1) BASIC LEE

The tour of the current stand-up show, tours nationwide from January 20^th 2024. Then it will be finished in April.

Dates here;

February 2024

Friday 2nd February 2024 – The Hawth, Crawley – TICKETS
Saturday 3rd February 2024 – Symphony Hall, Birmingham – TICKETS
Sunday 4th February 2024 – William Aston Hall, Wrexham – TICKETS
Tuesday 6th February 2024 – Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool – TICKETS
Wednesday 7th February 2024 – Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool – TICKETS
Thursday 8th February 2024 – Playhouse, Leeds – TICKETS
Friday 9th February 2024 – Playhouse, Leeds – TICKETS
Saturday 10th February 2024 – Playhouse, Leeds – TICKETS
Sunday 11th February 2024 – Theatre Royal, Newcastle – TICKETS
Sunday 18th February 2024 – DeMontfort Hall, Leicester – TICKETS
Tuesday 20th February 2024 – Harrogate Theatre, Harrogate – TICKETS
Wednesday 21st February 2024 – Harrogate Theatre, Harrogate – TICKETS
Thursday 22nd February 2024 – The Baths Hall, Scunthorpe – TICKETS
Friday 23rd February 2024 – Opera House, Buxton – TICKETS
Saturday 24th February 2024 – Belgrade Theatre, Coventry – TICKETS
Sunday 25th February 2024 – Belgrade Theatre, Coventry – TICKETS
Monday 26th February 2024 – Wycombe Swan, High Wycombe – TICKETS
Thursday 29th February 2024 – The Hexagon, Reading – TICKETS

March 2024

Friday 1st March 2024 – Royal & Derngate, Northampton – TICKETS
Saturday 2nd March 2024 – The Beacon, Bristol – TICKETS
Sunday 3rd March 2024 – Theatre Royal, Plymouth – TICKETS
Monday 4th March 2024 – Hall For Cornwall, Truro – TICKETS
Wednesday 6th March 2024 – Playhouse, Oxford – TICKETS
Thursday 7th March 2024 – Playhouse, Oxford – TICKETS
Friday 8th March 2024 – Playhouse, Oxford – TICKETS
Saturday 9th March 2024 – Storyhouse, Chester – TICKETS
Tuesday 12th March 2024 – Playhouse, Nottingham – TICKETS
Wednesday 13th March 2024 – Playhouse, Nottingham – TICKETS
Thursday 14th March 2024 – Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield – TICKETS
Friday 15th March 2024 – Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield – TICKETS
Saturday 16th March 2024 – Hippodrome, Darlington – TICKETS
Sunday 17th March 2024 – King’s Theatre, Glasgow – TICKETS
Thursday 21st March 2024 – King’s Theatre, Portsmouth – TICKETS
Friday 22nd March 2024 – Chelmsford Theatre, Chelmsford – TICKETS
Saturday 23rd March 2024 – Chelmsford Theatre, Chelmsford – TICKETS
Sunday 24th March 2024 – Theatre Royal, Norwich – TICKETS
Wednesday 27th March 2024 – Northcott Theatre, Exeter – TICKETS
Thursday 28th March 2024 – Northcott Theatre, Exeter – TICKETS

April 2024

Thursday 18th April 2024 – St. George’s Hall, Bradford – TICKETS
Monday 22nd April 2024 – The Lowry, Salford – TICKETS
Tuesday 23rd April 2024 – The Lowry, Salford – TICKETS
Thursday 25th April 2024 – The Alban Arena, St. Albans – TICKETS

2) JEREMY CLARKSON IS A FARM TWAT

In a piece in the Sunday 28^th January’s Sunday Times called “It’s A Sick Joke : US Comedians Are Fearless – And Funnier Than Ours”, Jeremy Clarkson selectively quotes a sentence from my 45 minute 2009 routine about him, in which I said I hoped Richard Hammond was blinded and decapitated in a crash.

The routine was a lengthy and cautious exploration of the idea that contrarians like Clarkson, while saying everyone should be free to offend, of course have their own lines in the sand, as Clarkson himself proves here, by being offended by me. Which was sort of the point. The reason the small section of the 45 minute routine he has quoted mentions The Hampster being blinded is because Clarkson and The Hampster had previously joked about Gordon Brown being blind in one eye, as I explain earlier in the piece.

At the end of the 45 minute routine I address the camera directly, and say, ““I don’t really think Richard Hammond should die. What I was doing there, as everyone here in this room now understands, just in case there’s anyone from the Mail on Sunday watching this, is I was using an exaggerated form of the rhetoric and the implied values of Top Gear to satirise the rhetoric and the implied values of Top Gear. And it is a shame to have to break character and explain that. But hopefully it will save you a long, tedious exchange of emails.”

