Tez Ilyas, Manchester & Lancaster
He may not have made it on to any of the award shortlists, but Tez Ilyas’s debut Edinburgh festival fringe hour was one of this year’s most talked about. It’s not surprising that he’s picked up a lot of interest: while he’s not the only Muslim comic on the British circuit, the smooth assurance and ease with which he riffs on his religion and identity make him perhaps the most likely to make it big. That’s because despite him cracking jokes about his observance of Ramadan or Eid, he does so with a crisp, approachable bonhomie and gentle patter that is in the long-standing traditions of British light entertainment. It’s not impossible, for example, to imagine Ilyas hosting a Saturday night gameshow on ITV in years to come. That’s not to disparage the quality of his material as a stand-up, however, which is hugely proficient, especially for an act who is still relatively new to the game. But it is an indication that Ilyas has the capacity to transcend his potential novelty status, and embrace the possibility of mainstream appeal.
The Frog & Bucket, Manchester, Sat; Lancaster Comedy Club at The Borough, Sun
Elis James, On tour
Already, 2015 has been a big year for Elis James. In January, he starred in BBC3’s excellent young-offenders sitcom Crims, and soon he’ll be a sidekick to Josh Widdicombe in his eponymous new TV show. All this should take the unassuming but consistently funny Welshman to the much-deserved next level of his career, and bring a bigger audience to his stand-up, which is a melange of almost unbelievable but somehow horribly plausible tales of the peculiar things that have happened to him throughout his life. This week, he’s trying something a little different: four full-length gigs entirely in Welsh (plus one London club show with Stewart Lee). James is a fluent Welsh speaker and is keen to keep the language alive. It’s worked for music (Super Furry Animals issued a whole album in Welsh, alongside their Anglophone offerings), why shouldn’t it work for comedy?
The Jeremy Corbyn Night, London
There’s been a fair amount of chat recently about comedy’s domination by the left. At the Edinburgh fringe, both Nish Kumar and Andrew Lawrence devoted big portions of their shows to addressing this, from either side of the political divide. But while comedians do tend to be lefties, they haven’t tended to be big Labour party supporters. That could all change if bearded uber-leftie Jeremy Corbyn is elected Labour leader, and this gig celebrating the success of his campaign shows how the tide is turning. Veteran satirists Jeremy Hardy and Mark Steel – who both attacked Blair and Brown from the left – will be lending their voices to the chorus of approval, while younger support is symbolised by TV regulars Ava Vidal and Sara Pascoe. The organisers are already talking about pairing the presumed Corbyn era with a raft of comedy gigs modelled on the 1980s’ Red Wedge benefits, though Labour supporters will be hoping for better results at the ballot box than those enjoyed by Neil Kinnock.
The Forum, NW5, Mon
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