Monday 16 May 2016

Weekend preview, pinch don't punch



If you have the chance to go to Leicestershire the same day Leicester city are having an open top bus parade celebrating the premier league victory.... I'd advise it, and while dishing out rubbish advice why not make toasties in the bath.

As I'm sat here having just died on my arse at a gig I decided I needed cheering up, and so, a little jump on to see what's going on at Liverpools finest comedy club was sufficient to lighten my mood, yeah bugger off I'm easy pleased and I am essentially marketing the club! (It is ace though!)

Let's look at Wednesday's jacaranda line up then, Red Redmond hosts this week and the cheeky mirth maker who was once punched in the face by a man angry that a comedy club was happening in his pub is the least punchable looking human ever, if anything he looks like a pinch the cheek not punch type of guy.
Red introduces the fabulous Brennan Reece who is one of the most exciting acts in the vast see of exciting acts in the Northwest! Brennan has recently toured Australia after winning English comedian of the year.
Also on the line up is musical Midlands merrymaker Hannah Sylvester, I last saw Hannah perform around November last year and I was blown away by one hell of a set, I'd bloomin love to see her new stuff in action, I can't but you can so bloody do!!


The weekend shows at Holiday inn are as ever of a standard that makes me want to weep! I'm not really sure what I mean by that either but let's have a look at the acts eh, yeah!
We have Paul Smith as usual holding the show together like an entertaining tile adhesive  with red hair and jokes! (My writing career is flying!)

Jim Smallman, Neil McFarlane and Paul Myrehaug make up the weekends acts. Smallman has among his talents radio presenting and wrestling promoting on the CV but stand up is where he is at his best if you ask me, he is also most likely among the many Leicester city fans that are down the road from me doing a conga round an open top bus I presume.
McFarlane has 2 of my favourite jokes ever ever! For their simplicity they are amazing, I'm not telling you them you have to find out for yourself. Myrehaug (it's pronounced Mrehaug ok) is one of the many amazing Canadians coming to the uk comedy circuit and being awesome. Life observations and neat comedy annecdotes made up his performance when I saw him and you're in for a treat as ever.

In other news, I've just had that awkward "it wasn't so bad" chat with an audience member! I don't care when I die because it happens now and then, sitting here listening to patronising folk tell me I'll get better if I keep trying is just the worse!! So based on how good I felt writing about hot water this weekend I may just see you there!

J x

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Tickets available for all the weekends shows from www.hotwatercomedy.co.uk





Monday 9 May 2016

Weekend preview, Scorching Week....



Well last week I mentioned the snow and this week it's that orange ball in the sky making us all feel like we should have hit the gym a little more this winter and the odd British sunburn as people popped out for a pint or three yesterday it's probably fair to say that attention is turning to the summer holiday for a number of us.

That Easyjet flight to the Spanish playas (For those who are unsure playas are the beaches not the waiters who claim as many tourist notches on the bedpost as possible) is most likely a few weeks away yet and in traditional British style it's going to be all 1 shade of grey again this week leaving the standard topic of conversation at the post office about how the weather has turned.

If you want something much more interesting to talk about then here is this weeks look at Hot water comedy clubs line ups

Let's start as usual with the Wednesday at Jacaranda basement, the night of course for experienced acts to bring their new stuff along to work out before your very eyes.
Among the eclectic mix of comedy talent this week will be Lovdev Barpaga, the man from the midlands may not be Peaky but his set is a blinder! He has many many many jokes and an affable style with his own infectious laughter helping along the gags as they infiltrate your ears.
Chris Purchase will also be performing, for 7 years Chris has been making people laugh, he claims it's been longer but at least for the last 7 it's been on purpose! Chris is both a great bloke and a really great standup, his style fills the stage of not the room.


It might be Friday the 13th this week but it seems to have rather the opposite meaning as looking at this Friday's boiling point line up at the Holiday Inn I'd say you're one lucky punter should you be there.
As ever Paul Smith will be working his magic as host for the evening, it's fair to say he's easily one of the best compere's in the country so that is treat enough but with a link up that boasts Jamie Sutherland, Russell Hicks and Raymond Mearns each one alone worth the entry money but when you put all 3 together it's enough to completely ruin the myth that 13th falling on a Friday makes any difference.
Sutherland is a local favourite has gags stories and the kind of silly tales that everyone wants to hear more of, Hicks is not so local, the American improvises, he jokes and he blows away most audiences,  Mearns also not so local but the Scot is perhaps more so than Russell. Mearns has been a comedian for 13 years and has followers all over the world as his solo shows have been to Melbourne, Montreal and Maidstone (other glamourous locations that did not begin with M were available)
Just in case you are worried about Friday 13th, the line up will again be performing on Saturday 14th.

So that's how this week is shaping up, I'm off to blather my vest shaped burns in cream and try to avoid smelling like coconut.

J x

Tickets available from www.hotwatercomedy.co.uk

Wednesday 4 May 2016

Weekend preview, random Snow..



I think we can all agree it was a pretty decent bank holiday, some underdogs won the football thing, there was a pretty huge moment for justice in Liverpool, there was some good mood and sunshine pretty much everywhere that despite a random snow shower and of course there were laughs so loud from our shoes that they caused huge explosion sounds in Yorkshire that had to be covered up by government and blamed on fighter jets creating sonic booms.

I myself have been busier than usual so this is a day late but let's be honest it's worth waiting to hear what's going on this week as the standards are at usual heady heights.

