THE OLD MARKET Brighton EVENT LISTINGS – From NOVEMBER 2021
Sam Lee
Tuesday 2 November, 19:30 (doors) / £16 (adv.)
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/sam-lee
Sam Lee plays a unique role in the British music scene. He’s an acclaimed, award-winning inventive singer, a folksong collector, conservationist and founder/director of The Nest Collective who’ve helped shake up the music scene and injected life back into the folk trad and world acoustic scenes. With his critically acclaimed new album, Old Wow, he takes the listener on a truly compelling and emotional journey that takes his work to yet another level.
His 1st release, Ground Of Its Own in 2012, was short-listed for a Mercury Music Prize. Sam’s 2015 album The Fade In Time broke further ground with Lovely Molly winning a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for Best Traditional Track. He also won Artist of the Year at the 2016 Songlines Magazine Awards. Sam wrote and performed the lead song for Guy Ritchie’s Hollywood film King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.
Old Wow pushes Sam’s music into further remarkable territory with producer Bernard Butler’s (Suede, McAlmont & Butler) electric guitar playing and a rare and gorgeous contribution by Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins, Massive Attack). Her spine-tingling vocals were joined on the album by other stellar performers including Cosmo Sheldrake, spoken-word poet Dizraeli and The Gloaming’s Caoimhin O Raghallaigh.
Sam is a committed environmental campaigner whose work includes the annual sell-out Singing With Nightingales helping to highlight the threat to these and other endangered species. In 2019, Sam was musical director for the RSPB campaign Let Nature Sing, which resulted in 3 minutes of bird song entering the Top 20 UK music charts. Sam is a founding member of Music Declares Emergency and is closely involved with Extinction Rebellion. He has recently released his debut book The Nightingale: Notes on a Songbird out now on Century/Penguin Random House.
This performance forms part of Sam’s Old Wow+ tour and for which he is releasing a special tour edition of the same title including the full original album together with 6 special bonus tracks.
Yussef Dayes
Wednesday 3 November, 19:30 (doors) / £20 (adv.)
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/yussef-dayes
The UK’s most innovative young drummer and producer, Yussef Dayes, has gained notoriety on the international stage as a pioneer of his field.
Though largely considered a “jazz” drummer, Dayes pushes beyond genre restrictions melding together everything from 70s funk to Senegalese percussion to UK grime. Support TBC.
Baxter Dury – Mutations Festival
Friday 5 November, 16:00 (doors) / Various Prices
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/baxter-dury-mutations-festival
As part of Mutations Festival 2021, The Old Market will host Baxter Dury, Billy Nomates, Hotel Lux and more.
Born in 2015, the genre melting Mutations 001 set the foundation for its daring lineups to come. 2019 saw a mysterious venue unearthed on the outskirts of the city as Mutations 002 evolved into a powerhouse of creative exploration.
Arriving at any place and at any time, Mutations Festival is an ever evolving and unforeseen meeting of like minded music fans, hungry to uncover the unknown and the unexpected.
As this spinning marble we call home finally starts to return to normal, we felt it only right for Mutations Festival 003 to return to central Brighton. This November, 100 of the most exciting, inspirational and relevant artists will perform at 11 of Brighton’s most treasured Grassroots Music Venues over 4 exuberant days.
Get ready to embrace the experimental and the brave at Mutations Festival 2021.
TOM
Rob Newman’s Philosophy Show
Sunday 7 November, 19:30 / £15, concession £12
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/rob-newman-philosophy-show
In this all-new show, multi-award-winning stand-up comic Rob Newman weaves together Nietzsche’s sunglasses, James Bond in Toxteth, electric spiders and singing neanderthals into a hilarious tour-de-force that offers new hopes for a changing world.
Rob Newman’s Philosophy Show coincides with the release of his BBC Radio 4 series.
