Way Station and The General - 2nd
We started the month with Mike and Pete in Rushden and Ian at Thrapston. I stayed at home and watched United get knocked out of the FA cup, ironically I could have done with a laugh after that…
On this night we had Justin Panks, Dawn Bailey and Paul Tonkinson all pulling double duty.
Northampton / Stanwick
For the Picturedrome and Duke of Wellington double this month we had two acts we had yet had the pleasure of working with in Charlie Baker and Quincy. Both acts, well established headliners, genuinely nice guys and fortunately for us, very funny. Completing the bill at the Drome was Sarah Johnson and Barry Dodds, at the Duke it was Fiona Allen and Jason Stampe.
It was good fun at the Duke, definitely felt like one of those evenings where the crowd were warming up with every act and then by the end they were laughing louder and louder, building up to the big finish before we end the night and convince them to come back next month. On the way back, dropping Quincy at the nearest train station I was able to dive deeper into something that was mentioned on stage about Quincy being good friends with Idris Elba. Yes, I’m a big fan of Luther as well. Unfortunately I had to sign an NDA whilst driving.
Pictured below by Stuart Hogben: Charlie Baker
Brad-Laugh - 13th
Sometimes, more so at the Bradlaugh, we book acts that we want to see, and we haven’t seen Phil Nichol for a few years (there is a slightly more memorable time for all the wrong reasons at a Casino, more on that later..) and we when we found out we could have Tony Law on the same bill, it was a no brainer. Let’s go all in. Providing additional funny on the night was Alexis Roy and Martin Westgate.
It was as you’d expect, absolutely mental. High energy madness, and sometimes that’s exactly what you need. Although I can imagine a few left that night thinking what have I just witnessed?!
Pictured below: Phil Nichol post show, as Martin was attempting to wrap up the night…
Let’s take you back to March 9th 2019
We were asked to book at a night at a Casino on a Saturday night. With a start time of 9:30pm. We booked Ross Smith to MC, Stephen Bailey to open and Phil Nichol to headline. The night got off to a fairly cagey start, with some minor heckles that were dealt with by Ross. But then there were a few people who seemed to be quite annoying during Stephen Bailey’s set. In the interval, we spoke to a member of staff who told us that the table causing the issues were in fact staff of the Casino, so they seemed reticent to do much about it. Afterwards, you could tell Phil wasn’t best pleased with how the night was panning out. When Phil hit the stage, this particular table continued being a nuisance, one woman in particular. Phil then instantly changed gear and starting singing them a song, which essentially went like this…”Shut the fuck up, shut the fuck up, shut the fuccckkkk upppp.” The woman reacted with expletives, but undeterred, Phil kept on singing until she eventually got up, flipped the bird and left. The rest of crowd cheered and we all enjoyed the remaining minutes of Phil Nichols set. A satisfying conclusion to what was a weird night overall. This certainly wasn’t the last time experiencing disruptions from people you think would know how to behave better…
Silverstone / Pineham
On Sunday 23rd we had another double, this time between Genevieve’s Cafe in Pineham Village and the Silverstone Brewery. With staggered timings we were able to shift the whole line up across which included Mike Gunn, Dawn Bailey, David Luck and Syed Ahman Raza. Great turn outs for both venues and we’re planning to return to both with more collaborations with Ian Hayes.
26th - New material
Another fantastic night in the books at Saints Coffee! This one featured Darren Harriott, Ant Dewson, Alex Farrow, Amelia Hamilton and Ben Ashurst. We knew we had something special brewing with this line up and it did not disappoint. Don’t miss out on Aprils offering, at £7 a ticket it’s insane value.
Thrapston / Newnham
Saturday 29th, myself and Mike headed to The Plaza in Thrapston, whilst Pete Teckman was over at Newnham Village Hall. Both venues sold out well in advance and between the two we had just over 250 people out for a great night of comedy. Dashing between the two was the brilliant Paul Sinha and Nick Page. Providing support was Nuala Ryan and Elaine Robertson. Thrapstons own Ross Smith was also back on MCing duties, I’m starting to think majority of the audience would love to see Ross do an hour solely on the insane posts from the Thrapston Community Facebook group.
Next one in Thrapston has Hal Cruttenden headlining. Should be another cracker.
Pictured below: Elaine Robertson
An Update On The Northampton Comedy Festival
We’re back at it. Northampton BID have given us the big green light to put together another taste of the Edinburgh Fringe in Northampton.
If you haven’t seen already via our mailing list, here’s what we have booked so far…
WiFi Wars 10th Anniversary - Sunday 25th May - Charles Bradlaugh 2pm (Suitables for ages 6+)
Lindsey Santoro & Hasan Al-Habib - Tuesday 11th June - V and B 8pm
Esther Manito & Lee Peart - Wednesday 26th June - Saints Coffee 8pm
Josh Pugh & Jessica Fostekew - Monday 7th July - The Lamplighter 8pm
Comedy Crate Weekender - 12th & 13th July
Sharon Wanjohi & Matt Rouse - Thursday 17th July - Coconut Paradise 8pm
Paul Sinha & Ian Stone - Wednesday 23rd July - Cheyne Walk Club 8pm
Tickets now available for all of these shows. More to come!