Let's 1st look at Jaceranda on Wednseday where among the line up are self styled old fart Marshall B Anderson, he's not as unpleasant as a fart, he doesn't smell and there aren't poo particles floating around him but depending on maturity levels, and let's be honest most of us are immature enough to find farts funny, he's as hilarious as a rasping one with a trumpet ending!
Also performing will be wonderful Will Duggan, Will will be off to Edinburgh this summer and we will Will to succeed which Will will (I'll stop that now) because as you'll see from his work here the man is bloomin great and his show is worth the visit to Edinburgh alone which may sound like a bias about an act I'd like you all to go see but it's just facts.

Friday 6th and Saturday 7th May at holiday inn Liverpool there's a fantastic show lined up for you.
Paul Smith will engage you as usual and prepare you for a night of acts who may just cause some of you to require oxygen.
This will be especially fun for sitcom fans as Benidorms recent series featured our opening act Milo Mcabe and Phoenix nights was Steve Royles hiding place in the world of TV glamour.
Mcabe nails character comedy and in the style of himself is equally brilliant at jaw achingly entertaining comedy.
Royle is a comedian and juggler, not the former Oxford rower as his website reliably informs us before pointing out how well he's done to not make a Cox joke. He's been in the business over 12 years and you'll be sure to see why it's hoped there's another 12 at least still to come.
Wedged between Milo and Steve is the bizarre, silly and hilarious Tom Ward.
Tom is possibly strange, maybe surreal... Certainly funny as funk.

It's yet more amazing stand up from your most reliable comedy club, so more Hot Water this week then yeah? Yeah!

Have a fab week

J x

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Tickets available for all shows from www.hotwatercomedy.co.uk

Sunday 1 May 2016

Weekend Review: Brendon Burns, Rob Thomas, Harriet Dyer & John Hastings



In the six years since I started hosting for Hot Water comedy, obviously I’ve seen a huge growth and improvement in the quality of the show. In those early days we tried, as we still do to provide a fun, friendly, well run place for new acts and comedy fans to come together. Since then, the new act show on a Sunday still proves to be a fan favourite and in my opinion is still the heart of the club. In addition to that though our little club has grown to one that plays host to some of the finest professional acts not only from the UK, but the world.

I think we owe a lot to those humble beginnings. Clawing our way up from new act night to full weekend club has ensured that we value the acts and focus not only on the business of the club but the enjoyment of the comedians. This ethos seems to be paying off as our reputation grows and more acts vie to play our club. It wasn’t until this weekend though that it really sank in how far we had come.

We have had big names before, TV acts have graced our stage more than once. This week though, the lineup truly reflected where Hot Water is and hopefully where it is headed in the future. A place that progresses and hones local talent as well as bringing in the best of international comedy for Liverpool audiences to enjoy.

To begin we had the excellent John Hastings. A Canadian comedian who I could listen to all day. It’s hard to describe John without showing him to you. He’s different every time I see him. His playfulness with the crowd always means that you never quite know where he’s going but you feel in safe hand. A fact illustrated by him pointing out the role of slavery in the fortunes of our city and the pointing out the muted reaction of the audience as they checked that Roland, the only black guy in the room, was ok with the joke. This, in less skilled hand could have become a tense situation but with John, even a subject so serious feels light and playful and the spirit of fun lives on. John’s set is always good but on Friday it culminated in my first highlight of the weekend. As he was wrapping up a phone went of and John being John was straight on it. Trying to find the perpetrator to dish out his own brand of vigilante comedic justice. “Is it you?” he asked multiple people as they all shifted the blame between themselves. “Is it you!? Who the fuck is it? I’ll find yo…. Oh wait, It’s me”. Brilliant. He had set what he thought was a silent alarm on his phone to let him know when he had done his time. Oh how we all laughed.

Our middle acts for the weekend were as different as you could get from each other. Harriet Dyer did a fine job on Friday with her surreal, offbeat and super likeable style of storytelling. Rob Thomas did amazingly on Saturday with his well crafted rants and precise, relatable observations. Seeing these two acts do so well, especially Rob (Sorry Harriet), was highlight number two. Both of them have gigged with us since the early days  and so seeing them now, holding their own amongst two of the best acts on the circuit, I can't help but feel some pride. Like all of our early work is paying off, not only for us but the acts that we had perform in those early days. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying that Hot Water made these acts, they have both worked incredibly hard, gigging up and down the country to get to the level they are at now. I just can't help feeling when I see them do so well that our Sunday show is doing something good. In some small way we are helping shape the comedians of tomorrow. That is a great feeling.

On to highlight number three. Brendan Burns. I don't often get starstruck but I must admit that Brendan is one act I had longed to work with and he did not disappoint. Each night he provided a masterclass in stand up and I watched with joy.  It wasn't particularly the material though that provided the highlight for me. It was just seeing an act of his caliber on our stage, enjoying himself. So much so that he did way longer than he was supposed to. This is not an unusual occurrence. It happens quite often in fact. But it just served to highlight for me how far we have come.

Thanks to the hard work of Paul and Binty we now have a club that the best acts in the country want to play. We have a club that helps new acts to begin. We have a club that provides real progression and, I feel at least, is a real benefit to the industry. All this was never more apparent to me than this weekend. As Brendan left the stage and I shook his hand he excitedly proclaimed ‘what a club!’ A sentiment I share wholeheartedly.

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Get down to Hot Water Comedy Club in Liverpool every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday

www.hotwatercomedy.co.uk