★★★★ “Hugely entertaining, gleefully jaunty and refreshingly intelligent… I loved it” – Guardian
“He is one amazing comedian” – Time Out
“Intellectually charged and adorably ambitious… a delightfully digestible dose of brain food” – Times
Rutherford & Fry – The Complete Guide To Everything (*Abridged) – Live!
Thursday 11 November, 20:00 / £27, Ticket + Book £43
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/rutherford-and-fry
We all rely on our gut feelings. But intuition is a terrible guide. If we believed what our minds tell us, we’d all think the world is flat (it’s not even round), the sun orbits the Earth (nope), and that a day is made of twenty-four hours (close but also no).
Now, in their first ever live show, Drs Hannah Fry and Adam Rutherford will show you that reality is not what it seems, common sense is neither common nor sensible, and our minds have evolved to lie to us all the time. They will take you on thrilling journey through time and space, from the beginnings of life on Earth to wondrous aliens elsewhere in the galaxies, from the darkest depths of infinity – via a hypnotised snail – to the brightest recesses of our minds.
Live on stage for the first time, Rutherford and Fry are your inimitable guides to the complete guide to absolutely everything*
*Abridged, and heavily edited, especially the boring bits.
TOM
Tez Ilyas: The Vicked Tour
Friday 12 November, 20:00 / £15
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/tez-ilyas
The brand-new stand-up show from the star of The Tez O’Clock Show (Channel 4), TEZ Talks (BBC Radio 4) and the multi-award-winning Man Like Mobeen (BBC Three).
Join Tez as he uses his trademark silly, smart and subversive humour to celebrate all that we still have. Expect mega laughs, happy groans and cheeky provocations, as Tez guarantees a vicked time.
★★★★ “Radiantly entertaining” – Times
★★★★ “Blackburn’s Chris Rock” – Guardian
★★★★ “Tez Ilyas’s political stand-up takes serious talent to pull off” – Telegraph
Clinton Baptiste Goes Stratospheric
Saturday 13 November, 20:00 / £18
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/clinton-baptiste-goes-stratospheric
From Bolton via Vegas…..to the stars! Following the massive success of his last UK tour, clairvoyant medium and psychic Clinton Baptiste has gone exploring, stateside.
Not quite Caesar’s Palace but a series of shows in Vegas have lifted his celebrity status up a notch. Let him take you on a journey from his humble roots via the dazzling heights of Sin City…..
…..and on to an amazing finale that will heal the world.
Viva Las Vegas…Viva Clinton!
Clinton Baptiste is the hapless, unsubtle psychic from Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights. Following his sell out tour of 2019-20 “The Paranormalist Returns”, Clinton has taken a whirlwind tour of the US. Hear his tales of rubbing shoulders with the hippy dippy new-agers from La La Land and how he hits the big time in Vegas with his lavish psychic show. For a while things couldn’t be better. A new lease of life, new teeth, new hair and a buttock lift. (Both of them.) But a humbly spiritual man at heart, Clinton realises that sometimes all that glitters ain’t gold and now returns to you, his beloved British audience to once again conjure up those pure selfless gifts he was born with.
For tonight, ladies and gentlemen, Clinton will all cast fame and fortune aside……and heal the world!
3 Word Interviews’ Comedy Gala
Sunday 14 November, 20:00 / £20
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/3-word-interviews-comedy-gala
3 Word Interviews are putting on a night of comedy with some of the best comedians that have appeared on their YouTube channel this year!
Fresh off her UK tour, Maisie Adam has appeared on shows such as Mock The Week, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Have I Got News For You, Roast Battle & Hypothetical.
Rosie Jones wrote for, and has been a guest on The Last Leg, 8 Out Of 10 Cats + many more.
Tom Lucy has played arena’s across the country and has recently appeared on Roast Battle and The Stand Up Sketch Show. He also boasts tour support for the likes of Michael McIntyre, Jack Whitehall and Rob Beckett.
Rich Wilson, host of hit podcast Insane In The Men Brain, is an award winning comedian who is sought after all over the country. Born and raised in London, Rich brings his ‘cheeky chappy’ personality to the stage and will guarantee to bring a smile to your face.
