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Summer of Comedy
Friday 15th June 2012 | Osh
There’s a lot to laugh about this summer, not least the absolutely shit weather. So, we’re re-launching our comedy section for the summer in order to tell you where you can get your fix of everything comic, in the hopes to keep everyone from being suicidal come September.
Udderbelly, E4 and Southbank’s comedy love child, has been going since April and doesn’t finish until July 8th. Yet to perform inside the upturned purple cow (yeah, I’m stumped by that one too), are the likes of Greg Davies (the suspiciously tall headmaster in The Inbetweeners), musical comedy genius Tim Minchin (who wrote the music for this year’s West End smash hit Matilda), as well as the very best of The Comedy Store, London’s laughter central.
Despite the fact that there’s no Glastonbury this year, the great British festival is still where it’s at, and not just for the music. Latitude, hitting off next month, has a dedicated comedy arena hosting acts such as Rich Hall, Josie Long, Jack Dee and Tim Minchin (he gets around, this guy). Tickets are still available for the whole weekend and you’ll also get the chance to hear music from loads of Indie greats including Bon Iver, Ben Howard and Wild Beasts.
But if you don’t fancy going to Suffolk for your comedy kicks, and I don’t really blame you, Greenwich Comedy Festival is happening that very same week, 13th – 20th July, headliners being fellow Irishmen Dylan Moran and David O’Doherty, along with Peep Show star Isy Suttie to name but a few. This eight day festival is part of the ongoing Greenwich Summer Festival, and features live music, street food and a riverside bar (la di da!). Less mud than Latitude and no purple cows, this one is for the purist comedy lover in you, the side of you which wants its comedy served fresh, without the distractions of damp wellies or overused wet wipes.
And last but not least, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival takes place 3rd-27th August and will be, as it has been for the last few decades, the biggest comedy event of the year. Forget London, Scotland is the place to be. (Now there’s a sentence I never thought I’d write.) Anyone who has ever made anyone laugh ever, will be there, along with some alternative circus/cabaret acts, who, I am willing to bet, will be weirdly flexible. Regulars on Channel 4’s 8 Out of Ten Cats and Stand Up for the Week, such as Andrew Lawrence and Tom Stade as well as Ted’s band The Blanks from the hit TV show Scrubs. What’s not to like? So go on, get out of town and go grab some comedy, it’ll be the only time when laughing in a stuffy, crowded tent for three days straight isn’t considered mental.
And, if the prospect of festivals or Scotland scares you, or a festival in Scotland, and let’s be honest that’ll be pretty much everyone, then in the comfort of your favourite city you can watch showcases of Edinburgh Fringe previews at various locations, as well as at the aforementioned Udderbelly.
Here are just a few of the venues doing exactly this;
The Tommyfield, Kennington
Pleasance Theatre, Islington
Downstairs at the King’s Head, Crouch End
Hen and Chickens Theatre, Highbury Corner
So this summer, let music take a backseat, and make way for laughter.
Laura Tucker
