1. TV SNOWFLAKE/TORNADO

Snowflake is on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer at 10.30pm on Sunday 4th September, followed by Tornado on Sunday 11th September. Batten down the hatches.

2.BASIC LEE

The new stand-up show, BASIC LEE, started to come together in Edinburgh.
The London Autumn 2022 dates are on sale w national 2023. More dates to follow

LEICESTER SQUARE THEATRE

Tues – Sat from Sept 20th to Dec 17th 2022

(EXCEPT Oct 18th – 29th and Nov 11^th)
7pm (4pm performance Saturday 12^th November

TICKETS FOR LEICESTER SQUARE RUN, HERE.

After a decade of ground-breaking high concept shows involving overarched interlinked narratives, massive sets and enormous comedy props, Lee enters the post-pandemic era in streamlined solo stand-up mode. One man, one microphone, and one microphone in the wings in case the one on stage breaks. Pure. Simple. Classic. Basic Lee. “The world’s greatest living stand-up comedian.” The Times

The show will the tour until Spring 2024.
These are the currently confirmed dates. More will be added to the gigs page as they are confirmed.

January 2023

Monday 23rd January 2023 – Royal & Derngate, Northampton – TICKETS

Tuesday 24th January 2023 – St. David’s Hall, Cardiff – TICKETS

Wednesday 25th January 2023 – St. David’s Hall, Cardiff – TICKETS

Thursday 26th January 2023 – Symphony Hall, Birmingham – TICKETS

Friday 27th January 2023 – Symphony Hall, Birmingham – TICKETS

Monday 30th January 2023 – Playhouse, Oxford – TICKETS

Tuesday 31st January 2023 – Playhouse, Oxford – TICKETS

February 2023

Wednesday 1st February 2023 – Playhouse, Oxford – TICKETS

Thursday 2nd February 2023 – Playhouse, Oxford – TICKETS

Friday 3rd February 2023 – Playhouse, Oxford – TICKETS

Saturday 4th February 2023 – Playhouse, Oxford – TICKETS

Monday 6th February 2023 – Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham – TICKETS

Tuesday 7th February 2023 – Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham – TICKETS

Wednesday 8th February 2023 – Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham – TICKETS

Thursday 9th February 2023 – DeMontfort Hall, Leicester – TICKETS

Friday 10th February 2023 – DeMontfort Hall, Leicester – TICKETS

Saturday 11th February 2023 – Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool – TICKETS

Sunday 12th February 2023 – Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton – TICKETS

Wednesday 22nd February 2023 – Belgrade Theatre, Coventry – TICKETS

Thursday 23rd February 2023 – Belgrade Theatre, Coventry – TICKETS

Friday 24th February 2023 – Wycombe Swan, High Wycombe – TICKETS

Saturday 25th February 2023 – Palace Theatre, Southend On Sea – TICKETS

Sunday 26th February 2023 – Palace Theatre, Southend On Sea – TICKETS

March 2023

Wednesday 1st March 2023 – Northcott Theatre, Exeter – TICKETS

Thursday 2nd March 2023 – Northcott Theatre, Exeter – TICKETS

Friday 3rd March 2023 – Theatre Royal, Plymouth – TICKETS

Saturday 4th March 2023 – Theatre Royal, Plymouth – TICKETS

Wednesday 8th March 2023 – Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes – TICKETS

Thursday 9th March 2023 – Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes – TICKETS