The night’s compere is Jen Brister. After a full UK tour, local comedian, actor and author, Jen has been on shows such as Live At The Apollo and Hypothetical.
Subscribe to 3 Word Interviews on YouTube and follow their social media for free drinks and giveaways on the night!
*The line-up may be subject to change*
Stacey Kent
Tuesday 16 November, 19:00 (doors) / Standard £26.50, Premium £29.50
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/stacey-kent
With over 2 million albums sold, a Grammy nomination and international recognition as the most successful and prolific jazz vocalist of her time, Stacey Kent is an artist in the mould of the greatest. With a legion of fans worldwide, a host of honours and awards, gold, double-gold and platinum-selling albums that have reached a series of No. 1 chart positions during the span of her career.
As part of her worldwide tour, Stacey returns to the UK with her 5-piece band for a very select number of 2020 dates. Stacey’s visit to TOM will see her performing music from her latest release and most ambitious album to date, I Know I Dream (Sony Music / Okeh) alongside a collection of numbers from her previous albums, including the Grammy nominated Breakfast on the Morning Tram.
This bewitching collection of songs, includes American Standards, Bossa Nova classics, Chansons, as well as original songs and reprises of some of Stacey’s most loved repertoire – including numbers co-written by Nobel prizewinner Kazuo Ishiguro, whose songwriting partnership with Stacey has formed an essential plank of her repertoire. For Stacey, whose international touring schedule keeps her on the road for most of the year, her return to Brighton provides a rare opportunity for UK fans see her live in concert.
“She has charm to burn, a smile that could give you hope in February and sings like nobody’s business” – Wall Street Journal
“Devastatingly stylish” – Observer
“Stacey Kent has been quietly sitting on top of the world of jazz vocals, for many years” – Jamie Cullum
BC Camplight + Special Guests
Wednesday 17 November, 19:30 (doors) / £16.50 (adv.)
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/bc-camplight
Melting Vinyl is thrilled to announce Bella Union artist BC Camplight’s new gig, his first in Brighton since his previous sold-out show back in 2019.
Brian Christinzio is the inimitable force behind BC Camplight. His fifth album, Shortly After Takeoff, is the final and finest chapter of what he calls his Manchester Trilogy, following on from 2015’s How to Die in the North and 2018’s Deportation Blues. All three albums were created after the native Philadelphian moved to Manchester, UK.
Shortly After Takeoff is Christinzio’s best, most authentically honest, and frequently heart-breaking record to date. The album explores the singer-songwriter’s ongoing battle with mental illness and offers a leap forward in song writing sophistication and lyrical communication. Christinzio says the album is “an examination of madness and loss” and he hopes the themes will start a “long-overdue conversation”.
The album also showcases his classic style; a gnarly synth-pop with ‘50s rock’n’roll tones, and a flexible vocal which carries a fearless approach to lyrical introspection. Shortly After Takeoff ends with the gorgeously tender 93-second ‘Angelo’, which he wrote in honour of his father. Christinzio says this song presents “a little fleeting moment for my dad. I wanted his name on the album and something that sounded like a goodbye. It ends with the drums, like a heartbeat stopping…”.
One regret Christinzio has is that his father never saw him experience any level of success. “I wish he could have seen what I’ve started to do here,” he says. “I certainly gave that guy more grey hairs than he deserved. He would have liked to see this.”
Christinzio is delighted to be performing live again. He says of his performing style;
“I’m pretty sure the BC Camplight live experience isn’t something you can find elsewhere. It is a journey every night. One moment, I’m basically doing a stand-up routine and the next, the band and I are playing like we plan on dying that evening, giving our everything. Then I’m on speakerphone to my Mom on stage before assaulting my piano. I’m very thankful that, after all this time, the audience is finally there.”