Ironically this didn’t stop The Daily Mail’s Jan Moir writing her identical 2011 generic moan about comedy, back when ‘woke’ was known as ‘right-on’, but the paper at least had the decency to take the piece down when the misrepresentation was explained to them. (https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/written-for-love/heard-the-one-about-the-right-on-comics-who-hate-the-funniest-man-in-britain/)

The Times has described me as “the world’s greatest living stand-up comedian” and I have a greater recorded body of stand-up than any other comedian ever.  Allowing an amateur arts critic like Jeremy Clarkson to just dip into it to try and fill up space makes about as much sense as sending me, a man who has driven second hand minis all his life, to a review a performance car.

I would like to close with commiserations to the marvellous Fin Taylor who, having been recommended by Jeremy Clarkson, will hopefully not now find his audience full of moronic Sunday Times cunts.

3) KING ROCKER

King Rocker, the Nightingales rockumentary I made with Michael Cumming, is available to stream globally from Feb 6^th.

“One of my all-time favourite rock docs” MARK KERMODE, BBC

“It’s warm, it’s funny, it’s fascinating” Radcliffe and Maconie, BBC6 Music

“The film is ace, the band is ace, Rob is a remarkable man” Marc Riley, BBC6 Music

“A beautiful and fucking hilarious and moving film” Shaun Keavney, BBC6 Music

To celebrate 3 years since the acclaimed film King Rocker premiered on Sky Arts and Robin Ince noticed that “the whole  country is watching King Rocker” we will be making the film available internationally on that exact same day. From February 6th everyone, anywhere, will be able to watch.

Comedian Stewart Lee and director Michael Cumming (Brass Eye, Toast Of London) investigate a missing piece of punk history. Robert Lloyd, best known for fronting cult Birmingham band’s The Prefects and The Nightingales, has survived under the  radar survived under the radar for over four decades. But how, if at all, does Robert want to be remembered? The anti-rockumentary ‘King Rocker’ weaves the story of Birmingham’s undervalued underdog autodidact into that of the city’s forgotten public sculpture of King Kong, eschewing the celebrity interview and archive-raid approach for a free-associating bricolage of Indian food, bewildered chefs, vegetable gardening, prescription medicines, pop stardom and pop art.

Featuring Frank Skinner, Nigel Slater, Robin Askwith, Samira Ahmed, John Peel, Gina Birch, Marc Riley, Danny Fields, John Taylor, Paul Morley, Fuzzbox, Kevin Eldon, Nish Kumar, Bridget Christie, Andrew O’Neill, Sean Walsh, Paul Putner, Steve Beresford, and  more. ‘King Rocker’ is now available to pre-order. From February 6th you can stream and download globally.

Film trailer URL: https://youtu.be/Zy-ZeKkgXas

Stream URL: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/kingrockerfilm

THERE ARE ALSO LIVE SCREENINGS AND DIRECTOR’S CUT EVENTS WITH DIRECTOR MICHAEL “Toast” CUMMING HERE…

14th Mar 2024 King Rocker – Director’s Cut Screening + Live Q&A Wolverhampton, Arena Theatre TICKETS

27th Apr 2024 King Rocker – Director’s Cut Screening + Live Q&A Kendal, Brewery Cinema TICKETS

4) BENEFITS

FEB 1^ST – HACKNEY HOMELESS SHELTER, HACKNEY EMPIRE Celya AB, Fern Brady, Rob Brydon, Rob Delaney, Kevin Eldon, Rosie Holt, Athena Kugblenu, Nish Kumar, Stewart Lee.

https://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/events/belter-for-the-shelter-2024

FEB 24^TH – BOXING FOR PALESTIAN CHILDREN

My fab NHS cardiologist is boxing for Palestinian Children. You can support him here.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/boxing-fundraiser-for-children

“For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a UK based adult cardiologist. I have recently taken up boxing as a pastime and have agreed to fight at a forthcoming charity event at Fats Gym on the 24th February. Please help me reach my initial target of £5000.  Please support my fundraising effort for the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund , a charity which “provides free medical care to thousands of injured and ill children yearly who lack local access to care within the local health care system. Over the years, we’ve sent over 2,000 affected children abroad for free medical care, sent thousands of international doctors and nurses to provide tens of thousands of children free medical care in local hospitals, and provided tens of thousands of children humanitarian aid and support they otherwise would not get”.  Children are the future of this planet.”

24^th FEB – PEA GREEN BOAT WITH JACKDAW WITH CROWBAR

I do my Pea Green Boat spoken word piece with backing from ‘90s Leamington Spa noise art band Jackdaw With Crowbar, for charity, in Coventry, one time only. Sad themes! Loud music!!

Stewart Lee – Pea Green Boat & Jackdaw with Crowbar

Sunday 24^th Feb 2024 2pm – Belgrade Theatre, Coventry

Tickets: https://www.belgrade.co.uk/events/stewart-lee-pea-green-boat-and-jackdaw-with-crowbar/

An owl wakes up at sea in a pea green boat. It is accompanied by a cat, its natural predator. There is some honey. What chain of events led to this dangerous situation? Stewart Lee reprises his darkly comic tale based on Edward Lear’s The Owl & the Pussycat with improvised musical accompaniment.
“This delve into Edward Lear’s most famous poem is sweet and very funny” ★★★★ Guardian

PLUS a set from band Jackdaw with Crowbar “The best thing to come out of Leamington since the Grand Union Canal’ (Stewart Lee) where bass culture meets EDM and Co in a dark alley full of sequins.

