“In contrast with (my) generation, which had spent most of its time online learning to code so that it could add crude butterfly animations to the backgrounds of its weblogs, the generation immediately following had spent most of its time online making incredibly bigoted jokes in order to laugh at the idiots who were stupid enough to think that they meant it. Except that after a while they did mean it, and then somehow at the end of it they were white supremacists. Was this always how it happened?”
Patricia Lockwood, London Review of Books, Feb 2019

1) NEW SHOW 2019/20 – SNOWFLAKE/TORNADO

I’m doing a new stand-up show for the back end of 2019 and the first half of 2020. National dates from Feb 2020 will be announced later in the year, but I am going to do less than last time, but with longer runs in bigger rooms to hit the same demand, sadly, as the length of the last run nearly killed me, as you can see from the BBC film of the show.
he initial London dates will be work in progress, with a free DVD of CONTENT PROVIDER for all ticket holders and fans of obsolete physical media. Tons of fun!
I will film this show/these shows in the Summer of 2020 for offloading to whatever content platforms are still viable at that stage in late capitalism’s technologically-driven cultural decline.

David Johnson & John Mackay in association with Debi Allen/Curtis Brown present
STEWART LEE – SNOWFLAKE/TORNADO.

Double-bill of two new 60-ish minute sets, back to back nightly from “the world’s greatest living stand-up” (Times).

Tornado questions a shipwrecked Stew’s position in the comedy marketplace after Netflix mistakenly lists his show as “reports of sharks falling from the skies are on the rise again. Nobody on the Eastern Seaboard is safe.” What is anything? Is it this?
And Snowflake questions our worth in a collapsing society which no longer shares the liberal values we have for so long been keen to be seen to espouse, in a fairy-tale landscape of winter wonder.  Tons of fun!

SNOWFLAKE/TORNADO Work-in-Progress and DVD LAUNCH
Leicester Square Theatre, London.
A run of work-in-progress gigs to celebrate the DVD launch of his celebrated last live show CONTENT PROVIDER.
Each ticket will include a very special limited edition copy of the new DVD, exclusively available to bookers of this live show.
Stewart will be signing copies after the show.

Sept 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th – 7pm start
Oct 1st , 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th Oct – – 8.45pm start
2 hrs including interval
&pound26.50 including DVD of Content Provider (RRP &pound19.95)

Stewart Lee – Snowflake/Tornado.
Leicester Square Theatre, London.

October – December 2019
Tues 29th October 8.45pm – Sat Dec 14th
No Mondays, No Sundays, & not Sat Nov 30th

January 2020
Thurs 2nd Jan 8.45pm – Sat 25th Jan
No Mondays, No Sundays, & not Jan 9th
8.45 pm Stewart on stage
2 hrs + interval

Tues, Weds, Thurs &pound27.50
Friday & Saturday &pound29.50

All shows are 14+ apparently. If you are under 14 you are too immature to enjoy my swearing and farts.

SEPTEMBER 2019

Tuesday 24th – WORK-IN-PROGRESS with Free ‘Content Provider’ DVD – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 7pm – TICKETS
Wednesday 25th – WORK-IN-PROGRESS with Free ‘Content Provider’ DVD – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 7pm – TICKETS
Thursday 26th – WORK-IN-PROGRESS with Free ‘Content Provider’ DVD – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 7pm – TICKETS
Friday 27th – WORK-IN-PROGRESS with Free ‘Content Provider’ DVD – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 7pm – TICKETS
Saturday 28th – WORK-IN-PROGRESS with Free ‘Content Provider’ DVD – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 7pm – TICKETS

OCTOBER 2019

Tuesday 1st – WORK-IN-PROGRESS with Free ‘Content Provider’ DVD – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Wednesday 2nd – WORK-IN-PROGRESS with Free ‘Content Provider’ DVD – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Thursday 3rd – WORK-IN-PROGRESS with Free ‘Content Provider’ DVD – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Friday 4th – WORK-IN-PROGRESS with Free ‘Content Provider’ DVD – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Saturday 5th – WORK-IN-PROGRESS with Free ‘Content Provider’ DVD – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS

OCTOBER 2019

Tuesday 29th – SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Wednesday 30th – SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Thursday 31st – SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS

NOVEMBER 2019

Friday 1st SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Saturday 2nd SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS

Tuesday 5th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Wednesday 6th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Thursday 7th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Friday 8th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Saturday 9th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS

Tuesday 12th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Wednesday 13th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Thursday 14th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Friday 15th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Saturday 16th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS

Tuesday 19th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Wednesday 20th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Thursday 21st SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Friday 22nd SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Saturday 23rd SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS

Tuesday 26th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Wednesday 27th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Thursday 28th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Friday 29th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS

DECEMBER 2019

Tuesday 3rd SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Wednesday 4th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Thursday 5th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Friday 6th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Saturday 7th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS

Tuesday 10th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Wednesday 11th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Thursday 12th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Friday 13th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Saturday 14th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS

JANUARY 2020

Thursday 2nd SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Friday 3rd SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Saturday 4th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS

Tuesday 7th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Wednesday 8th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Friday 10th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Saturday 11th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS

Tuesday 14th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Wednesday 15th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Thursday 16th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Friday 17th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Saturday 18th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS

Tuesday 21st SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Wednesday 22nd SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Thursday 23rd SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Friday 24th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS
Saturday 25th SNOWFLAKE / TORNADO – Leicester Square Theatre, London – 8.45pm – TICKETS

“There’s no-one else to touch him” Mark Wareham, Mail On Sunday *****

“Lee remains one of the best stand-ups in the country” ***** Metro

“The world’s best living stand-up comedian” Dominic Maxwell, The Times

“He makes stand-up almost a moral pursuit, … that makes the usual (and more popular) stand-ups seem crude and obvious.” Alan Bennet, London Review Of Books.

“Proper, vicious prejudice – a self-proclaimed inhabitant of the moral high ground” Sarah Vine, Daily Mail

“A pot-bellied Bernard Manning for snowflakes” Tony Parsons, The Sun

“Woke, enlightened, professionally sensitive, BBC-approved comedian who can be guaranteed to dress to the left. The rancid tip of a cesspit.” – Tony Parsons, GQ

“If I could bring one extinct thing back to life it would be Stewart Lee’s sense of humour.” Frankie Boyle, The Guardian

“The opposite of what really good comedy should be” Toby Young, Radio 4

“Truly, he is the Oscar Wilde of our times” – Gary Bushell, The Daily Star

NB – I DID 5 MONTHS IN TOTAL AT LST OF CONTENT PROVIDER BETWEEN 2016-2018, AND THEN 4 ROYAL FEST HALLS AND THEY ALL SOLD OUT.
ONCE THESE DATES ARE DONE I AM NOT COMING BACK FOR MORE THIS TIME SO GET TICKETS IF YOU WANT THEM.

2) SNOWFLAKE/TORNADO WORK IN PROGRESSES

There are work-in-progress shows of this which will be very rough at…
Machynlleth Comedy Festival 3rd – 5th May. These are both sold out.

I am doing a headline half-hour on bill with John Kearns and Rosie Jones and more at Bristol Comedy Garden, July 7th. https://www.bristolcomedygarden.co.uk/line-up/sunday-late/

Soho Theatre, various dates from 10th June to 4th July
https://sohotheatre.com/shows/stewart-lee-double-work-in-progress/

3) EDINBURGH FRINGE

I am doing a week of hour long work-in-progress shows for Snowflake/Tornado at the Edinburgh Fringe in August, under the title Wok In Progress, after a slot suddenly became available through The Stand.

Here is a link for tickets, which go on sale 12 noon Thursday April 18th.
Other shows by other comedians are available.

SNOWFLAKE/TORNADO Wok-in-Progress
Aug 9th – Aug 15th 2019 7.10pm
EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE, THE STAND’S NEW TOWN THEATRE, GRAND HALL

TICKETS HERE (available from 12noon 18th April)  https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/stewart-lee-wok-in-progress

4) CONTENT PROVIDER

CONTENT PROVIDER has dropped off the BBC I-player.
I know they are allowed to put it on there three more times, but they do tend to need a nudge. Perhaps they will show it again. Who knows?
All four series of COMEDY VEHICLE are still up on there anyway. See how the world has changed for the worse in a decade. How quaint the liberal’s manageable dilemmas of 2013 seem now.
The third, and perhaps best, series of COMEDY VEHICLE seems to be on Netflix in the UK and, I think, the US.
It seems you can also stream CARPET REMNANT WORLD and the first 3 series of COMEDY VEHICLE on Amazon, here and I think in the US. Beats me! And, as I said above, CONTENT PROVIDER will be available as an Old Skool physical media DVD in the Autumn.
Tons of fun!

5) oxide ghosts/wok in progress

Fire Records, Films and Comedy present: ONE NIGHT ON EARTH.
Stewart Lee Upfront Work-In-Progress Show/ Oxide Ghosts: The Brass Eye Tapes Film Screening presented by Michael Cumming.

https://earthackney.seetickets.com/event/stewart-lee-oxide-ghosts-the-brass-eye-tapes/earth-theatre/1367088

A special night for comedy connoisseurs. Earth, Hackney, Friday 14th June. Doors 7pm. Show 8-11pm. Bar until 2am.

