1. BASIC LEE on DVD – DELUXE LIMITED EDITION

2/3^rds of the copies of this limited edition have already sold out!!!!

Order Here; https://shop.weirdwalk.co.uk/products/stewart-lee-basic-lee-live-at-the-lowry

RELEASED 4^th September 2016

Stewart Lee’s acclaimed post-pandemic stripped-back show BASIC LEE gets its first DVD release in a limited-edition format devised in collaboration with the cult folkloric rambling zine WEIRD WALK.

This two-disc limited edition brings together the complete filmed live performance (recorded at The Lowry in Salford) with a newly written 20-page essay and liner notes by Stewart Lee. The second disc, Basic Leads, is an 80-minute audio archive of work-in-progress, abandoned routines, early versions of key sections, political material lost to time and one-off exchanges that existed only in the room.

The deluxe double-disc edition, complete with 80 minutes of never-before-published audio extras, is the inaugural release of The Comedian Collection, a 13-release archival publishing series of deluxe double-disc hardback book-style packages, forming a complete library of Stewart’s live shows and Comedy Vehicle Television Series, plus work-in-progress material. Designed and art-directed by WEIRD WALK, The Comedian Collection will be an exclusive, cohesive assemblage of the finished shows, the hidden workings, and the material left behind: archived.

“The funniest man still drawing breath” The Monocle

“This is peak Stewart Lee, so if you like him, you’ll love this.” Chortle

“The world’s greatest living stand-up comedian” The Times

“The world’s second best living stand-up comedian after Bo Burnham” Daily Telegraph

“Arguably the greatest ever stand-up comedian” Daily Star

“The opposite of what really good comedy should be” Toby Young, Radio 4

BASIC LEE Live at the Lowry was originally recorded for Sky by Drum and Awkward Films and is a Sky Original.

I will be doing instore signings of the DVD, also available at shows, at the following times and places;

Tuesday 13 October: Rough Trade Nottingham – 4-6pm
https://link.dice.fm/Y533ff44b074

Sunday 18 October: HMV Birmingham – 2-4pm
https://hmv.com/Live/Stewart-Lee

Saturday 21 November: Resident, Brighton – 2pm
https://link.dice.fm/eca897bf2c1b

Sunday 6 December: Rough Trade West, London – 1-2:30pm
https://link.dice.fm/M9a52cbd2c70 SANTA SPECIAL!!!

Saturday 19 December: Rough Trade Bristol – 2-3:30pm
https://link.dice.fm/Y878430f191e SANTA SPECIAL!!!

2. DVD BLOW OUT £10

Some people complain that I am releasing things on DVD.
Some people complain that the things they used to watch of mine on streaming services have disappeared.

Weird Walk / Rustic Sorcery are taking over my back catalogue, as their parent company Fire Records have with The Lemonheads, Bardo Pond, Giant Sand and other cult legends who find themselves residing in the ante-chamber to death.
The idea is that 13 dvds with luxury extras will be available in book style packaging when I am 60 in 2028.
We are selling the last remaining copies of the old style DVDs here at £10 each.

https://rusticsorcery.com/collections/stewart-lee

3. THINGS PEOPLE GAVE ME

People have been very kindly giving me things on this tour – a superbly apposite Don Patterson book with an accompanying name I couldn’t read so could not thank, a spare Art Ensemble Of Chicago album, some Steve Lacy, 3 Australian grunge classics – and it is always so faffy in the queue at the end I can never thank people properly.
I am very grateful for these undeserved things.
That is all. I just wanted to say that. Especially for the Don Patterson.

4. PEA GREEN BOAT AND BOOK TOUR

I have a book out, illustrated by David Waywell, of my old live show Pea Green Boat in September.
The first batch of live book events are on sale now.

FROM AWARD-WINNING COMEDIAN AND BESTSELLING AUTHOR STEWART LEE

Pea Green Boat
STEWART LEE

EBURY SPOTLIGHT | 3RD SEPTEMBER 2026 | £16.99 | ISBN: 9781529988604 | HARDBACK

Stewart Lee to release a brilliantly dark comedic retelling of Edward Lear’s The Owl and the Pussycat – alongside a UK book tour.

“I am having problems relating to my crew member, having never been a great fan of cats, nor they of birds. Why have we been press ganged into service together? What can they hope to achieve by sending this absurd duo out to sea? I am an owl. The Cat is a cat…”

In Pea Green Boat, Stewart Lee and David Waywell create a dark, grotesque retelling of The Owl and the Pussycat in which Edward Lear’s characters are revealed to be catastrophically poorly-equipped for maritime travel. Told through the increasingly deranged diary of the Owl, the real story is unmasked – he cannot open the honey jar due to his lack of opposable thumbs, he is terrified the cat will eat him in his sleep, and he struggles to play the guitar despite having no fingers. As hunger, exhaustion and poor navigation take their toll, it becomes clear that these two creatures should never have been put in a boat together.
Inspired by Stewart Lee’s cult 2001 stage piece, Pea Green Boat blends Lee’s fascination with Edward Lear with his own comedy. Now, with David’s gothic-comic illustrations, the story is brought vividly, hilariously and unsettlingly to life.

