“Ghastly, puritanical, po-faced, sanctimonious, finger-wagging, Woke-Witchfinder-in-Chief” Toby Young, Twitter

“Sphincter-poppingly angry, totally unamusing and uninsightful, and painfully, excruciatingly right-on. A bitter, politically correct member of the Remain-voting liberal elite. The type of comedy which is not designed to provoke laughter so much as solemn head-nodding and applause at the politically correct sentiment.” James Delingpole, Steve Bannon’s Breitbart News

“The center of British politics has become a smoldering pit. The country is now being governed by a hard-right government placed in power by its oldest citizens, in the face of the active hatred of its increasingly socialist-inclined youth. It’s fairly clear that for the Johnson team, Brexit was never anything but an electoral strategy, and that they don’t have the slightest idea how to translate it into economic prosperity. (It is an unacknowledged irony of the current situation that the people most likely to profit from the Brexit process are, precisely, lawyers—and, probably secondarily, accountants. For everyone else, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where they will improve their current situation, and quite easy to imagine Johnson being remembered as one of the most disastrous prime ministers in British history.)” – Dave Graeber, New York Review of Books, Jan 2020.

1) SNOWFLAKE/TORNAD0 – LIVE

David Johnson & John Mackay in association with Debi Allen/Curtis Brown present
STEWART LEE – SNOWFLAKE/TORNADO.

Double-bill of two new 60-ish minute sets, back to back nightly from “the world’s greatest living stand-up” (Times).

Tornado questions a shipwrecked Stew’s position in the comedy marketplace after Netflix mistakenly lists his show as “reports of sharks falling from the skies are on the rise again. Nobody on the Eastern Seaboard is safe.” What is anything? Is it this?
And Snowflake questions our worth in a collapsing society which no longer shares the liberal values we have for so long been keen to be seen to espouse, in a fairy-tale landscape of winter wonder.
Tons of fun!

The Leicester Square, London run finishes this week & is now Sold Out, but you might be able to get returns at the Leicester Square Theatre Box Office Here. There are extra London dates in June / July at the Royal Festival Hall – here.

SNOWFLAKE/TORNAD0 – UK TOUR

Currently confirmed / onsale national dates are as follows.

NOTE: This is not the complete list. More national dates are currently being added & confirmed & will be announced soon.

Not all dates are currently on sale.
As further dates are announced / go on sale, they will be listed on the Live Dates page of the website & via this newsletter as they come in.

JANUARY 2020

Tuesday 28th January 2020 – 7.30pm – Colosseum, Watford – TICKETS
Wednesday 29th January 2020 – 7.30pm – Playhouse, Nottingham TICKETS
Thursday 30th January 2020 – 7.30pm – Playhouse, Nottingham – TICKETS
Thursday 31st January 2019 – 7.30pm – Playhouse, Nottingham – TICKETS

February 2020

Saturday 1st February 2020 – 7.30pm – Playhouse, Nottingham – TICKETS
Tuesday 4th February 2020 – 7.30pm – Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool – TICKETS
Wednesday 5th February 2020 – 7.30pm – Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool – TICKETS
Thursday 6th February 2020 – 7.30pm – City Hall, Sheffield – TICKETS
Friday 7th February 2020 – 7.30pm – City Hall, Sheffield – TICKETS
Wednesday 12th February 2020 – 8pm DeMontfort Hall, Leicester – TICKETS
Thursday 13th February 2020 – 7.30pm – New Theatre Royal, Lincoln – TICKETS
Friday 14th February 2020 – 7.30pm – New Theatre, Peterborough – TICKETS
Saturday 15th February 2020 – 7.30pm – Opera House, Buxton – TICKETS
Tuesday 18th February 2020 – 7.30pm – The Dome, Brighton – TICKETS
Wednesday 19th February 2020 – 7.30pm – The Dome, Brighton – TICKETS
Thursday 20th February 2020 – 7.30pm – The Dome, Brighton – TICKETS
Friday 21st February 2020 – 7.30pm – The Dome, Brighton – TICKETS
Monday 24th February 2020 – 7.30pm – Playhouse, Oxford – TICKETS
Tuesday 25th February 2020 – 7.30pm – Playhouse, Oxford – TICKETS
Wednesday 26th February 2020 – 7.30pm – Playhouse, Oxford – TICKETS
Thursday 27th February 2020 – 7.30pm – Playhouse, Oxford – TICKETS
Friday 28th February 2020 – 7.30pm – Playhouse, Oxford – TICKETS
Saturday 29th February 2020 – 7.30pm – Playhouse, Oxford – TICKETS