“Spellbinding and utterly wonderful” – The Line of Best Fit
“BC Camplight is a marvel” – The Guardian
Gary Meikle: Surreal
Thursday 18 November, 20:00 / £22.50
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/gary-meikle-surreal
After his meteoric rise through the ranks, Scottish Comedy Award winner and viral sensation Gary Meikle is back with his second tour show, Surreal – a word that perfectly describes Gary’s last twelve months. He started the year performing in comedy clubs, and ended it selling out big theatres in the UK as well as tours in America, Canada and Europe.
Not one for mincing his words, Gary has been described as “playfully dark”. His cheeky chappie nature and ability to get away with talking about anything will have you laughing at things you probably shouldn’t be. As always, Gary will draw material from his own real-life experiences, including his unique family dynamic and his rapid rise to online fame. Quickly putting his audiences at ease, a night of stand up with Gary feels like a night in the pub chatting with friends!
Having performed to tens of thousands of people over the past year, Gary has found a new confidence and level of openness on stage, meaning he doesn’t hold back on giving his opinions, no matter how warped. The new show will cover topics such as evolution, social media, how to deal with burglars, single mums, bee sex, small man syndrome and much more. Gary is a fast-paced, punchy storyteller that finds the funny in anything!
Uninterrupted Theatre Collective: Invisible Sentence
Saturday 20 November, 19:30 / £10
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/invisible-sentence
What happens when someone you love is sentenced? How does love survive the separation, the shame, the stigma? And who cares?
This new play by Dinos Aristidou, created in collaboration with Sussex Prisoners Families, is based on powerful verbatim accounts from women who have a son, daughter or partner serving a prison sentence. Directed by Julia Roberts, the company bring to life the experiences of families under extreme pressure who are key but largely silent, forgotten figures in the criminal justice system.
Uninterrupted Theatre Collective formed in lockdown in 2020, commissioned by Farnham Maltings as part of their ‘Making Theatre In Extraordinary Times’ programme.
BHAC Poetry Festival
Sunday 21 November, 15:00 / £20
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/bhac-poetry-festival-2021
Following on from the success of their previous visit to TOM in 2019, the Brighton and Hove Arts Council return with the BHAC Poetry Festival – an afternoon of wonderful and whimsical wordplay.
Headlining the event this year is celebrated poet, playwright and author Jackie Kay. Known for her numerous works including Other Lovers, Trumpet and Red Dust Road, the former Scots Makar (national poet laurete of Scotland) was appointed as a CBE in 2020 for her services to literature, and BHAC are delighted to welcome her to the festival.
Support comes from the award-winning poet and children’s author John Agard and also from poet Grace Nichols. Elsewhere on the bill, the Hammer & Tongue slammers battle it out in verse with the audience wielding the decisive scores), plus the winner of this year’s Sussex Poetry Competition will be crowned.
The BHAC Poetry Festival promises a whole afternoon of entertainment celebrating the ups and downs of life, brought to you through poet’s eyes.
Jon Hopkins
Monday 22 November, 19:30 (doors) / £30 (adv.)
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/jon-hopkins
Jon Hopkins is pleased to announce the addition of a new UK show in Brighton to the rescheduled Polarity tour for 2021.
Taking in Bristol, Cambridge, Brighton, Reading and London’s Royal Albert Hall, Polarity tethers together “the two disparate elements of harsh and fragile in my music,” Hopkins says. “And by going between the two, we’ll hopefully create some profound moments of stillness.” Playing grand piano for parts of the show, he will be joined on stage by a small group of consummate musicians and long-time friends – acclaimed producer and guitarist Leo Abrahams, violinist and arranger Emma Smith and cellist Daisy Vatalaro.
Presenting his live show in a seated venue will present a fascinating challenge for both performer and audience. Polarity follows his incredibly successful Singularity tour, which saw him perform sold out solo live shows, festival dates and DJ appearances across the globe. “Previously I had a set that was tailored to festivals and to standing crowds and intoxicated people,” he says, “and that’s been amazing, but I would say my deepest nature lies in the stillness, the meditative side of my music.”
