield music fan Tim Key, who has a special love of Soviet-era Russian tracks; and on December 27 he presents a mixtape from recorder player and violinist Laura Cannell.

The shows go out at 11pm nightly.

7) Meanwhile, I Arrogantly Recommend

1) Dan Stuart. Former Green On Red frontman, hard-bitten novelist, and compelling solo performer in soul-bearing country-blues mode. Dec 2nd – Brighton Prince Albert.
I have written the intro for his new novel. With Sid Griffin, alt country pioneer and Gram Parsons biographer of Long Ryders/Coal Porters fame.

2) Mudhoney. Trump-hating grunge pioneers. Dec 1st – Glasgow St Luke’s.

3) Shopping. Angular afro-pop inflected post punks. Dec 1st – Hackney Arts centre.

4) The Heads. Bristol’s undisputed overlords of intestine-churning heavy-psyche. Nov 30th – M’cr Deaf Institute, Dec 1st – London 100 Club.

5) Bevis Frond. Lone local album launch show from overlooked national treasure Nick Saloman in his contradictory sensitive-songwriter/crazed guitar wrangler combo. Dec 8th – Hastings Blackmarket.