March 2020

Tuesday 3rd March 2020 – 7.45pm – Festival Theatre, Malvern – TICKETS
Wednesday 4th March 2020 – 7.30pm – St. David’s Hall, Cardiff – TICKETS
Thursday 5th March 2020 – 8pm – Wycombe Swan, High Wycombe – TICKETS
Friday 6th March 2020 – 7.30pm – Royal & Derngate, Northampton TICKETS
Monday 9th March 2020 – 8pm – Cliffs Pavillion, Southend-On-Sea – TICKETS
Tuesday 10th March 2020 – 8pm – The Hexagon, Reading – TICKETS
Wednesday 11th March 2020 – 8pm – The Hexagon, Reading – TICKETS
Thursday 12th March 2020 – 7.30pm – Symphony Hall, Birmingham – TICKETS
Friday 13th March 2020 – 7.30pm – Symphony Hall, Birmingham – TICKETS
Monday 16th March 2020 – 7.30pm – Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury – TICKETS
Tuesday 17th March 2020 – 7.30pm – Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury – TICKETS
Wednesday 18th March 2020 – 8pm – De La Warr Pavillion , Bexhill On Sea – TICKETS
Thursday 19th March 2020 – 8pm – Corn Exchange, Cambridge – TICKETS
Friday 20th March 2020 – 8pm – Corn Exchange, Cambridge – TICKETS
Monday 23rd March 2020 – 7.30pm – Playhouse, Leeds – TICKETS
Tuesday 24th March 2020 – 7.30pm – Playhouse, Leeds – TICKETS
Wednesday 25th March 2020 – 7.30pm – Playhouse, Leeds – TICKETS
Thursday 26th March 2020 – 7.30pm – King’s Theatre, Glasgow – TICKETS
Friday 27th March 2020 – 7.30pm – Theatre Royal, Newcastle Upon Tyne – TICKETS
Saturday 28th March 2020 – 7.30pm – Theatre Royal, Newcastle Upon Tyne – TICKETS

April 2020

Friday 24th April 2020 – 7.30pm – Theatre Royal, York – TICKETS
Saturday 25th April 2020 – 7.30pm – Theatre Royal, York – TICKETS
Wednesday 29th April 2020 – 7.30pm – Lyric Theatre @ The Lowry, Salford Quays – TICKETS
Thursday 30th April 2020 – 7.30pm – Lyric Theatre @ The Lowry, Salford Quays – TICKETS

May 2020

Friday 1st May 2020 – 7.30pm – Lyric Theatre @ The Lowry, Salford Quays – TICKETS
Saturday 2nd May 2020 – 7.30pm – Lyric Theatre @ The Lowry, Salford Quays – TICKETS
Sunday 3rd May 2020 – 5pm – The Mach Arena, Machynlleth, Wales – TICKETS
Sunday 10th May 2020 – 7.30pm – Rose Theatre, Kingston – TICKETS
Thursday 14th May 2020 – 7.30pm – Westlands, Yeovil – TICKETS
Friday 15th May 2020 – 7.30pm – Northcott Theatre, Exeter – TICKETS
Saturday 16th May 2020 – 7.30pm – Theatre Royal, Plymouth – TICKETS
Sunday 17th May 2020 – 7.30pm – Theatre Royal, Plymouth – TICKETS
Monday 18th May 2020 – 8pm – Town Hall, Cheltenham – TICKETS
Sunday 31st May 2020 – 7.30pm – Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton – TICKETS