Jon has recently announced his new album, Music For Psychedelic Therapy set for release on 12th November ’21, his first full-length since sister albums, the GRAMMY-nominated Singularity (2018) and Immunity (2013). With support from Hayden Thorpe.
TOM
Rachel Parris: All Change Please
Wednesday 24 November, 19:30 / £15
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/rachel-parris-all-change-please
BAFTA-nominated comedian Rachel Parris is back with a brand-new show about big life changes.
Join viral sensation and star of BBC’s The Mash Report as she performs stand-up and songs about sudden love, the highs and lows of relationships, family, weddings, kids, going viral, going mental, and the baffling state of play in society right now.
“Venomously witty” – Evening Standard
“A natural charm and keen eye for observation” – Chortle
“This is classy, clever comedy – uproarious” – Scotsman
Caroline Criado Perez in Conversation
Thursday 25 November, 19:30 / £15, ticket and book £20
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/caroline-criado-perez-in-conversation
Imagine a world where your phone is too big for your hand, your doctor prescribes a drug that is wrong for your body, and in a car accident you are 47% more likely to be injured. If any of that sounds familiar, chances are you’re a woman.
Join Caroline Criado Perez for a discussion of the gender bias that affects our everyday lives. From government policy and medical research, to technology, workplaces, and the media, Invisible Women reveals how in a world built for and by men we are systematically ignoring half the population, often with disastrous consequences.
Don’t miss the opportunity to hear from Caroline about the research behind the book, and her wider work as a feminist campaigner.
Extravaganza!
Friday 26 November, 20:00 / from £15
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/extravaganza
All That Bex presents a fabulous, fundraising cabaret event for The Martin Fisher Foundation. With sensational host Stella Pint, Extravaganza! features performances from the world of comedy, burlesque, and drag.
Within this two-part cabaret event, expect an incredible line-up of performers, including an appearance by Brighton’s very own #NHShero Sister Brandy Bex. Following the two-part cabaret is a performance by local group The Harlequeens as the spectacular finale to this Extravaganza!
In addition to the entertainment, there is a raffle draw with some quirky and unique prizes kindly donated by local businesses. Generously sponsored by Glencairn Consulting Limited, all profits from the raffle and ticket sales go to The Martin Fisher Foundation.
Saint Etienne + Guests
Saturday 27 November, 19:30 (doors) / £30 (adv.)
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/saint-etienne
Formed in Croydon in 1990 by music journalist Bob Stanley with childhood friend Pete Wiggs, and soon joined by singer Sarah Cracknell, Saint Etienne arose within the context of the indie-dance movement of that era but created a unique sound which – albeit accidentally – paved the way for what would later become known as Britpop.
Now, the outfit head to The Old Market in support of their tenth studio album, I’ve Been Trying To Tell You. The album, which is released in the first week of September and accompanied by a specially-made film directed by acclaimed fashion photographer Alasdair McLellan and sleeve notes from socialist writer Owen Hatherley, is made largely from samples and sounds drawn from the turn of the new century, a period that was topped and tailed by Labour’s election victory and the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers. “It’s about memory,” Bob explains, “and how it can fog and play tricks on you. Specifically, it’s about the late Nineties, and current nostalgia for the Nineties.” Support TBC.
New Sussex Opera: The Princess of Trébizonde
Sunday 28 November, 16:00 / £30 (adv.)
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/new-sussex-opera-princess-of-trebizonde
Live opera up close, fully staged, sung in a new English translation.
All the wonderfully zany ingredients of a neglected French masterpiece with sparkling music – outrageous fun. In a travelling circus, the dancer Zanetta dusts a waxwork of Princess Trébizonde and accidentally breaks off its nose. She has no choice but to install herself in its position and impersonate the statue. A visiting prince arrives and, naturally, falls in love with the “waxwork”… A talented cast bring this hilarious farce to life.