About the author:
Stewart Lee began performing stand-up in 1988 and won the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year in 1990. He co-wrote the libretto for Jerry Springer: The Opera, which won four Olivier Awards, and is known for his BAFTA-winning BBC series Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle. His major live shows include Carpet Remnant World, Much A Stew About Nothing, Snowflake/Tornado, Basic Lee and Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf.
He is also the bestselling author of How I Escaped My Certain Fate, Content Provider, and March of the Lemmings.

David Waywell (Illustrator)
David Waywell is a writer and illustrator based in the North West. He holds a PhD in Romantic Literature from the University of Liverpool and is the author of The Secret Lives of Monks and Second-Class Male (written as Stan Madeley)

5. Stewart Lee PLUS MUSICIANS PERFORM PEA GREEN BOAT

Stewart Lee performs his darkly comic tale based on Edward Lear’s ‘The Owl & The Pussy- cat’ with live improvised musical accompaniment. These live shows mark the publication of PEA GREEN BOAT by Stewart Lee and illustrated by David Waywell, and, at Leicester Square Theatre, every ticket includes a hardback copy (RRP £16.99 Ebury) to be collected at the performance. Copies will be available to buy at other venues. Suitable for age 16+.

‘It’s the Edward Lear / Stewart Lee Mash-Up that I’ve been waiting for!’ Harry Hill

Sun 11 Oct 2026, 3.30pm Coventry Belgrade Theatre With Coventry’s experimental dream pop prodigy Stone Anthem TICKETS
Thurs 22nd Oct 2026, Wilton’s Music Hall London. With Charlotte Keeffe (Trumpet & Flugelhorn ~ Charlotte Keeffe’s RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW, Sound Brush, London Jazz Composers Orchestra), Thurston Moore (Guitar – Thurston Moore Band, Sonic Youth), and Mark Wastell (Drums – Derek Bailey’s Company, David Sylvian, Maggie Nicols). TICKETS

Monday 26 October, Glass House, Newcastle. With Mariam Rezaei in a double bill with John Cage’s Indeterminacy featuring Stew, Steve Beresford and Tania Chen. TICKETS
Tue 1 Dec 2026, 7pm – London Leicester Square Theatre
Wed 2 Dec 2026, 7pm – London Leicester Square Theatre
Thur 3rd Dec 2026, 7pm – London Leicester Square Theatre
With Nick Pynn and Jane Watkins all nights

More info at www.stewartlee.co.uk/pgb. Further dates and accompanying musicians to be announced.

6. SAVE THE ULTIMATE PICTURE PALACE

COMEDIAN STEWART LEE TO PERFORM AT FUNDRAISER TO SAVE OXFORD CINEMA. Acclaimed British comedian Stewart Lee is coming to Oxford’s Ultimate Picture Palace in November to support a campaign to save the cinema. So far, nearly 24,000 people have signed a petition calling for the cinema’s landlord Oriel College to extend their lease so the UPP can stay where it belongs, in the place which was built for it in 1911. The Ultimate Picture Palace on Jeune Street in East Oxford will host three late night events in which Lee will perform his intimate Pea Green Boat show.

All profits from the three events will be donated to the campaign fund. Stewart will introduce and perform the poem with invited musicians, who will improvise live musical accompaniment throughout. Tickets for the events on Monday 9th, Tuesday 10th, and Wednesday 11th November have just gone on sale: uppcinema.com/show/stewart-lee-pea-green-boat
Stewart Lee said: “I learned about film at the UPP in the 80s. I’m looking forward to coming back with Pea Green Boat and reliving some memories. It’s a brilliant cinema – it’s hard to understand why Oriel wouldn’t see the UPP as a jewel in its crown.”

Cinema Director Micaela Tuckwell said: “It’s fantastic to have Stewart’s support for the cinema. His events are a great example of the diverse programme we run here, and of what we stand to lose if we don’t get a long term commitment from Oriel to our future on Jeune Street.” Pea Green Boat comes at the end of a series of events demonstrating the incredible versatility of the UPP team and the building which houses the cinema. Five worthy winners of this summer’s My UPP competition will stage two hour events at the cinema – including an immersive Deep Space session led by Astrophysicist and broadcaster Professor Chris Lintott, and an evening of sets by female DJs.

Pea Green Boat will be performed at the Ultimate Picture Palace on Monday 9th, Tuesday 10th, and Wednesday 11th November 2026.

Doors open at 10.30pm with the performance beginning at 11pm. The performance lasts 25 minutes and will be followed by an audience Q&A and a book signing. Tickets cost £20 each (£18 for Ultimate Picture Palace annual membership holders).