June 2020

Wednesdsay 10th June 2020 – 8pm – Lawrence Batley Theatre , Huddersfield – TICKETS
Thursday 11th June 2020 – Gala Theatre, Durham – ON SALE SOON
Friday 12th June 2020 – Theatre Royal, Wakefield – ON SALE SOON
Friday 19th June 2020 – Derby Theatre, Derby – ON SALE SOON
Saturday 20th June 2020 – 7.30pm – St. George’s Hall , Bradford – TICKETS
Sunday 21st June 2020 – 7.30pm – Storyhouse , Chester – TICKETS
Monday 22nd June 2020 – 8pm – Hippodrome , Bristol – TICKETS
Tuesday 23rd June 2020 – Playhouse, Salisbury – ON SALE SOON
Saturday 27th 2020 – 8pm – Royal Festival Hall, Southbank, London – TICKETS
Sunday 28th 2020 – 8pm – Royal Festival Hall, Southbank, London – TICKETS
Monday 29th June 2020 – Theatre Royal, Norwich – ON SALE SOON

July 2020

Wednesday 1st 2020 – 8pm – Royal Festival Hall, Southbank, London – TICKETS
Thursday 2nd 2020 – 8pm – Royal Festival Hall, Southbank, London – TICKETS
Friday 3rd 2020 – 8pm – Royal Festival Hall, Southbank, London – TICKETS
Friday 10th July 2020 – Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool – EXTRA DATE – ON SALE SOON
Monday 13th July 2020 – Theatre Royal, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne – EXTRA DATE – ON SALE SOON

2) CONTENT PROVIDER DVD

Content Provider is out on modern d/l, available now, and as a dvd with an extra disc of an early work-in-prog show,

Here is the Amazon d/l link. DOWNLOAD LINK

This is the link for physical media version via MEDIA GARAGE via AMAZON. MEDIA GARAGE is the only legit outlet for physical media and anyone else selling it isn’t me and I don’t get the money. DVD LINK

3) King Rocker Doc

Michael Cumming (Brass Eye), James Nicholls (Fire films) and I are looking for donations to complete the film below, which is about Birmingham post-punk survivors The Nightingales.
Everyone who donates, no matter how big or how small*, will be featured in the end credits.

*(I think this sentence, written by James from Fire, relates to the size of the donation, not the donor.)
https://www.kingrockerfilm.com/

There is now a podcast radio thing you can listen to of me and Michael talking about The Nightingales here. It is ace.

A ltd edition promo-print is also now available. CLICK HERE TO GET IT.

4) NEW BOOK – March Of The Lemmings

March of the Lemmings – Brexit in Print and Performance 2016-2019

Faber have published March of the Lemmings.
Drawing on three years of newspaper columns, a complete transcript of the ‘Content Provider’ stand-up show, and Lee’s caustic footnote commentary, March of the Lemmings is the scathing, riotous record the Brexit era deserves.”

5) LAURA CANNELL’S MODERN RITUAL

I am contributing some words to a new performance by mediaeval minimalist the mighty Laura Cannell, at London’s King’s Place on July 11th – https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/

6) MUSIC FROM SHOWS

PEOPLE KEEP ASKING ME AFTER GIGS; “WHAT IS THAT BIT OF MUSIC FROM ‘CONTENT PROVIDER’ OR ‘SNOWFLAKE/TORNADO’?“.
So, here goes…

CONTENT PROVIDER

PRE-SHOW Was mainly tracks from Bounce (2016) by The Beat, and Black Bombers (2016) by Black Bombers
WALK ON – Blueswater – Stew’s Blues.
INTERVAL
Yarasa Adam – Toz Hasat – DOWNLOAD CONTENT PROVIDER MUSIC HERE.
Kol Basti – Baris Manco (2023, 1975),
Turku – Erkin Koray (Elektronik Turkuler, 1974),
Mindtrain – Yoko One (Fly, 1971)
END OF SHOW – Fur Seelenbinder – Kosmicher Laufer (Secret Music Of The Easdt Germna Olympic Program 1972-83)

SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO

PRE-SHOW – Oh Yeah – Can (Tago Mago, 1971), Halleluhwah – Can (Tago Mago, 1971), Pinch – Can (Ege Bamyasi, 1972), If I’m In Luck I Might Get Picked Up – Betty Davis (Betty Davis, 1973)
TORNADO WALK ON – Blueswater – Stew’s Blues. – DOWNLOAD CONTENT PROVIDER MUSIC HERE.
INTERVAL – Auto Chip 2014 – 2016 – The Fall (Sub Lingual Tablet, 2014), Auto (2024) Chip Replace Live – The Fall (Live Uurop VIII- XII, 2014), Fibre Book Troll – The Fall (Sub Lingual Tablet, 2014)
SNOWFLAKE WALK ON – Home – Fixed Horizon (Nothing Beyond, 2019)
WALK-OUT – Stiff Little Fingers – My Dark Places (No Going Back, 2014), Dave Graney – Ultrakeef (Zippa DeeDoo, 2019)

7) I ARROGANTLY RECOMMEND THE FOLLOWING;

1 – Sunday 26th January 2020 – G0-FASTER STRIPE DVD RECORD DAY, BILL MURRAY PUB, ISLINGTON, LONDON.

This is a pretty Amazing Day where GFS is filming four great people so see them all.
I saw Bethany and Pat when they were starting out and they were both great, Munnery is of course an absolute legend of Alt Com, and Paul is totally taking all that is best about the tradition forwards.

Chris Evans of GFS says; “Filming Day at the Bill Murray – 26th Jan 2020 It’s nearly time for the 2nd Go Faster Stripe day of filming at the Bill Murray! It’s being held at Bill Murray in Islington on the 26th Jan 2020.
Tickets cost just £5 per show, or you can pay what you want on the door.
If you come to all of the shows you can claim any DVD or download you like from the GFS website.
If you just come to two or more you also get yourself a sticker that says I went to both. (this was a twitter joke that got taken too literally.)” – MORE INFO DIRECT FROM GO FASTER STRIPE HERE.

THE SHOWS

TICKETS

TICKETS

TICKETS

TICKETS

Sunday 26th January 2020

3.00pm – 4.30pm Bethany Black: Unwinnable

Bethany Black returns and this time it’s personal. Okay, it’s always personal but this time even more so. In 2018, Bethany was diagnosed with autism and agoraphobia. Her new show Unwinnable is about accepting the outcome of what she always knew deep down. CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

5.30pm – 6.30pm Simon Munnery: The Wreath

‘I went to a funeral the other day. Caught the wreath…’ That’s what came to me, from the mysterious source of the inexplicable. Hear the story of the joke, the painting and what happened next.

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

7.30pm – 8.30pm Pat Cahill: Uncle Len Needs a New Part for His Hoover

Old new act, Pat Cahill, brings another hour of his confused neo-music hall stupidity to the Fringe. Expect earworms, knee ants and eye mice as he gently impresses you in the afternoon with a bit of singing, a bit of stand-up and a bit of dancing. It will all mean something, but you’ll have to work that out.

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

9.30pm – 10.30pm Paul Currie: Trufficle Musk

Genders and non-genders, come plunge your human meat gloves into this zeitgeist pavlova as you gently take each other delicately by the frontal cortex and we all ascend into the sparkling mind-satchel of comedian and immersive stand-up artist Paul Victor Currie.

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

2 – JULIAN COPE 2020 TOUR. The British psychedelic-pop-krautrock-auteur back on the road

JULIAN COPE WINTER 2020 TOUR DATES

Fri 31st Jan – Margate, Dreamland – Tickets
Sat 1st Feb – Southampton, Engine Rooms – Tickets
Sun 2nd Feb – Reading, Sub 89 – Tickets
Fri 14th Feb – Newcastle, Riverside – Tickets
Sat 15th Feb – Edinburgh, Liquid Room – Tickets
Sun 16th Feb – Glasgow, Saint Luke’s – Tickets
Sat 29th Feb – Sheffield, The Leadmill – Tickets
Sun 1st Mar – Birmingham, The Mill – Tickets
Sat 7th Mar – The Waterfront, Norwich – Tickets
Sun 8th Mar – Nottingham, Glee Club – Tickets

3 – DAMO SUZUKI; Former CAN front man and Japanese Jehova’s witness genius continues his endless tour

February 12: Coventry, The Tin Music and Arts – Tickets
February 13: Manchester, Yes – Tickets
February 14: Bristol, Rough Trade – Tickets
February 15: Lewes, Con Club – Tickets
February 16: London, Lexington – Tickets
February 29: London, Old Bath – Tickets