The first half of the Northampton Comedy Festival… Previews, previews, previews.
AND WE’RE OFF…
Wednesday 5th June we kicked off with our first Edinburgh Preview event over at The Waterside Bar on the grounds of the Northampton University. Great fun with Peter Rethinasamy and Alexandra Haddow. Crowd were really nice and supportive and we had a lovely turn out for the first night, although we still couldn’t rope in any students!
Pictured below: Peter Rethinasamy (Pretty sure this wasn’t a pull my finger joke).
NEXT…
Thursday 6th June, THREE gigs, ONE night (you know the score). I was over in Wellingborough (again) at The Duke of Wellington. Pulling double duty this month between there and the Picturedrome was Andrew Maxwell and Jack Gleadow. Completing the bill at the Drome, Jules O’Brian and Paul Revill, over at the Duke it was Kate Martin and James Ellis. Over at St Neots we had Andy Gleeks stepping in as compere, along with Michael Akadiri, Cerys Nelmes and Terry Alderton (and breathe).
With the help of my friend Ash, we’d got everything set up and ready to go in record time, leaving an opportunity for a quick pre-show pint (non alcoholic for me as the driver, obviously). To our surprise though we’d spotted a couple of people lingering near the back of the room where we have all the complimentary drinks and crisps on a table (yes, we’re those kinda promoters). Turns out it was Andrew and James, a good hour early (bonus). So we had a good chat with those guys about Podcasts, the expense of travel, and the absolute madness of North Korea sending those shit balloons (Google it!). The gig itself was a lot fun though. (And for some reason I’ve just really enjoyed adding a few unnecessary brackets).
Pictured below: Andrew Maxwell
What do you call a bee in a space rocket?…. BRACKET… no, ok moving on.
PLAZA
Saturday 8th June, we headed over to the Thrapston Plaza. We had Matt Richardson, Alexandra Haddow, Matt Rouse and Ross Smith. It was a very enjoyable evening. I really hope the Thrapston Community Facebook page keeps going strong, otherwise Ross could end up running out of gems to cast out. One of the most underrated MC’s in the country.
I’m keeping things a little shorter this month, we’ve plenty to get through…
Pictured below: Matt Richardson
WIFI
Sunday 9th June, back at the Charles Bradlaugh for another afternoon of entertainment from the guys behind WIFI WARS. Really positive turn out this time around, so thanks to everyone that came along for it. They will be coming back for the Christmas Special in December, tickets are available now! There is nothing like this going on around Northampton, we want to keep bringing it back, so please tell anyone you think might like it.
Terry & Friends
Thursday 13th, we had the incredible Terry Alderton, with support from Ben Norris and Mad Ron. This show was wild and I expected nothing less. As someone who prefers comedy that’s a little bit bonkers, I particularly had a great time. Live comedy is at it’s best when you have no idea what is going to happen next.
Pictured below: you guessed it, Terry Alderton performing his track ‘no strings attached.’
“You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it.” - Robin Williams
Return Of The Lab
Returning to the venue we put on our very first show was always going to be pleasantly nostalgic. That’s not to say it wouldn’t come with a few hurdles along the way of course. We got a message to say that unfortunately Chloe Petts could no longer do the gig, so that left us a few hours to find a replacement. Fortunately we got a message from Morgan Rees who was happy to fill in and I think most people would agree that it was an excellent substitution. Eleanor Tiernan did a fantastic job of opening the night with her work in progress show as well. But credit to the crowd who were superb, just a really nice bunch of people who were there for a night out with like minded folk.
The return to the lab was a good one!
Pictured below: Mike, enjoying a bit of Morgan Rees.
WEEKENDER
This is a little reminder that we are just a few weeks away (assuming you are reading this early July 2024, if by chance you’ve stumbled upon this blog in the year 2025 or beyond, you missed an incredible weekend of comedy, so shame on you, skip forward) from our big Weekend event. If you click the button below you can find out more on the shows, plus right at the bottom of the page you’ll see a handy little timetable to plan your day(s). Then all you need to do is book yourself a ticket, we’ll email you with details on how to collect your wristband on the day and bosh. 2 days of comedy, 25 acts to choose from, what more could you want? PLUS we’ve recently added a 26th act in Ryan Mold, who will be performing an hour of his show at 12:30pm at the Lamplighter, just to get a few of those who are really keen a nice warming up for the day.
Tom F*cking Stade
On Friday 21st June I went to the Northampton Museum to watch a candlelit performance of a 4 piece quartet playing Hanz Zimmer music. 2 days later we’re putting on a gig in the same room with Tom Stade talking about weed stores in Canada, religion and how the youth is ruining language, “no cap.” Opening the night with a preview of his show was Gareth Mutch who is really improving every time we see him.
Pictured below: Tom Stade. “WORD!”
Fin & Jin
Great name for a double act, but I digress. This was a night of solo performances, although both acts did do a rap, not together obviously, but it was quite the coincidence.
Two more preview shows from Jin Hao Li and Finlay Christie at Saints Coffee on 26th June. This night was HOT, around 30 people crammed into a small coffee shop. I was perspiring from areas I didn’t know perspired. We got ice lollies for everyone at half time, it’s the least we could for persevering in the heat.
Both of these guys are shaping up to have really good shows for the Edinburgh Fringe. I’d definitely recommend seeking them out if you get the opportunity.
Pictured below: Finlay Christie
Back To The Duke(r)
27th June - To finish off the month we headed back to the Duke of Wellington for more Edinburgh Previews. This time with Eshaan Akbar and Andrew Bird. These guys are so good, it’s also a bonus getting to see these kinds of work in progress shows because it means majority of the material is new to us as well. Some really funny bits in both shows that I obviously won’t spoil, but given time, a few tweaks here and there, both acts will be able to enjoy another successful tour next year.
Pictured below: Andrew Bird
Half Way Point
This concludes the month of June. The weather has improved, Northampton Saints won at Twickenham, England are in the Quarter Finals of the Euros (Just about), Taylor Swift is doing some cool stuff (so I hear), and we have even more incredible comedy events coming up in July. What a result!