• Thranifesto: An Interview with Leeann Toland

    March 27, 2024 - By 

    Ahead of live outings in Belfast, Derry & Dundalk for her first special, Thranifesto, Derry-based comedian Leeann Toland chats to us about the local scene, the etymology of thranness, bridging comedy and music, loving problematic men, and Madonna as a psychohistorical tool. Photo by Billy Woods How is the comedy scene in Derry, and how did you get started within it? The scene is quite small in Derry but strong, The Cosh – run by Fintan Harvey and Ro Boyle – has a monthly night on in The Brickwork – run by Peter E Davidson – too, where I’ll be…

  • TV Eye: Horace and Pete

    April 5, 2016 - By 

    The tenth and final episode of Louis CK’s experimental online-self-distributed series, Horace and Pete, arrived in subscribers’ inboxes on Saturday to no fanfare or announcement of the series’ conclusion – simply an email from CK saying he had nothing clever to say about it. It was written, filmed and directed by Louie in the week prior to each release, evidenced by the highly topical barroom discussion, with even Hulk Hogan’s Gawker sex tape discussed. In its finest moments, Horace & Pete feels like zeitgeist-capturing cult television event, and for anyone into it, the personal email from Louis was the highlight…

  • Irish Tour: Weird Al Yankovic

    October 8, 2015 - By 

    Vicar Street, Dublin Weird ‘Al’ Yankovic doesn’t really make sense. A parody artist, whose satirical swipes at popular culture have mostly revolved around food, who has somehow not only managed to survive over 30 years in the business and score a number 1 album on the billboard charts, but has also been a constant presence in a plethora of cultural touchstones. Although he is mostly a fringe player or is the butt of a joke. How has someone like Al managed to survived longer than probably 80% of the groups he has pastiched? If last night’s performance in Vicar Street…

  • Refused – Freedom

    July 17, 2015 - By 

    Refused are fucking alive. Or so we’re told. One of the most powerful, vital and cathartic hardcore bands of the nineties, the Swedish four-piece created an unmatched legacy by blazing a trail of fearless musical fusion, incandescendent agitprop and a vast palette of cultural influences and reference points, from fine art to the New Romantics, as best encapsulated in seminal album ‘The Shape of Punk to Come’. Then, at the height of their potency and white-hot rage, they disbanded in a storm of shit and failure, and instructed press outlets to delete reviews, promo pics on file, etc. It was…

  • Stewart Lee w/ Chris Kent @ Vicar Street, Dublin

    May 26, 2015 - By 

    It’s May 24, 2015. It’s been one day since Ireland has officially voted in legislation to allow equal marital rights to the LGBTQA community. The previous night’s celebrations are literally the stuff of legend and in its aftermath, the city of Dublin is collectively undergoing what can only be described as a fierce hangover. Yet in spite of this, the atmosphere in Vicar Street is warm and welcoming. That sense of accomplishment and pride from Saturday is still in the air. So it makes sense that many of us decided to flock to see Stewart Lee, probably one of the…

  • AAA: Foil, Arms and Hog @ Vicar Street, Dublin

    April 7, 2015 - By 

    In this installment of AAA, we go behind the scenes with comedy trio Foil, Arms and Hog live at their sell out show at Vicar Street in Dublin. Fresh off their slot on Jason Byrne‘s Snaptastic telly show, the lads had the entire venue on its feet by the end of their set which marked their 7th year together. The show included a wide variety of sketches, from old favourites to new material, culminating in crafted and well earned punchlines, sometimes with unexpected results thrown in thanks to a snorting or cackaling member of the crowd. Their comfort and experience in the…

  • David O’Doherty @ Mandela Hall

    May 7, 2014 - By 

    Irish comedian, author, musician, actor and playwright David O’Doherty returns to Belfast on Friday, May 9 with a follow-up performance of his new show, Will Try To Fix Everything. We were considered coming up with our main blurb but O’Doherty’s own words more than suffice: “David O’Doherty, the Ryanair James Bond, the Kevin McCloud of the tiny keyboard, former Miss Ireland, the offspring of Shannon/Pete Doherty, his new look is ‘Jaws era Steven Spielberg’, recipient of the 2008 Edinburgh Comedy Award and inventor of the last remaining swimming stroke ‘the squid’ (on back, feet first), has written a new comedy show with…

  • Q+A: Ted Chippington and the Nightingales

    May 7, 2014 - By 

    Formed in Birmingham in 1979, post-punk mavericks the Nightingales split up in 1986 after seven years, three albums, eight John Peel sessions and tours with everyone from Bo Diddley to Nico. They returned to the stage in 2004, and are playing their first ever Irish dates this month, including a slot at the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival. The band hit McHugh’s in Belfast on Thursday, May 8, with ‘anti-comedian’ Ted Chippington in tow, the man who Stewart Lee has often cited as the reason he started doing stand-up. Nightingales frontman Robert Lloyd and Chippington tell Andrew Johnston about life as outsiders. Words by Andrew Johnston…