Friday 24th March 2023 – Rose Theatre, Kingston – TICKETS

Saturday 25th March 2023 – Rose Theatre, Kingston – TICKETS

Monday 27th March 2023 – The Lowry, Salford Quays – TICKETS

Tuesday 28th March 2023 – The Lowry, Salford Quays – TICKETS

Wednesday 29th March 2023 – The Lowry, Salford Quays – TICKETS

Thursday 30th March 2023 – The Lowry, Salford Quays – TICKETS

Friday 31st March 2023 – The Lowry, Salford Quays – TICKETS

April 2023

Saturday 1st April 2023 – The Lowry, Salford Quays – TICKETS

Thursday 13th April 2023 – Theatre Royal, Newcastle Upon Tyne – TICKETS

Friday 14th April 2023 – Theatre Royal, Newcastle Upon Tyne – TICKETS

Saturday 15th April 2023 – Theatre Royal, Newcastle Upon Tyne – TICKETS

Tuesday 18th April 2023 – Forum Theatre, Malvern – TICKETS

Wednesday 19th April 2023 – Forum Theatre, Malvern – TICKETS

Thursday 20th April 2023 – Westlands, Yeovil – TICKETS

Wednesday 26th April 2023 – Brighton Dome, Brighton – TICKETS

Thursday 27th April 2023 – Brighton Dome, Brighton – TICKETS

Friday 28th April 2023 – Brighton Dome, Brighton – TICKETS

Saturday 29th April 2023 – Brighton Dome, Brighton – TICKETS

Sunday 30th April 2023 – Brighton Dome, Brighton – TICKETS

May 2023

Thursday 4th May 2023 – Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford – TICKETS

Friday 5th May 2023 – Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford – TICKETS

Saturday 6th May 2023 – Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford – TICKETS

Friday 26th May 2023 – Playhouse, Nottingham – TICKETS

Saturday 27th May 2023 – Playhouse, Nottingham – TICKETS

Saturday 27th May 2023 – Playhouse, Nottingham – TICKETS

Sunday 28th May 2023 – Playhouse, Nottingham – TICKETS

3. I ARROGANTLY RECOMMEND SOME 2022 HAPPENINGS/THINGS

THE FALLEN LEAVES Top punk-mod gentlemen entertainers. SEPT 10^TH London Camden Dublin Castle, 17^th Lewes Con Club

ALASDAIR ROBERTS Scottish troubadour SEPT 3^rd Cardiff Chapter.

ELIZA CARTHY English folk godhead back in active service NOV 28^TH Birmingham Glee, 30^th Cardiff Glee. DEC 5^th Cambridge Junction

EARL OKIN The mouth trumpeteer runs amok. SEPTEMBER 2022 11th – Charity Jazz/Cabaret Show, Norwich Playhouse, 42 – 58 St George’s Street, Norwich, Norfolk, NR3 1AB, Booking line: 01603.63000

HOUSE OF LOVE post-punk pre-Britpop avatars of dream pop return. SEPTEMBER 12^th Oxford 02, 13^th Bedford Esquires, 14^th B’ham 02, 16^th Liverpool 02, 17^th Glasgow Room 2, 18^th Huddersfield Parish, 19^th Nottingham Rescue, 21^st M’cr Academy 3, 22^nd Bristol Thekla, 23^rd Brighton Concorde 2, 25^th London Garage

DOUG STANHOPE How Stanhope’s acerbic libertarian schtick reads post-Brexit and Trump is anyone’s guess, but the desert-dwelling American is one of the great stand-ups. SEPTEMbER 14 Tyne Theatre Newcastle, 15^th Sheffield 02, 16^th M’cr Apollo, 17^th S’hampton Guildhall, 19^th London Forum, 21^st Cardiff St David’s, 22^nd B’ham 02, 23^rd Glasgow Academy, 24^th Leeds Academy

HARRY HILL Big collared loon, and one of thee great live comics, makes a rare excursion beyond his badger-filled bathroom.

SEPTEMBER
20^th-24^th London Wilton’s,
28^th Maidstone Hazlitt,
28^th-29^th Maidenhead Norden Farm,
30^th Norwich Playhouse,

OCTOBER 1st –Eastleigh The Point (Preview),
2nd – Oxford Playhouse (Preview),
3rd – Bristol Redgrave Theatre (Preview),
5th – Camberley Theatre (Preview),
6th – Guildford G Live,
7th – Bexhill De La Warr Pavilion,
8th – Dudley Town Hall,
9th – Edinburgh Festival Theatre,
10th – Aberdeen Tivoli,
12th – Dunfermline Alhambra,
13th – Glasgow Pavilion,
14th – Newcastle Tyne Theatre,
15th – Blackpool Grand Theatre,
16th – Nottingham Theatre Royal,
19th – Buxton Opera House,
20th – Leeds City Varieties,
21st – Leicester De Montfort Hall,
22nd – Tunbridge Wells Assembly Theatre, 23rd – Salford The Lowry,
26th – Wolverhampton Grand,
27th – Lincoln Engine Shed,
28th – Crewe Lyceum,
29th – Stockton Globe,
30th – Milton Keynes Theatre,

