yetanotherdave.com » Tobacco Factory

Richard Herring Christ on a bike review.

yetanotherdave — Tue, 03 May 2011 20:11:40 +0000

Richard Herring is really on form here. There’s a confidence and a relaxed feel to him, his stage presence and delivery seems natural and in control.
He seems to be relaxed with the subject material and this is paying off. The subject of this show is possibly wider than previous shows (a show about Hitlers Moustache for example) which gives him more to work with. He’s also done this show before. This is, if you like, the second coming. It’s the 10 year anniversary of the show, which Richard first did when he was 33, and was comparing his life achievements to that of Christ’s at the same age.

The worst part of the show was that the theatre has the most uncomfortable chairs in existence. Really truly awful. The seat part is flimsy, but the back of the chair as actively trying to hurt you, angled in such a way as to ensure it will dig into your spine. It would be forgivable if this was a makeshift area, but this is a full time theatre space. The last thing a comedian needs while performing is an audience so uncomfortable they want the half to end so they can stand up. Still worth it though.

Richard has suffered a few christian protests outside the gig venues, which I think are unfair. Does he blaspheme throughout? Well, yes. But does he attack religion. Not really. Should it put you off? If you go to something, determined to get angry, then you will. If you go for a comedy night, you’ll get comedy.

The biggest cheer of the night, possibly unfairly, was not for a joke, but for Richard memorising long list. In several different ways. And reciting them. Several times. I’ll leave it for you to see on the DVD, which should be out later this year at gofasterstripe.com.

Also available is Andrew Collings’Secret Dancing, which, as promised on the podcast, Richard wrote “Shit” on for me.

In the meantime, go and see him, it’s a really good show. He’s nearing the end of the tour, so there are only a few dates left. Tour dates are here.

RichardHerring.com

Filed under: reviews, Standup Tagged: comedy, Comedy Box, gig, review, Richard Herring, Tobacco Factory

The vegan situation. Day two.

yetanotherdave — Tue, 03 May 2011 17:41:32 +0000

Here’s the first vegan experiment update. Yesterday was the most hits my blog has ever had. More so than the Inca Temples. I’ts obvious what my audience wants. Apparently more about food and less about comedy.

I am almost constantly hungry. I’m putting this down to portion sizes. For some reason, eating a vegan diet has made my portion sizes smaller. I have made my way through almost a whole bag of apples throughout the day, but it’s not seeming to make a difference.
I’m thinking about food all the time. That’s not healthy, hopefully it’s just part of the newness of this.

I have learned a few key things. Coffee is much better black than with rice milk. Rice milk tastes much better on cereal when shaken properly. Work canteens are woefully inadequate at providing vegan options.
This was the only option available to me today. It was bland and unfilling. I did have the option of having chips instead of the potato. I’m not sure changing the shape of a food counts as an option.

I am going out tonight[1], to see Richard Herring performing Christ on a Bike at the Comedy Box/Tobacco Factory in Bristol (review later!). This presents me with my first “eating out” challenge. The Tobacco Factory is surrounded by pizza places, kebab shops and fish’n'chips shops. Eating a bag of chips feels like cheating and is just a carb fest. There is an Aldi next door and a Tesco extra up the road.
I am trying to avoid the situation altogether. I have had some piri humous on toast and a soya yoghurt. But the gig wont finish for another 5 hours.

In short, it’s not going great. I’m struggling to think of things that I can eat, variety is going to be tricky. Especially while at work and out. What I am eating isn’t filling me.

Also, as is usual for me, I have managed to set myself a large and doomed to failure project to go alongside this large lifestyle change. As usual, it involves learning an entirely new skill[2]. If I’m going to fail, I’m going to do it properly.

I don’t want to quit through just getting annoyed with it. I don’t want to quit because I’ve got bored of the options available. I need to find a few healthy vegan snacks that are actually filling. Any suggestions?

[1] Melanie, I did tell you about this, repeatedly, and most recently last night. I wont be home until late.

Yes.

Yes it is.

It IS on the calendar.

Go and check if you like.

See?

No I didn’t just add it. I booked the ticket last December!

[2] An iOS app. Hopefully more details later.

Filed under: Blog, Veganism Tagged: canteens, Comedy Box, Richard Herring, soya, Tobacco Factory, veganism

Marcus Brigstocke: God Collar

yetanotherdave — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:41:35 +0000

Tonight I was lucky enough (due to only finding out about the gig via a pre-gig twitter post two days ago) to be able to go and see Marcus Brigstocke perform his show “God Collar’at the Tobacco Factory in Bristol. The venue was bigger than I expected, probably around 400 seats, and the fact that it sold out 3 days in a row is comforting, that there’s 1200 people in Bristol, or indeed anywhere, who will take the time, money and effort to go and see challenging comedy like this.

Wow, just wow. If you’ve ever heard Marcus rant on The Now Show you’ll be familiar with the intensity, insight and pace of his act. You’d expect him to let up while doing a two hour set, you’d be wrong. From start to finish he careers from angry, impassioned, laugh out loud funny and insightful and doesn’t let up for an instant. Whoever you are, and whatever you believe in, he will challenge you on it. Great comedy makes you think as well as laugh. This delivers all that.

This was easily one of the best comedy gigs I’ve ever been to, I laughed till my face hurt. If you get a chance you really should go.

Posted in Blog, reviews, Standup Tagged: comedy, gig, god, Marcus Brisgtocke, religion, review, stand up, Tobacco Factory