The Ultimate Picture Palace The Ultimate Picture Palace (UPP) is a community-owned, independent cinema just off East Oxford’s Cowley Road. The single-screen cinema shows an eclectic mix of independent, mainstream, foreign language, and classic films. The beautiful historic art deco building dates from 1911 and is one of the oldest purpose-built cinemas in the UK. The cinema is run by a small team of staff and volunteers. In 2022, the UPP became a community-owned business after a successful campaign in which over 1,200 local investors bought shares in The Ultimate Picture Palace Community Cinema.

7. STREAM KING ROCKER NOW

King Rocker, the film by Stewart Lee and director Michael Cumming about Robert Lloyd and The Nightingales, is now available to watch across a range of platforms, including YouTube (for a limited time only), Prime Video and Apple TV.

Find all the available viewing options here:

https://filmhub.com/t/xwpg-8h3j/king-rocker

8. TWO EXPANDED SCREENINGS OF KING ROCKER IN WELLINGTON AND BIRMINGHAM

KING ROCKER – EXPANDED

Director’s Cut / Live Intro / Q&A with Stewart Lee, Robert Lloyd & Michael Cumming

Comedian Stewart Lee and director Michael Cumming, investigate a missing piece of punk history: Robert Lloyd, best known for fronting cult Birmingham bands The Prefects and The Nightingales, has survived under the radar for over four decades. This rarely seen Director’s Cut – expanded by 30 mins – is introduced by Stewart Lee and features a live Q&A with Robert Lloyd, Stewart Lee and Director Michael Cumming (Brass Eye, Toast Of London). The anti-rockumentary King Rocker weaves the story of Birmingham’s undervalued underdog autodidact into that of the city’s forgotten public sculpture of King Kong, eschewing the celebrity interview and archive-raid approach for a free-associating bricolage of Indian food, bewildered chefs, vegetable gardening, prescription medicines, pop stardom and pop art.

19/10/26 WELLINGTON – ORBIT

The screening of King Rocker in Wellington is a special event for both Robert Lloyd from the Nightingales and comedian Stewart Lee. Robert has made his home in the town, which features heavily in the film, since reforming the Nightingales two decades ago, and he has become a mysterious local figure.
Stewart was born here in 1968, at the former Myford House Mother and Baby Home, and lived here for ten days, before being abandoned into the care system far from Wellington.
It was only making King Rocker, and meeting Robert in Wellington, that caused him to return to his birthplace.

20/10/26 BIRMINGHAM – MAC

TICKET LINK: https://macbirmingham.co.uk/cinema/king-rocker-expanded-q-a

“King Rocker finds beauty, heroism and even a whiff of transcendence in the most unlikely places. I loved it…Rapidly shaping up as one of my all-time favourite rock-docks” – Mark Kermode.
“Ferociously Entertaining” MOJO. Voted #2 film of the year
“A charming and experimental documentary” The Observer
“Lee tells Lloyd’s story with skill, passion and verve” The Times

9. STEWART LEE VS THE MAN-WULF

John Mackay & Sally Homer, in association with Debi Allen/Curtis Brown present
STEWART LEE vs THE MAN-WULF BRAND NEW SHOW

UK TOURING THROUGHOUT 2026

The tragedy of this show is that world events are advancing towards its core conceit at such a speed that it is sharpened daily, even as we as a civilisation head into HELL. But here’s the original blurb…

Lee shares his stage with a tough-talking werewolf comedian who hates humanity. The Man-Wulf lays down a ferocious comedy challenge to the culturally irrelevant and physically enfeebled Lee. Can the beast inside us all be silenced with the silver bullet of Lee’s unprecedentedly critically acclaimed style of stand-up.

The show will tour the UK throughout 2026.

I AM VERY PLEASED WITH HOW THIS SHOW IS SHAPING UP – PRESS IS COLLECTING HERE.

AND FINALLY THE LAST EVER CHANCE TO SEE THE WEREWOLF COMEDIAN. LEICESTER SQUARE THEATRE. 4TH – 19TH DEC.
https://www.leicestersquaretheatre.com/show/stewart-lee-vs-the-man-wulf/

October 2026

Thursday 1st October 2026 – The Spa Centre, Scarborough – TICKETS
Friday 2nd October 2026 – Alhambra Theatre, Bradford – TICKETS
Saturday 3rd October 2026 – Alhambra Theatre, Bradford – TICKETS
Tuesday 6th October 2026 – Festival Theatre, Malvern – TICKETS
Wednesday 7th October 2026 – Festival Theatre, Malvern – TICKETS
Thursday 8th October 2026 – Belgrade Theatre, Coventry – TICKETS
Friday 9th October 2026 – Belgrade Theatre, Coventry – TICKETS
Saturday 10th October 2026 – Belgrade Theatre, Coventry – TICKETS
Monday 12th October 2026 – Playhouse, Nottingham – TICKETS
Tuesday 13th October 2026 – Playhouse, Nottingham – TICKETS
Saturday 17th October 2026 – Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury – TICKETS
Sunday 18th October 2026 – Hippodrome, Birmingham – TICKETS
Friday 23rd October 2026 – New Theatre, Peterborough – TICKETS
Saturday 24th October 2026 – Tyne Theatre & Opera House, Newcastle Upon Tyne – TICKETS
Sunday 25th October 2026 – Tyne Theatre & Opera House, Newcastle Upon Tyne – TICKETS
Friday 30th October 2026 – Pavilion Theatre, Worthing – TICKETS
Saturday 31st October 2026 – Lighthouse, Poole – TICKETS