NOVEMBER
2nd – York Grand Opera House,
3rd – Wakefield Theatre Royal,
4th – Canterbury Marlowe,
5th – Ipswich Regent Theatre,
6th – Birmingham Alexandra,
9th – Port Talbot Princess Royal Theatre,
10th – Cardiff New Theatre,
11th – Torquay Princess,
12th – Portsmouth King’s Theatre,
13th – Eastbourne Devonshire Park Theatre,
15th – Cheltenham Everyman Theatre,
16th – Chatham Central Theatre,
17th – Cheltenham Everyman Theatre,
18th – Northampton Derngate,
19th – Southend Cliffs Pavilion,
20th – Surrey Richmond Theatre,
24th – Dorking Halls,
25th – Tunbridge Wells Assembly Theatre,
26th – Shepherd’s Bush O2 Empire,
27th – Brighton Theatre Royal,

JANUARY 2023
23rd – Liverpool Philharmonic,
24th – Guildford GLive,
25th – Bournemouth Pavilion,
27th – Cork Opera House,
28th – Belfast Waterfront,
29th – Dublin Vicar Street

BLUE ORCHIDS Half a dozen dates from M’cr’s bad acid post-punks.
SEPT 23^rd M’cr Night & Day, 24^th Middlesborough Westgarth, OCTOBER 8^th Stourbridge Claptrap, 20^th Exeter Cavern, 21^st Bristol Thunderbolt, 22^nd London Hope n Anchor, 23^rd Brighton Prince Albert

STARRY EYED AND LAUGHING Pub rock era Byrds fanatics reform for one show at The Betsey Trotwood in London at 2.30pm on Sept 24^th, w The Hanging Stars.

ACID MOTHERS’ TEMPLE Japanese acid all-fathers OCTOBER 9^th Birmingham Norton’s, 10^th York Crescent, 11^th Glasgow Hug & Pint, 12^th Newcastle Star and Shadow, 13^th Salford White Hotel, 16^th Preston Continental, 19^th Bristol Lanes, 20^th Brighton Komedia, 21^st London Studio 9294

DINOSAUR JR A post-hardcore Crazy Horse OCTOBER 10^th Dublin Vicar St, 11^th Glasgow QMU, 13^th Hull Asylum, 14^th M’cr 02 Ritz, 16^th London Forum

PAVEMENT Pension plan payouts for the Gen X Fall-copyists. OCTOBER 17^th Leeds Academy, 18^th Glasgow Barrowlands, 19^th Edinburgh Usher, 20^th M’cr Apollo, 22^nd – 25^th London Roundhouse

DREAM SYNDICATE Blue collar paisley underground psychedelic explorers in imperial career phase. OCTOBER 18^TH London Lafayette

YEAH YEAH NOH 2 dates from Leicester’s C86 era psychedelic satirists OCTOBER 26^th Leciester Y, 29^th London Oslo

THE DAMNED An authentic line-up celebrate their survival. OCTOBER 28^TH-29^TH London Apollo, NOVEMBER 3^rd M’cr Apollo, 4^th Glasgow Academy, 5^th Birmingham Academy

FOSSIL FOOLS Original and best XTC tribute band OCTOBER 29^th London Water Rats

WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM Black metal eco-terrorists from the Pacific Northwest NOVEMBER 5^th M’cr Damnation, 6^th London Heaven

THE NIGHTINGALES W TERRY EDWARDS Post-punk KING ROCKER types w top trumpet geezer NOVEMBER 12^TH London Dome, 13^th B’ham Castle & Falcon

THE BEVIS FROND One off from Hendrix fronts Hawkwind combo NOVEMBER 13^th London Lexington

COWBOY JUNKIES Somnambulant Americana shoegazers NOVEMBER 20^th Edinburgh Assembly, 27^th London RFH

STEREOLAB Krautrockin’ cocktail-drinkers hit the autobahns once more NOVEMBER 24^th Brighton Concord, 26^th Leeds Stylus, 27^th M’cr New Century Hall, 28^th Edinburgh Liquid Room, 29^th Glasgow TV Studio, DECEMBER 2^nd-3^rd London Earth

THE CHAMELEONS Most convincing line-up for years of the always emotionally edifying Big Music should-have-beens. DECEMBER 7^th Coventry HMV Empire, 8^th Liverpool Cavern, 9^th Leeds Brudenell, 10^th Stoke On Trent Sugarmill, 11^th Gloucester Guildhall, 12^th Oxford 02, 13^th B’ham 02, 14^th Cottingham Civic Hall, 16^th Huddersfield Parish, 17^th M’cr Academy, 18^th Blackpool Waterloo

4. ED FRIN ROUND-UP

Edinburgh was just what I needed, right here, right now, but the effects of surge pricing and AirBnB mean you’re already seeing an important strata of performers and punters priced out.