STEWART LEE (Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle) and MICHAEL CUMMING (Brass Eye, Toast) are currently mid-way through collaborating on a documentary about ROBERT LLOYD, of the enduring Birmingham post-punk band THE NIGHTINGALES (The John Peel Show, Clash White Riot Tour), entitled KING ROCKER. In order to raise money to pay for further train fares and Travelodges they are pooling their resources for one special night only at Hackney’s Earth.

MICHAEL CUMMING will introduce a screening of his documentary about CHRIS MORRIS’ BRASS EYE series, OXIDE GHOSTS. And then STEWART LEE will perform an extended set of WORK IN PROGRESS, an hour of material in development for his forthcoming tour show, SNOWFLAKE/TORNADO. There will be a raffle to win cool comedy memorabilia from both auteurs’ personal bin-bags. After the event ends a cut-down taster of KING ROCKER in its unfinished state will be available to view, as a bonus treat.

Stewart Lee: Work In Progress Notes towards a new show from “the world’s greatest living stand-up” (Times). Where does Stew sit in the marketplace, when Netflix mistakenly describe his show as ‘reports of sharks falling from the skies are on the rise. Nobody on the Eastern Seaboard is safe’? “Self-proclaimed inhabitant of the moral high ground” Sarah Vine, The Daily Mail “The rancid tip of a cesspit”, Tony Parson, GQ; “Not sure Lee was the right person to close the Parkinson’s Disease benefit tonight. I think we’ve all moved on from ten minute fart jokes.” Rona Hunnisett, England Netball Federation

OXIDE GHOSTS: THE BRASS EYE TAPES (2017, 60 mins) Director: Michael Cumming. Featuring: Chris Morris. Made from hundreds of hours of unseen material from his personal archive, Michael Cumming’s film shares insights into the process of making the legendary TV series Brass Eye. Michael directed both of the pilots and the series and, over a two year period, witnessed the highs and lows of Brass Eye from a personal perspective. The film is designed solely for live screenings and is made up almost entirely of never before seen footage. Oxide Ghosts carries the blessing of Chris Morris and provides a rare glimpse of his extraordinary working practices. This film is a must for fans of the series but will appeal to anyone with a curiosity about how great comedy is made. ‘[Oxide Ghosts] offers a well-judged and very rare insight into [Brass Eye’s] making, encapsulating the fun and covert excitement that went on while the project was still under wraps, before all the legal wrangling kicked in. If you’re an admirer of the show and the opportunity should arise for you to see Oxide Ghosts, have some self re-cocking-spect and do so without hesitation’ – Chortle

King Rocker How does a working class autodidact, with no visible means of support, maintain his role as the leader of a cult British underground band into its fifth decade? Comedian and writer Stewart Lee, director Michael Cumming (Brass Eye, Toast of London) and James Nicholls (Fire Records, Fire Films) investigate the mysterious existence of Robert Lloyd (The Prefects, The Nightingales), Britain’s ultimate post-punk survivor. Lloyd, a post-punk flaneur, sometime postman, and snug room raconteur, maintains a lifestyle outside the system via a succession of hustles, involving an encyclopaedic knowledge of horse racing and pre-punk musical weirdness. https://www.kingrockerfilm.com/

6) King Rocker Doc

Michael Cumming (Brass Eye), James Nicholls (Fire films) and I are now 1/3rd of the way through filming and editing and are looking for donations to complete the film below, which is about Birmingham post-punk survivors The Nightingales. Everyone who donates, no matter how big or how small*, will be featured in the end credits

*(I think this sentence, written by James from Fire, relates to the size of the donation, not the donor.)

https://www.kingrockerfilm.com/

7) BENEFIT GIGS

20TH MAY. HILARITY FOR CHARTITY – LEICS SQ THEATRE
A comedy night in aid of community charities North London Cares and South London Cares.
Harry Hill
Jamali Maddix
Lolly Adefope
Martin & Vivian Soan
Shazia Mirza
Stewart Lee
& More acts to be announced!

Line-up may be subject to change.
Running Time 3 hours
7.30pm
Age Restriction 18+
Please Note All ticket prices include a &pound1.25 venue restoration levy –
TICKETS

8) Sea Change Festival May 24 – 26

seachangefestival.co.uk – Dartington Hall, Totnes, Devon

METRONOMY, THE COMET IS COMING, STEWART LEE AND BAGPUSS CONFIRMED FOR 2019

The Quietus presents Gazelle Twin, You Tell Me, Hannah Peel & Will Burns, Pip Blom, TVAM

Sea Change is thrilled to join with Fire Records/Fire Films to offer the first look at KING ROCKER, a film investigating the mysterious existence of the front man and lyricist of The Nightingales, Robert Lloyd. Comedian and writer STEWART LEE and director MICHAEL CUMMING (Brass Eye, Toast) bring an exclusive first preview of the documentary to Sea Change, with a full panel talk and pounding live show from THE NIGHTINGALES, Britain’s ultimate post-punk survivors. Robert Lloyd’s The Prefects played with The Clash on the White Riot tour in 1977 and The Nightingales recorded more John Peel sessions than any other band.