November 2026

Sunday 1st November 2026 – Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne – TICKETS
Thursday 5th November 2026 – City Hall, Salisbury – TICKETS
Friday 6th November 2026 – The Anvil, Basingstoke – TICKETS
Saturday 7th November 2026 – New Wimbledon Theatre, Wimbledon – TICKETS
Monday 9th November 2026 – Playhouse, Oxford – TICKETS
Tuesday 10th November 2026 – Playhouse, Oxford – TICKETS
Wednesday 11th November 2026 – Playhouse, Oxford – TICKETS
Thursday 12th November 2026 – Chelmsford Theatre, Chelmsford – TICKETS
Friday 13th November 2026 – Chelmsford Theatre, Chelmsford – TICKETS

December 2026

Friday 4th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS
Saturday 5th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS
Saturday 5th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS
Tuesday 8th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS
Wednesday 9th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS
Thursday 10th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS
Friday 11th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS
Saturday 12th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS
Saturday 12th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS
Monday 14th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS
Tuesday 15th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS
Wednesday 16th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS
Thursday 17th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS
Friday 18th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS

10. SAMHAIN RITUAL, EARTH, LONDON 29^TH OCT

I am hosting, and maybe doing a collaborative turn, in Fire Records annual Halloween-tide acid-folk fest. Line up TBA £29.95. But it’s always a blast!
https://dice.fm/event/nv5ml5-weird-walk-presents-samhain-ritual-2026-29th-oct-earth-london-tickets

11. LEGS ‘LEGS’ MCNEIL SUN 15^th Nov, The Lexington, London 6.30pm

I interview American punk author Legs McNeil about his new book.
TICKETS

12. COMPANY FOR DEREK BAILEY 2026, CAFÉ OTO, LONDON 13TH/14TH DEC

All I will say is if you don’t think this kind of music is for you, or can’t find a way into it, last year’s event was the most fun I have ever had in the free-improvised environment, and so joyous, celebratory and inclusive. Here’s the official blurb…

LASH / GAL / DAVIES / HAWKINS / KEEFFE / NIBLOCK / REZAEI / HAO / BUTCHER / WASTELL
BUY SERIES PASS FOR BOTH EVENTS
£30 ADVANCE £20 MEMBERS

SUNDAY 13 DECEMBER 2026, 7.30PM
COMPANY 2026 (FOR DEREK BAILEY) – DAY ONE
£20 £18 ADVANCE £12 MEMBERS

MONDAY 14 DECEMBER 2026, 7.30PM
COMPANY 2026 (FOR DEREK BAILEY) – DAY TWO
£20 £18 ADVANCE £12 MEMBERS

Last December, COMPANY – Derek Bailey’s longstanding and influential initiative for group improvisation – was officially reactivated at Cafe OTO. There was such a positive response, we decided to do it again. Derek formed COMPANY in 1976.
The premise was an effectively simple one; invite a group of musicians to improvise together, in various ad-hoc formations, with as little pre-planning as possible. COMPANY 2026 (for Derek Bailey) curated by John Butcher, Tim Fletcher, Ian Greaves and Mark Wastell in association with Derek Bailey estate and Derek Bailey Archive, Huddersfield University.

COMPANY 2026 features;
Dominic Lash (electric guitar)
Sharon Gal (voice)
Angharad Davies (violin)
Alexander Hawkins (piano)
Charlotte Keeffe (trumpet)
Alan Niblock (double bass)
Mariam Rezaei (turntables)
Zheng Hao (electronics)
John Butcher (saxophones)
Mark Wastell (percussion)
Compèred by Stewart Lee

https://www.cafeoto.co.uk/events/company-2026-for-derek-bailey/

13. PODSCARFS AND ONLINERS

Strong Message Here – I am in lots of editions of Armando Iannucci’s podcast. There are extended versions https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0024cp6

Harry Hill Podcast – I did the first episode of this brilliant new thing https://harryhill.co.uk/podcast/

The Trawl Marina Purkiss and Gemma Forte had me on their unashamedly political podcast. They are twin national treasures. You can find it in the usual places.