The Free Fringe meant that The Fringe saw off ferally avaricious promoters and agents this century, but who can save it from the market?
With the Tories’ assault against the arts continuing unabated we could do with a safe space like the fringe.
Anyway, I saw these 63 shows.

THEATRE

Lion (Assembly George St)
An Evening Without Kate Bush (Assembly Garden)
Afghanistan Is Not Funny (Gilded Balloon)
Police Cops (Assembly studio) *****
Medea – Liz Lochead (EIF Hub) *****
Famous Puppet Death Scenes (Roxy)
Eulogy (Summerhall) *
The Tragedy of Macbeth – Flabbergast Theate (Roxy)*****
The Road To Ballina (Gilded Balloon/Museum)
Church Of The Fall (Surgeon’s Hall)
Fata Morgana – Margherita Remotti (EICC)
Aberdeen – Cassie Workman (Tonic)
Eve – All About Her (Gilded Balloon)
This Is Memorial Device (Wee Red Bar) *****
Shannon Matthews The Musical (Just The Tonic)

The best theatre I saw was This Is Memorial Device. I loved David Keenan’s novel so much I was worried about seeing it but it was brilliantly adapted in a way that felt totally special, in that moment, in that place, on that night.

COMEDY

Jonny & The Baptists (Assembly Studio)
Fascinating Aida (Assembly George Sq)
Alastair Beckett-King (Pleasance) *****
Marvellus (Just The Tonic)
Paul Currie (Just The Tonic) *****
Tim Vine (Pleasance)
Eleanor Tiernan (Gilded Balloon)
Thom Tuck & Tim FitzHigham’s Macbeth (Underbelly)
Rosie Holt (Pleasance)
Jo Neary (Stand)
Omid Djalili (Freemason’s Hall)
Paul Currie again (Just The Tonic) *****
Eleanor Morton (Monkey Barrel)
Amy Gledhill (Monkey Barrel)
Mark Silcox (Monkey Barrel)
Kiri Pritchard-Maclean (Monkey Barrel)
Alfie Brown (Monkey Barrel)*****
Laura Davis (Monkey Barrel)
Dima Watermelon & Pavlo Voytovych (Counting House)
Moni Zhang (Three Sisters)
Lydia Hirst (Burrito ‘n’ Shake)
Paul Sinha (George St Theatre) *****
Janeane Garofalo (Gilded Balloon) *****
Seymour Mace (Stand)
War Of The Worlds On A Budget (Space)
Flat & The Curves (George St Theatre) *****
Spank – Bronwyn Sweeney & Flat & The Curves (Underbelly)
Abby Wamburgh & Bronwyn Sweeney (George St Theatre)
John Cooper Clarke/Fascinating Aida/Luke Wright/Ronnie Golden (Playhouse) *****
Celya AB (Pleasance)
Josie Long (George St Theatre) *****
Flat & The Curves (again) (George St Theatre) *****
Camile O’Sullivan/Fascinating Aida/Dave Johns/Rhys Nicholson/Lynn Fergusson (George Sq) *****

The best comedy I saw was Paul Currie, which felt like the right comedy for this moment in human history.
Honorable mention to Garofolo, who is onto something unique, mixing 50s/60s Lenny Bruce jazz stand-up with Gen X sarc, and she looks like she might yet be stand-up comedy’s Patti Smith.

F Scott Fitzgerald said there were ‘no second acts in American lives.’ Well, fuck him!
Alfie Brown seems to be simultaneously of the jazz age of stand-up as well as the woke future.
Josie and the Sinhaman inspired as usual. Flat & The Curves are my new favorite fun thing, and it was an honour to be on w veterans Fascinating Aida and John Cooper Clarke.
Alastair Becket King is clockwork comedy perfection.