To find out more about the company, visit https://www.newssussexopera.org
Opéra-bouffe by Jacques Offenbach.
NSO Chorus, St Paul’s Sinfonia, Conductor Toby Purser, Director / Designer Anthony Baker, Choreographer Eleanor Strutt. Cast includes Chiara Vinci (Zanetta), Anthony Flaum (Tremolini), Paul Featherstone (Casimir), Simon Thorpe (Cabriolo).
Gang of Youths
Monday 29 November, 19:00 (doors) / £15 (adv.)
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/gang-of-youths
Gang of Youths were formed in Sydney, Australia in 2011 by David Le’aupepe and some like-minded mates. Within months of their first gig, they’d started to attract a rabid fanbase enraptured by their expansive, widescreen take in indie-rock, the sort of black magic music that manages to feel universal and personal at the same time.
They honed this sound over two records, on 2015’s The Positions and 2017’s Go Farther In Lightness, and won three of Australia’s prestigious ARIA Awards on the back of their Platinum-selling second album. Word spread further afield too, helped by an extensive support tour in the US and Europe supporting Mumford & Sons.
The group have had a complete artistic overhaul during 2020, with their new music fusing their knack of soaring melodies, indelible hooks, and dynamic rock uplifts with a love of neoclassical, minimalist composers, and experimental sampling. Support TBC.
TOM
Michael Spicer: The Room Next Tour
Friday 3 December, 20:00 / £17
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/michael-spicer-the-room-next-door-tour
Join Michael Spicer, creator of internet sensation The Room Next Door, as he talks about his life making comedy under the radar, his viral hits of the past and of course, brand new Room Next Door sketches on his highly anticipated first live tour – The Room Next Tour.
This is a unique opportunity to see the man from The Room Next Door finally leave his room behind and walk out onto the live stage.
The Room Next Door, has amassed over 60 million views online and in 2020 made its American debut on The Late Late Show with James Corden. Michael’s Radio 4 series entitled Michael Spicer: Before Next Door is scheduled for the summer and his book, The Secret Political Adviser, was released by Canongate in October 2020.
“Spicer is the foil who reflects the absurdity of what’s being said” – The Observer
“Genius” – Richard Herring
TOM
Wes Banderson
Saturday 4 – Monday 6 December, 20:00 daily / £16.50, concession £12.50
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/wes-banderson
WORLD PREMIERE!
Come and join multi-instrumentalists Wes Banderson for a musical tribute to one of the most unique and idiosyncratic directors of our generation.
In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last 20 years, Wes Anderson is the auteur behind the iconic films The Grand Budapest Hotel, Fantastic Mr Fox, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Royal Tenenbaums, Moonrise Kingdom, Isle of Dogs and more. Now you can sit back and experience the music of these iconic films live, all performed by a six-piece band for your listening pleasure.
Wes Banderson is the brainchild of Adam Znaidi, bassist of The Physics House Band and The GO! Team. He has assembled some of the best musicians around, along with beautiful on-screen animations, to take you on a journey through the rich tapestry of tracks from the Anderson film archives.
Plus, come dressed as your favourite Wes Anderson character, and you might even win a prize…
Proudly presented by The Old Market. Supported using public funding from Arts Council England. This show is not affiliated with or endorsed by Wes Anderson, but we reckon he’d love it.
The Blues Band
Thursday 9 December, 20:00 / £35 (adv.)
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/the-blues-band
BYE BYE BLUES BAND – THE FAREWELL TOUR
Back in the late 70s when Disco had superseded Blues and R&B, a quintet of skilled and successful blues musicians, Paul Jones, Tom McGuinness, Hughie Flint, (replaced by Rob Townsend) Dave Kelly and Gary Fletcher were determined to keep the Chicago and Mississippi sound alive and kicking. No strangers to chart success, they gathered in a London pub simply to re-kindle the flame.