Alexei Sayle Podcast I just done this again with the Podfather of Alternative Comedy. Usual outlets.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j8O-XgxfEE

Gilles Peterson Podcast I did the groovy jazz guru’s outlet https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002qc91

Albert Genower’s Conversations With https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeNnR_ygm5A

Always Be Comedy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxwIXtrA9yc

Cats’ Protection League – Cat Got Your Tongue https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB0oEiZtRYc

Lenny Bruce Q&A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWQiFMgknmc
Louis Theroux https://www.louistheroux.com/podcasts

Pod Save The UK https://crooked.com/podcast-series/pod-save-the-uk/

101 Part Time Jobs https://www.louistheroux.com/podcasts

Nick Saloman of The Bevis Frond https://www.nts.live/shows/guests/episodes/stewart-lee-the-bevis-frond-18th-april-2026
Stewart Lee talks to Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai https://open.spotify.com/episode/6ePsQbNIxy6yNuY9nu2005

ALL PODSCARFS COLLECTING HERE

14.ORANGUTAN BENEFIT – THE BUFFOONERY, LEICS SQ THEATRE, LONDON 2ND NOV

Stewart Lee, Marty Gleeson, Chloe Petts, Alexandra Haddow, James Gill & Elliot Steel. It’s a one-night comedy fundraiser in support of the Sumatran Orangutan Society (SOS), taking place at Leicester Square Theatre on Monday 2 November. A group of orangutans is called a buffoonery. So we thought we’d put one together. Every ticket helps SOS work with conservation partners and communities in Indonesia to protect orangutans, forests and biodiversity in Sumatra. Come for six excellent comedians. Leave knowing you’ve helped protect some extraordinary forests and the orangutans who call them home.
https://www.leicestersquaretheatre.com/show/the-buffoonery/

15.BEN MOOR BONANZA

MY friend the writer/performance artist has so much on he has his own entry

NEW WORK
I’ve done more work on my new piece, currently provisionally entitled You’ll Know It When You See It (at least its third title) (and unlikely to be the eventual one), but I have also been creating short sort-of-poems for a set of mini-books coming later in the year.

I put a few of them in the book of A Three Thing Day, and called them Momentaries, as they capture a moment and only take a moment to read.
Here’s a couple of examples:

Kind
She would always deflect questions
With a compliment.

I asked her if she knew this,
And she told me how smart I was
To notice.

Value
I renewed my
Trappist Railcard,
Which offers discounted
Rail journeys
So long as I remain
In complete silence.

It’s only valid at quiet times.

I’m planning to put out three small volumes of them before the end of 2026 – look out for news when they’re printed and ready to go.

Other things I’ve been doing include working with the brilliant photographer and filmmaker Joe Giacomet, on a short film called Stages.
I took A Three Thing Day to Turin and performed it with the Italian translation projected above the stage.
At the Latitude Festival, Simon and Mark of Suns of the Tundra, played the score of A Three Thing Day along with a performance as part of the Cosmic Shambles Forest of Science and Wonder.

UPCOMING SHOWS
My current solo comedy piece, A Three Thing Day, will have some upcoming dates in 2027, including at The MAC in Birmingham at the end of February.
More information in the next mailout.

But meanwhile I have other shows more soonly:

14.00 – Saturday 10th October 2026
NOT EVERYTHING IS SIGNIFICANT
HEN & CHICKENS THEATRE BAR, HIGHBURY, LONDON N1
A work-in-progress revival (ie please lower your expectations) of my show from 2008.
It’s a weird trippy mystery about diaries, echoes, and the stuff of life.
I performed it at The Idler Festival in July, and it went well, so I thought why not try it again.
In 2008 The Guardian called it “Inventive, irreverent and hauntingly beautiful,” and The Observer said it was “Suspenseful, thought-provoking, and beautifully performed.”
TICKETS ON SALE NOW

20.00 – Thursday 19th November 2026
NOT EVERYTHING IS SIGNIFICANT
CROWN WHARF THEATRE, STONE, STAFFORDSHIRE
It was a delight to bring A Three Thing Day to this lovely theatre last year, and I’m thrilled to return with this new-old show.
TICKETS ON SALE SOON

19.30 – Friday 4th December 2026
BOOKTALKBOOKTALKBOOK
ALMA TAVERN AND THEATRE, BRISTOL
Jo Neary and I will perform our parody of a literary event, and then share some works-in-progress after a short interval.
Another return visit to a venue that hosted A Three Thing Day in 2025 – thank you Chucklebusters!
TICKETS ON SALE NOW

16. I ARROGANTLY RECOMMEND

The Angels of Mons Exhibition, Southport. A free exhibition opens at The Atkinson in Southport until 17th October.
Produced in partnership with Mons Memorial Museum, it explores one of the most enduring supernatural legends of the First World War — the belief that St George and ghostly archers appeared to protect British troops at the Battle of Mons in 1914, a legend sparked in part by Arthur Machen’s short storyThe Bowmen.
The exhibition examines how religion, propaganda and the need for hope shaped wartime belief, and why such stories took such a powerful hold on the public imagination.

BOOTHBY GRAFFOE & ANTONI0 FORCIONE – WOT ITALIAN. Boothby and Antonio are reviving this solid classic slice of virtuoso music and comedy. A must see. All over UK from 30^th Aug – 14^th Nov. Dates here

https://wotitalian.com

SEANN WALSH These days Walsh deals in a kind of kinetic and exasperated bafflement that gets laughs from the everyday at new angles.

