Robin Ince’s (Almost) Farewell Show, Salford
Over the last decade, Robin Ince has become increasingly interested in things other than the stand-up that originally made his name. He’s become a crusader for atheism and rationalism, as the founder of the (until recently) annual Nine Lessons And Carols For Godless People. He’s become a passionate advocate of engagement with science, most notably via a string of collaborations with TV prof Brian Cox. All that, plus the demands of being a father, have left Ince feeling that something’s got to give – and that something is his solo live work. Cynics may dismiss this as a PR stunt to sell tickets, but Ince says that following this final string of dates he’ll be turning his back on stand-up for a minimum of two years (barring the odd festival appearance), and he’s not sure he’ll ever return to it. This self-imposed sell-by date makes these shows all the more appealing to the many admirers of Ince’s inimitable and impassioned shtick, a form of stand-up that revolves around explosions of intellectual rage buttressed by huge quantities of research and hard fact.
The King’s Arms, Wed & Thu; touring to 13 Aug
Pierre Novellie, On tour
A great big gentle bear of a comedian, Pierre Novellie is a six-foot-plus South African who comes across as one of the least laddish blokes you’d ever meet. Aggressive displays of masculinity are not his style: instead, he subjects the world around him to childlike questioning and pedantically logical analysis, all of which allows him to generate some phenomenally good jokes. Novellie may not have been on the UK scene all that long, yet he has the writing skills of a far more experienced comic, boasting a flair for perfectly chosen language and the ability to land excellent flab-free punchlines. We’re certain to hear much more from him; right now, he’s preparing a second Edinburgh fringe show, pitched as a mocking celebration of fear and anxiety.
John-Luke Roberts, Manchester & Northampton
John-Luke Roberts is a stand-up, a playwright and a principled opponent of everything that is safe and commercial-minded in the world of comedy. Through his work as co-creator of the Alternative Comedy Memorial Society, he’s helped the prospects of a new generation of leftfield comics, seeking to define their own space outside the mainstream, while in his own live shows Roberts stretches the boundaries of the form with a childlike glee. This latest work-in-progress sets itself up as a subversion of the latter-day cliche of comedians indulging in lachrymose onstage reflections about the state of their relationships with their fathers. But Roberts constructs comedy shows the way Steven Moffat writes scripts – he creates puzzle boxes of comedy whose twists and turns are impossible to second-guess.
Tiger Lounge, Manchester, Thu; Number Nine Cafe, Northampton, Fri