Four decades, over 4,000 gigs, 30 albums and a string of singles later, they are taking to the road one last time to remind us just how durable and eternally thrilling live Blues remains. Erudite in their craft, experienced and tutored by their close early working relationships as side-men with the likes of John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, Howlin’ Wolf and many others, The Blues Band have filled halls and stadiums around the world.
If you’re an aficionado of authentic Blues played by richly experienced and seasoned journeymen, this will be a memorable opportunity to catch them one final time.
TOM
Jason Byrne: Audience Precipitation
Monday 13 December, 20:00 / £19.50
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/jason-byrne-audience-precipitation
He’s back, with his brand-new show, that most people can’t pronounce. Featuring all sorts of hilarious stories from this unusual past year. From a quiz show in his toilet, river dancing in his living room, to getting Banned from Tik Tok.
Jason connects with the audience in a way no other comic can. Every show is different, special and unique to that crowd on the night. Jason, together with the audience, create absolute magic in the room, using only the mic as his wand.
Jason’s Audience Precipitation, will be a laugh out loud, must see show, with a light drizzle of audience participation… ooohhh clever that.
“Unmissable” – Evening Standard
“Watching a new Jason Byrne show is a bit like witnessing lightning in a bottle” – Edinburgh Evening News
“Byrne is consistently brilliant” – Metro
“The outright king of live comedy” – Times
TOM
Jess Robinson: The Twelve Days of Jessmas
Tuesday 14 December, 19:30 / £15
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/jess-robinson
Join multi award-winning star of Spitting Image, Jess Robinson, for an evening of musical comedy and festive fun!
Expect magical mashups, fabulous original songs and a belly full of laughs as your angelic host and her sparkling live band (if they’ve washed), transports you on an (imaginary) sleigh ride, through a winter wonderland of dazzling divas and stars of the silver screen, serving up a feast of famous voices, from Gaga to Garland. It’ll be anything but a silent night.
As seen / heard on Spitting Image, The Guilty Feminist, The Now Show, Dead Ringers, Britain’s Got Talent and her own award-winning podcast, Stars In Your Ears.
“A star is born” – Metro
“A feel-good, celebratory show” – Observer
“Jess Robinson dazzles with both her celebrity impressions and her own stunning voice” – Sunday Post
“Slick impressions and super-powered ballads” – Guardian
“Pitch perfect” – Telegraph
TOM
Josh Berry and Rafe Hubris
Friday 21 January, 20:00 / £17
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/josh-berry-rafe-hubris
In his debut UK tour, Josh Berry mocks people who went to slightly more prestigious private schools than him for an hour. Josh will probably agonise about whether it’s right that he’s making lots of money these days over the course of a performance he’s charging you to watch. He’ll also in all likelihood do quite a few impressions although he’s really trying to leave all that stuff behind because he thinks he’s artistically above it now.
Josh Berry is a regular on Radio 4 (Now Show, Dead Ringers), has written and performed 2 sold-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe and has millions of hits on social media for his various impressions and parodies of different types of posh people.
“Merciful wit…nothing is off limits from his biting impressions. Make no mistake: Berry’s impressions are second to none” – The Wee Review
“Already on par with the likes of Rory Bremner, Jon Culshaw and Ronnie Ancona” – Brighton FringeReview
“A remarkable new talent” – Rob Brydon
Also starring Rafe Hubris (BA, OXON) who is, by his own admission, ‘the most significant special advisor working for the conservative party’ and has been at the coalface* throughout the government’s coronavirus response. Watch this supremely confident 24 year old Eton and Oxford alumnus, tell the story of the 2020 pandemic which he thinks he’s managed ‘vary wall’. Expect lots of audience interaction as Rafe riffs on some of the major points of the pandemic, from Johnson getting covid to the Cummings scandal.
*In the metaphorical sense obviously, he’s never actually done manual labour…
Geoff Norcott: I Blame The Parents
Saturday 5 February, 19:30 / £17
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/geoff-norcott-i-blame-the-parents
I Blame the Parents is the fourth national tour for Geoff Norcott, following on the back of Conswervative, Traditionalism and Taking Liberties.