OCT 15th Kettering Lighthouse,
31st Plymouth Quad.
JAN 30th Salisbury Playhouse.
FEB 4th Newport Medina,
5th Swanage Mowlem,
7th Guildford Yvonne Arnaud,
14th Canterbury Gulbenkian,
18th Maidenhead Norden Farm,
19th Worcester Huntingdon Hall,
26th Whitehaven Rosehill,
27th Alnwick Playhouse.
MARCH 4th Mold Clwyd,
5th Market Drayton Festival Centre,
6th Holmfirth Civic Hall,
7th Peterborough Key,
11th Norwich Playhouse,
12th Doncaster Cast,
17th Inverness An Seomar,
18th Crieff Strathearn Arts,
19th Dundee Rep,
20th Striling Tolbooth,
21st Glasgow Oran Mor,
24th Dublin Whelans,
25th Belfast MAC.
APRIL 1st Bangor Pontio,
2nd Lichfield Garrick,
3rd Melton Mowbray Theatre,
8th Launceston Town Hall,
9th Penzance Ritz,
10th Tiverton Community Arts,
24th Scarborough Stephen Joseph,
15th Durham Gala,
16th Buxton Pavillion,
17th Bedford Quarry,
22nd Guernsey St James,
23rd Jersey Opera House.

THE ROOM Bunnymen/Teardrops-adjacent 80s Liverpool psychedelic survivors return in dishevelled majesty.
OCT 9th Wee Red Bar (a brilliant venue) Edinburgh w The Cathode Ray; NOV 13th at Dublin Castle London with St Vitus Dance & Vernon’s Future.

ROBYN HITCHCOCK/EMMA SWIFT Eternal troubadour on the road
OCT 1^st Belfast Deers Head, 2^nd Dublin Sugar Club, 4^th Galway Roisin Dubh, 6^th Hebden Bridge Trades, 7^th Reading South Street, 8^th Bath Komedia, 9^th Twyford St Mary’s, 10^th London Union Chapel
I saw this tour. It is brilliant. The best I’ve seen Robyn in 30 years.

ANTON BARBEAU Psychedelically-skewed American singer-songwriter plugs new album w rare UK dates
OCT 1st Swindon Beehive, 2nd Oxford TBC, 4th London Betsey Trotwood.

DELINES Cinematic symphonic country rock sophisticates. OCTOBER 2^nd Glasgow GUU, 3^rd Gosforth Civic, 4^th Leeds City Varieties

BUFFALO TOM Former hardcore types mellowed into folkish indie power trio. OCT 6^th Belfast Limelight, 7^th Edinburgh La Belle Angelle, 9^th M’cr Band On The Wall, 10^TH London Village Underground

THE LONG RYDERS Another go-round for the indefatigable alt country pioneers, now one of the world’s greatest live bands
OCT 6th Liverpool Caverm
7th Newcastle Cluny,
8th Kendal Brewery,
10th Leeds Old Woolen,
13th Nottingham Metronome,
15th London Electric Ballroom,
16th St Leonards Piper,
17th Canterbury Gulbenkian

BORIS Brain melting Japanese heavy-psyche legends return.
OCT 10th Bristol Strange Brew, 11th Newcastle Digital, 12th Glasgow Oran Moor, 13th Leeds Brudenell, 14th M’cr Gorilla, 15th London Brixton Electric, 16th Brighton Concorde 2

THE WAVE PICTURES Blues-inflected indie classicists

OCT 21^ST York Crescent,
22^nd Edinburgh Mash House,
23^rd Huddersfield Parish,
24^th Brighton?,
29^th Cambridge Portland Arms,
31^st Chelmsford Hot Box,
NOV 1st Southampton Joiners

WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM Eco-conscious doom metal.

08/11 Manchester, UK @ Damnation Festival
09/11 London, UK @ 02 Academy Islington

MY NEW BAND BELIEVE Lithe Black Midi spin-out
22nd Oct – Newcastle, UK – Cluny 2
23rd Oct – Edinburgh, UK – Cabaret Voltaire
26th Oct – Liverpool, UK – District
27th Oct – Cardiff, UK- The Globe
28th Oct – Brighton, UK – Concorde 2

DAMNED/SAINTS (73-78) TOUR

The original Damned line-up, minus Brian James but with Rat Scabies back on drums, were amazing when I saw their 50^th anniversary show earlier this year.
And they are supported by an authenticated version of Australian punk pioneers The Saints with original co-frontman Ed Kuepper present, but the late Chris Bailey’s guitar and vocal duties covered by the dream team of The Birthday Party’s Mick Harvey and super-saints fan Mark Arm of Mudhoney respectively, understandably favours the group’s early thrash sound rather than Bailey’s more songwriterly work.