MUSIC

Bucketboy (Royal Mile)
Herbie Hancock (Edinburgh Playhouse)
Bucketboy (again) (Royal Mile)
Captain’s Bar Session 15/8 (Captain’s Bar, Edinburgh)
Charlie Wild Trio (B-Bar, Edinburgh)
Martin Hayes & The Common Ground Ensemble (Leith Theatre)
Orange Claw Hammer (Bannermans)*****
Dean Owens & The Sinners (EICC)
Blueswater (Surgeon’s Hall) *****
Captain’s Bar Session 21/8 (Captain’s Bar, Edinburgh)
Blueswater (again) (Surgeon’s Hall) *****
Martin Kershaw/Colin Steele Quintet (Jazz Bar) *****
A U2 Covers band (Kitty O’Shea’s)

The best music I saw might have been Martin Kershaw and Colin Steele playing 50s bebop at the Jazz Bar, which I wasn’t expecting, but it made me hear that music as a living organism rather than a museum piece.
I will miss Blueswater’s magicals shows, which they are drawing to a close after a solid decade of blues-based Edutainment.

ART

Alan Davie (Dovecote Gallery) *****
A treasure trove of unseen Davie curated by a keen woman.

5.IN OUR COVID ERA LAMENTATIONS 2022

Sydney Poitier – woke actor (1927)
Magwa – woke Cambodian landmine hunting rat (2013)
Burke Shelley – bass Budgie (1950)
Ronnie Spector – woke Ronette (1943)
Rachel Nagy – Detroit Cobra (1975)
Robin Le Mesurier – Womble (1954)
Andy Ross – Disco Zombie/nice man of Britpop (1956)
Barry Cryer – King Of Comedy (1935)
Norma Waterson – Mighty Folk Matriarch (1939)
John Nolan – man Behind The Magnolia Curtain (1966)
Betty Davis – She Might Get Picked Up! (1944)
Ivan Reitman – He was not afraid of no ghost! (1946)
Mark Lanegan – Screaming Tree rehabilitee (1964)
Bruce Anderson – MX-80 man (1950)
Anna Karen – ‘70s public transport icon (1936)
Sam Lay – Howlin’ Wolf/Paul Butterfield/Dylan drums (1935)
Mikey Chung – Reggae session regular (1950)
Fred Van Hove – Belgian free-jazz stringbender (1937)
Ian McDonald – Crimson saxophonist King (1949)
Gary Brooker – Synesthesiac Hackney musician (1945)
Nicky Tesco – Suburban soundman/comedy fan (1956)
Dallas Good – Sadies guitar slinger (1974)
Philip Jeck – Art Noiseman (1952)
Margaret Curtis – Callanish visionary (1942)
Jordan – punk fashionista (1955)
David McKee – Then the shopkeeper appeared (1935)
Chris Bailey – Lordly protopunk, wit, raconteur (1957)
Gilbert Gottfried – That ‘Too Soon’ guy (1955)
Audrey Henshall – Scottish Neolithic expert (1927)
Eric Chappell – Rising Damp (1933)
Klaus Schultze – Tangerine Joker (1947)
Neal Adams – Woke progressive comics creator (1941)
Judy Henske – Greenwich psych-folkstress (1936)
George Perez – Best Avengers artist ever (1954)
Don Craine – deerstalking Downliner (1945)
Richard Polodor – acid rock engineer (1936)
Gavin Martin – music rag wit (1962)
Fred Ward – Worm Warrior (1942)
Vangelis – Apocalypso-Maestro (1943)
Bob Neuwirth – Gelb/Dylan adjacent beatnik (1939)
Cathal Coughlan – Microdisney Man (1960)
Rick Price – Move bassist (1944)
Ric Parnell – Tap/Rooster drummer & gardener
Alan White – Ono drums (1949)
Ray Liotta – has let himself go (1954)
Ronnie Hawkins – Canadian rock wellspring (1935)
Harrison Birtwistle – When Things Fall Over (1934)
Grachan Moncur – Jazz trombonius (1937)
Ray Hill – anti-Nazi mole (1939)
Paula Rego – pastel radical (1935)
Julee Cruise – Peak voice (1956)
Bruce Kent – God’s peacenik (1929)
Jean-Louis Trintignant – mute spaghetti hero (1930)
James Caan – Rollerballbearing and Elf-father (1940)
Barbara Thompson – saxophonist whose time I wasted (1944)
Chris Broderick – singing loin
George Kinney – Golden Dawn (1946)
Alan Grant – Bat-Scot (1949)
Bernard Cribbins – Who Hole (1928)
David Warner – Your ominous Montreal compatriot (1941)
Nichelle Nicholls – interracial kisser (1932)
Raymond Briggs – hilarious genius of the tragi-comic (1934)