Sea Change takes place on Friday 24th, Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th May, moving to the late May Bank Holiday for the first time having staged three sell-out events on the August Bank Holiday. The 2019 edition sees the second partnership between the young festival and a revered old institution
with a new story, the Dartington Hall estate, a combination which continues to add new names to Dartington’s quite-immaculate list of guest creators in music, art and culture.

As Sea Change moves to May, it also stretches into a third day, with music sets, talks and events, culminating in a special afternoon matinee headline performance at Dartington to close the festival. And while Dartington is the festival’s Offshore stage, hosting music until late on Friday and Saturday, the buildings of Totnes remain central to Sea Change, presenting extremely special music guests, panel talks, films and events beneath the beautiful gold leaf ceiling of the Barrel House Ballroom, 15th century St Mary’s Church, 1950s Civic Hall and restored Victorian Totnes Cinema.
Earlybird tickets sold out in record time in December, but day (&pound49), weekend (&pound89) and Young Person (&pound39) tickets are on sale now online or via THE DRIFT RECORD SHOP. https://www.seetickets.com/event/sea-change-2019/venues-in-totnes-dartington/1281511

Dates: Friday 24 – Sunday 26 May 2019.
Information and tickets: www.seachangefestival.co.uk & @driftseachange
Camping at Dartington will be available directly from its website from February.
Listings for hotels, hostels, BNB’s, spare rooms and http://www.visittotnes.co.uk/where-to-stay

9) FLATPACK FESTIVAL BIRMINGHAM

This is an independent film festival that runs in Birmingham from the week of 29th of April. https://flatpackfestival.org.uk

I am involved in two events
i) A screening of Michael Cumming’s Brass Eye documentary Oxide Ghosts on Weds May 1st https://flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/oxide-ghosts-q-and-a?perf_no=1615

ii) A screening of work in progress of King Rocker the same day https://flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/king-rocker-stewart-lee-and-the-nightingales?perf_no=1508

Both are sold out now.

10) Physics House Band

Death Sequence, a new four-track release from four-piece The Physics House Band, features Stewart Lee mumbling on one track. The record will be released digitally on May 3, and the band will tour the UK extensively through this month and into the summer.
You can find a list of their upcoming dates, and pre-order Death Sequence, here.

11) Meanwhile, I Arrogantly Recommend…

Robert Forster, Richard Dawson, Peter Case, Chameleons Vox, Bevis Frond, The Necks, Thurston Moore.

Robert Forster – waspish Australian songwriter. May 14th Union Chapel London, 15th Fleece Bristol, 16th Band On The Wall M’cr, 17th King Tut’s Glasgow, 17th St Luke’s Glasgow, 19th Button Factopry Dublin, 30th Cyprus Avenue Cork,.

Richard Dawson – experimental folkster. May 11th Cluny Newcastle, w Hen Ogledd 14th Bush Hall London, 15th Patterns Brighton, 18th South Street Reading

Peter Case. Punk-Americana veteran of Nerves (Hanging On The Telephone) and Plimsouls fame, with ex-Long Ryder Sid Griffin. May 15th Leystonstone ex-Servicemen’d Club, 16th Middlesborough Town Hall, 17th Renshaw St Liverpool, 19th Doublet Glasgow, 20th Heart of Hawick, 21st Voodoo Rooms Edinburgh, 22nd Hare And Hounds Birmingham, 23rd Exchange Twickenham.

Chameleons Vox – M’cr post-punk pioneers air their back catalogue. May 20th Vox Guildford, 21st Dingwalls London, 22nd Esquires Bedford, 23rd Gloucester Guildhall, 24th Brudenell Leeds, 27th Trades Hebden Bridge, 28th Riverside Newcastle, 29th Old Fire Station Carlisle, 30th Z Hull.

Bevis Frond – genre defying indie-rock/Hawkwind hybrid. May 18th Shipping Forecast Liverpool, 25th Oslo Hackney.

The Necks. Australian space-jazz unit. May 26th St Luke’s Brighton, 27th Earth Hackney, 28th Exchange Bristol.

Thurston Moore – Ageless Sonic Youth survivor. May 31st Earth Hackney.