But what a pairing! NOV 25^TH Brighton Dome, 27^th London British Airways Arc (?), 28^th Bristol Beacon, 30^th M’cr Academy, Dec 1^st N’castle City Hall, Dec 2^nd Derby Valiant, Dec 5^th B’ham Academy

GOAT Ersatz Scandinavian mystics take their festival field filling ritual rock all the way to the Royal Albert Hall in 2027

April 25th Glasgow SWG3,
26th Cambridge Junction,
28th London RAH,
29th Bristol Prospect,
30th M’cr Victoria Warehouse.

I think this will be especially amazing at the RAH, despite its bouncy acoustics.

17. IN OUR LAMENTATIONS 2026

Gunter Schickert (G.A.M guitar man, 1949)
Amos Poe (He squashed a banana in the street, 1949)
Sly Dunbar (definitive dub drummer, 1952)
Sal Buscema (Marvel mastercraftsman, 1936)
Catherine O’Hara (Fucking hilarious, I wish we’d met, 1954)
Philippe Gaulier (Our clown enemy, our clown king, 1943)
Pete Frame (Master music-mapper, 1942)
Kenny Morris (Banshee basher, 1957)
Fred Smith (Low end televisionary, 1948)
Mark Kennedy (Australia’s premier prog-psyche percussionist, 1951)
Eliane Radigue (electro-francais, 1932)
John Hammond (Blues believer, 1942)
Walter Martino (The Goblin groover, 1952)
Country Joe McDonald (The psychedelic fishman, 1942)
Augie Myers (The pseudonymous Sir Douglas himself, 1940)
Phil Campbell (Motorheadbanger, 1961)
Dolores Keane (De voice of De Dannan and dat, 1953)
John Dee Graham (Skunks originator and US punk facilitator, 1959)
Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin (Black Midi founder, 2000)
Bob Weir (Now dead deadman, 1947)
TK Carter (The Chef in The Thing, 1956)
Chip Taylor (The Wild Thing, 1940)
Ben Keaton (Father Austin Purcell, 1956)
Terry Cox (He drove the impossible folk-jazz fusion, 1937)
Sam Keith (Quirky comics guy, 1963)
Pete Dello (He could not let Maggie go, 1942)
Andrew Bodnar (He loved the sound of breaking glass, 1954)
Terry Sullivan (Dry Ice drummer, 1938)
Sheila Burnette (That funny woman from all those things, 1931)
Diana Green (Omaha The Cat Dancer, 1954)
Alex Pretti (Nurse, 1998)
Greg Elmore (He was a miracle worker, 1946)
Mike Westbrook (Blakean British jazzman, 1936)
Patrick Campbell-Lyons (Psychedelic Nirvana, 1943)
David Wiffen (He lost his driving wheel, 1942)
Bill Leader (British folk magnate, 1929)
Beverley Martin (Auntie aviator, 1947)
Sonny Rollins (my jazz gateway jazzman finally crosses the Bridge, 1930)
Marjane Satrapi (Actual graphic novelist, 1969)
Dave Greenslade (Gangsters theme genius, 1943)
Roy Hattersley (He looked at me in a lamplit library, 1932)
Stranger Cole (Bangarangaman, 1942)
David Hockney (He admired legs, 1937)
Steve Barrow (The Rough Guide To Reggae, 1945)
Matthew Biggs (A lovely gardener who was kind to me, 1960)
Michael Pennington (My first Hamlet, 1943)
Michael Keating (Villa!, 1947)
JH Prynne (Poetic licensee, 1936)
Desmond Morris (Birmingham surrealist, 1928)
Dave Mason (He had a hole in his shoe, 1946)
Andy Kershaw (He opened our ears to the world, 1956)
Mike Westbrook (Solid Gold Cadillac, 1936)
Glen Baxter (Surreal draftsman, 1944)
The Major Oak, Sherwood Forest (Mythic tree, c 1000)
Paul Sneddon (A very nice man indeed and crucial comedy cog, 1955)
Penelope Keith (Her complex and alluring negotiation with the English class system has ended, 1940)
Victor Edward-Willis (Village People’s self-serving Trump facilitator, 1951)
Sterling Betancourt (Steel pan pioneer, 1930)
Brian Potter (Rhinestone songwriting genius, 1939)
Bill Oddie (Comedian! Musician! Ornithologist! Polymath! 1941)
Jennifer Finch (L7 bassist not longer needs to pretend, 1966)
Magnús Þór Jónsson (Witness the last of the god men, 1945)
Ronnie Le Drew (Zippy’s mouth, 1947)
Rod Liddle (Horrible idiot, 1960)
Jimmy Cricket (There’s no more, 1945)
Jeff Connoly (Lyres, DMZ garage guru, 1957)
Dolly Parton (1946)
David Fair (Half half Japanese, 1952)
Richard O’Sullivan (Robin Snest, 1944)
Peter Gill (NT director and nice man, 1939)
Marcos Rodríguez Pantoja (Spanish feral child, 1946)
Frank Beard (ZZ Top drums, no beard, 1949)
Akiko Hayashi (Kiko’s Delivery artist, 1945)
Rumpel (Australian Clown)
Rod Liddle (Horrible idiot, 1960)
Jeff Connoly (Lyres, DMZ garage guru, 1957)
Cheetah Chrome (Dead boy is now dead, 1955)
Paddy Keenan (Bothy Band piper, 1950)
Elio Zamuto (poliziottesco regular and Werewolf Woman psychiatrist, 1941)
Vincent Pastore (Big Pussy, 1946)
Silvia Monti (Lizard In A Woman’s Skin, 1946)
Virginio Gazzolo (Spaghetti face, 1936)
Stephanie Cole (Sassy Solihull star from Cornyx Lane, 1941)
Jackie Jackson (Maytals bassist, 1947)
Mighty Sparrow (‘80s Peel favourite Calypso, 1935)
Sunny (Democratic dog, 2012)
Richard Harrison (Dig Your Grave Friend, Sabata Is Coming, 1936)
Bonnie Greer (clever critic, 1948)
Ronnie Golden (Golden boy, 1948)