This time Geoff talks less politics (alright, there will probably be a bit), but this brand-new show will mostly explore personal responsibility, parenting and who should take the blame when things go wrong.
Geoff has a string of top-level credits to his name including The Last Leg (C4), Would I lie To You? (BBC One), Mock the Week (BBC Two), Live at The Apollo (BBC Two), Offended by Irvine Welsh (Sky Arts), The Mash Report (BBC Two), 8 Out of 10 Cats (C4) and The Duchess (Netflix).
He also fronted his own documentary, How The Middle Classes Ruined Britain (BBC2) and has released three BBC Radio 4 specials to date, one of which won ‘Best Comedy’ at BBC Radio & Music Awards.
★★★★ “Sets himself apart from the liberal commentariat with a sharp self-knowing wit” – The Times
TOM
Patrick Kielty: Borderline
Thursday 19 May, 20:00 / £24 (conc. £22)
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/patrick-kielty-borderline
Bittersweet, poignant and laugh out loud funny, Borderline is a comedic love letter to the future of our islands from this award-winning comedian’s personal past.
Borderline sees Patrick Kielty return to his satirical roots with a personal take on borders, national identity and the future of the Union in a post Brexit landscape.
As a Northern Ireland native, who grew up close to the Irish border, this new one man stand up show delves into his homeland’s recent history to try to make sense of what Brexit’s new borders and political upheaval means for our shared identities.
“Genius” – The Sun
“Ripped the place apart” – The Guardian
“Kielty is fabulous” – The Times
“Funny and inspiring” – Daily Express
“Kielty is a revelation” – Evening Standard
“A consummate provider of finely-engineered stand-up” – Chortle
Darwin Deez
Saturday 21 May, 19:00 (doors) / £16.50 (adv.)
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/darwin-deez
Upon its release in April 2010 Darwin Deez’s wonderfully off-kilter debut album, which featured hit singles Constellations and Radar Detector, was met with universal praise from international radio and press. By turns joyous and heart tugging, winsome and wistful, glorious and gorgeous, buoyed aloft by Deez’s ear for a soaring chorus and a catchy tune, not to mention his knack for a killer couplet, Darwin self-proclaimed the album as being ‘happy songs for sad people’.
Now, in order to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the release, Darwin and band are excited to be touring the album once more. The album will be performed in its entirety at each show, in addition to a number of select songs from Darwin’s other releases to-date.
Singularly a brilliant, hilarious, complex, entertaining individual, Darwin Deez writes songs that will make you want to bust out your dancing shoes while also cutting to that raw, emotional nerve. Renowned for the most entertaining of live shows, with added choreographed dance routines, don’t miss your chance to witness a rare insight into everything a pop star should be, and yet so rarely is. Support TBC.
“Prince-meets-Jonathan Richman. Artfully artless, his songs sound as if they have burst out of him, fully formed snap-crackle-pop gems that are somehow both disposable and enduringly resonant” – The Sunday Times
“Darwin Deez, totally f***ing awesome” – NME
“Exhilarating… simple, yet irresistible” – Q
The Brighton Beach Boys: Let It Be
Friday 1 July, 20:00 / £22
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/brighton-beach-boys-let-it-be
The Brighton Beach Boys will recreate the last studio album release of The Beatles, Let It Be.
Released in May 1970, a month after the announcement of the break-up of the band, it’s a postscript to their career. A hit on both sides of the Atlantic, it won the Oscar for best film score and boasts a series of classic moments. Be it the straight rock of I’ve Got a Feeling or the gospel-tinged Let It Be, folky harmonising of Two of Us or Harrison’s blues drama of I, Me, Mine, this is an album with texture and depth, changes and surprises.
The band will accompany the recreation of Let It Be with a selection of songs from the period; hits and near misses, loves and lost adventures – an evening to celebrate.