Half of the Manchester comedy scene may head off north of the border for the Edinburgh Fringe in August but for those summering in Manchester there’s still plenty going on at the city’s longest running comedy club, The Frog and Bucket.
A particularly big event this month is a charity comedy show celebrating Manchester Pride with all proceeds going to LGBT Pride Charities and Breast Cancer Care. Organised by comedians Jonathan Paylor and Kate McCabe, it’s on Sunday the 21st of August, the Sunday just before Pride Weekend so it acts as a brilliant warm up to events.
The fantastic line up consists of sets from seasoned Oldham comic Mick Ferry, the glittering talent that is Jonathan Mayor, the wonderfully cheeky Lou Conran, irrepressible live-wire Andy Watson, the both funny and stylish Ruth E Cockburn, loveable chap Colin Manford and ‘Loose Women’ warm up man Lee Peart. Plus a special guest.
Elsewhere in the line up for this month is the bi-monthly black comedy night Laff Til Ya Fart on the 7th August with Def Jam act from Washington DC Will E Robo and the half-Irish, half-Egyptian comedian Zahra Barri.
Then at the end of August on Sunday the 28th is the monthly Laughing Cows all female line up comedy night brought to you by Dulcet Sounds. This month there’s a fantastic headline set from Bradford’s Debra Jane Appelby who won both the Funny Women and Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year awards in 2005. Plus there will be full support.
As ever the regular calendar will be running with Beat the Frog amateur night on Mondays and the likes of Dan Nightingale, Barry Dodds and Jonathan Mayor compering. Then in the run up to the weekend is Thursday Night Live, the quieter, connoisseur night. Barrel of Laughs, our fun weekend show, will see many wonderful performances from local and visiting comics alike.
Popping in will be the likes of the expressively rubber faced Paul Tonkinson, delightfully geeky Josh Howie, former snooker player Sean Meo and award winning story teller Tom Wrigglesworth.
Whereas from closer to home there will be performances from Oldham’s Mick Ferry, Manchester’s Jonathan Mayor and Lou Conran, and Liverpool’s Jamie Sutherland and Sam Avery.
The Frog and Bucket is Manchester’s longest running comedy club and its original dedicated comedy venue. The club began life in 1994 originally in the Britannia pub around the corner from its current venue in the Northern Quarter.
Over the years the club has seen performances from Steve Coogan, John Thomson, John Oliver, Alan Carr, Jason Manford and Sarah Millican. Richard Herring visits the club each year with his new show.
Current regulars include Mrs Brown’s Boys’ Smug Roberts, Live at the Apollo’s Mick Ferry and Tom Stade, the award winning Phil Ellis, Show Me The Funny winner Patrick Monahan and Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Kiri Pritchard McLean.
Even the punters are well known comedy people – the late Caroline Aherne was a regular at the Monday amateur night with then hubby Peter Hook.
LISTINGS INFORMATION
Laff Til Ya Fart, Sunday August 7, 102 Oldham Street, Manchester, M4 1LJ. 8.30pm, £7.
Will E Robo and Zahra Barri. Frog and Bucket Comedy Club,Pride Comedy, Sunday August 21, Mick Ferry, Jonathan Mayor, Lou Conran, Andy Watson, Ruth E Cockburn, Colin Manford and Lee Peart plus a special guest. Frog and Bucket Comedy Club, 102 Oldham Street, Manchester, M4 1LJ. 8pm. Tickets £15.
Laughing Cows, Sunday August 28, Debra Jane Appelby plus full support. Frog and Bucket
Comedy Club, 102 Oldham Street, Manchester, M4 1LJ. 8pm, £10 door (£7 adv).
For further information please contact Marissa Burgess on marissa@marissaburgess.co.uk or