18. A NOTE ON RONNIE GOLDEN

I was very sad to hear of the passing of Ronnie Golden. Lots of comics of Ronnie’s generation wished they’d been punk rock stars. Ronnie was a proto-punk pioneer – as frontman of The Fabulous Poodles he opened for Tom Petty and The Ramones all across America in 1978 – who only wanted to be a comedian.

Maybe he peaked too early, saw the hollowness of it, and embraced what stand-up had to offer. Maybe he was lucky enough to have been cured of ambition. I loved talking to Ronnie. He was a proper music nerd, with genre-spanning interests, and when I first moved to Stoke Newington in the ‘90s he would often turn up unannounced to rave about some new record. In a lovely turn of fate, Ronnie went on to become the generous, younger, virile foil to pre-alt comedy’s elder statesman Barry Cryer, bridging a weird gap between what followed the cultural schism of the seventies and all that went before, and facilitating Barry’s cross-generational canonisation.

I am so glad I got to meet him, and sometimes even work alongside him. Ronnie saw through the world of the Mirror Star and simply side-stepped it.

19. A NOTE ON RUMPEL THE AUSTRALIAN CLOWN

I’m pasting in a Chortle article about the force of nature that was the Australian clown known as Rumpel. Maybe you can donate.
If you ever encountered him I am sure you will want to.

Friends of street entertainer and globetrotting fool Jolly Goodfellow have raised more than £16,000 to return his remains – and his possessions – back to Australia.

The performer, also known as Rumpelstiltskin, or Rumpel as well as Sean Goodfellow – died in Los Angeles last week.

Now a crowdfunding campaign to return his ‘endless stashes of props, fabulous costumes, musical instruments, drawings, and incredible documentation’ – as well as his remains back hoMe to Australia.

Funds will also be used to cover the costs to his family of resolving all the complicated legal issues associated with a death in a foreign country.
Some of the funds will also help cover an ‘an inclusive, joyous memorial gathering and service in his honour’.

Raised in Melbourne, Goodfellow performed all over the world. He was a regular at the Glastonbury Festival, with one official social media account of the event posting: ‘He performed for us for many years and was a favourite of so many people. Some performances he would go on all day.’

In 2012, he even staged a 53-hour show in Lublin, Poland.
He was the original Fool on the Hill character in the Beatles Cirque du Soleil show Love, in Las Vegas, playing the role for two years. He played the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017 and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival two years later.

Among those paying tribute after his death was John Godbolt, who runs the Cornwall-based street entertainment agency Megabeast Productions. He said: ‘I remember seeing his 25-hour one-man show… It was supposed to be 24 hours but he accidentally overran and did another hour! It was incredible how he just kept going [with the] same energy. He would collapse at the end of his show and be carried around the festival site in a big silly joyous parade.’
And David Litchenstein of Clowns Without Borders said: ‘Artis the Spoonman said that a clown plays a role, but a fool lives a life. Nobody was as true a fool as Rumpel. His shows were full of love, innocence and above all chaos, a true original, everybody has their Rumpel stories.

‘He would often live days at a time in his crazy jester costume and stay in character all the time., Eventually becoming famous for performing 24 hour and 48 hour long marathon shows. His life was often as chaotic as his shows. He performed in 60 different countries and often needed help from friends to get from one to the next.’

Australian comedian Damian Callinan added: ‘Rumpel was cut from a single piece of gloriously unique fabric. The first time I met him I looked around for the medieval time portal through which he’d clearly stepped.’
And British comic and magician Paul Zenon posted: ‘Am really upset to hear that Rumpel has gone. I can’t think of any better example of ‘iykyk’. What a unique, lovely human. Despite officially changing his name to Jolly Goodfellow, he was known generally as Rumpel (short for Rumpelstiltskin). That’s the way it works.

‘I don’t really like the way the terms “clown” and “fool” are currently used, but I can’t think of any better description for Rumpel. In the very most loving, positive way. Be gone you silly goose.’