This scratch event is a fundraiser for LAMP, an award-winning a specialist education provision established in 2013, dedicated to supporting young people with autism.

This show is suitable for 12yrs + and contains sad themes and loud music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvAXjuyc2tA

5) BEN EDGE – FRONTLINE FOLKLORE

The folk-fixated ritual-recycling painter has made a film.

“It’s finally time to release my debut feature length film into the world: ‘Frontline Folklore’ produced by Ben Edge and edited by Angelica Jopson.  Join me on a journey through the Ritual Year of Britain during 2019, in which I visited twenty folk customs and unknowingly captured and documented the pre Covid ritual landscape of Britain.  The film was a labour of love and after trying to find a similar film, whilst originally researching folk customs and not managing to, it felt like the responsibility was now on my shoulders to make one myself. I’d like to take this opportunity thank all the people involved in the film, giving their time and openness to be filmed and interviewed. I’d also like to thank the special people who have been there alongside me and supported me and my practice  Happy New Year.

I hope you enjoy the film…… and let’s have a great 2024! Frontline Folklore is available now via my Vimeo Chanel to watch for free.” https://vimeo.com/897444792

6) THE GIANT SYNDICATE 27^TH APRIL EARTH HACKNEY LONDON

From 1pm – 10pm In the month of my 56^th birthday, and Fire records’ 40^th, I introduce various combinations of Dream Syndicate, Giant Sand and Kristen Hirsch at my local live music emporium. Teenage me can’t believe it. https://www.ticketweb.uk/event/the-giant-syndicate-earth-tickets/13278203

7) GO FUND SOME THINGS IF YOU CAN

OSCAR MCLENNAN

When I am asked which comics inspired me as a teenager I have a solid answer – Ted Chippington, Arnold Brown, Norman Lovett, Jerry Sadowitz and Kevin McAleeer. But I always forget Oscar McLennan, because he was already winding down doing stand-up, and moving into a different and less defined area, when I saw him at Warwick Arts Centre, rolling around on the floor in a single spotlight to the Turkey Bones & The Wild Dogs song Helicopter Man, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UIY10-TrIw) in 1985.

But he expanded my whole idea of what a solo performance could be. Today he’s a performance artist and surrealist songwriter, could do with a dab of gofunding, and has this to say…

“On November 23rd 2020, our son Ian was killed in a tragic accident in our home. He was just two years and ten months old. Since then two things have happened which have helped Erica and myself to survive. One was the birth of our daughter Lena in September 2021. The other was that, out of the depths of unspeakable grief, an intense flow of short compositions came to me, on guitar and mandolin. I shared these pieces with Martin Tourish, friend, composer, arranger, and accordion maestro. Martin was very taken by the melodies, and added orchestral arrangements which have taken the music to another dimension. The result is a seventy minute album with over twenty musicians involved, within touching distance of completion. We need about €10,000 to push the production over the line. Ian was in love with the colour yellow, so we have named the album ‘Il Palloncino Giallo’. It is much more than a tribute to him: he was right with me in every note of its creation. The music came to me through him and with him, and out into the world. The album is fully instrumental. There are no words.”

Listen to a work-in-progress version of the track Giro Giro Tondo here:

https://youtu.be/njmA-MiH00s

Will McNicol, guitar. Saverio Gabrieli, violin 1. Alberto Martinelli, violin 2.

Laura Hernandez, viola. Nicola Segatta, cello. Nicola Zilliani, double bass. Martin Tourish, accordion.

Written by Oscar McLennan. Produced and arranged by Martin Tourish. Engineered by Giacomo Plotegher. Video by Kevin McAleer. ©Oscar McLennan 2023

https://www.gofundme.com/f/cd-by-oscar-mclennan

THE LATE NEIL KULKARNI’S FAMILY

I met Kulkarni a couple of times. He was very nice. Looking back the ‘70s – ‘90s of The British music press was an incredible time; teenagers reading writing of a length and quality that would now be confined to broadsheets and called ‘long form journalism’; and often produced by people who used pop music criticism to jump the tracks and get access to platforms that conventional means would have denied people of their background, another form of social mobility now disappeared – Caitlin Moran, P Paphides, Kulkarni himself, Burchill and Parsons even.  Though Kulkarni could write about everything he was also an important voice in changing the way BAME music was written about in a largely white press. Here’s what David Stubbs had to say about him, as he explains why he has set up this fundraiser.

“Hi, my name is David Stubbs. My very dear friend, the brilliant, beloved writer and author Neil Kulkarni recently died suddenly. He is mourned by friends, loved ones including partner Lenie, sister Meera – and his daughters, Georgia and Sofia, on whom he doted. At what is clearly a shocking and terrible time, I simply hope that their burden of grief is not added to by financial worries, his daughters in particular. Those who knew and loved Neil would have known what a proud and loving family man he was. Anything you could spare in his memory, and for the sake of his dependents, from whom he has been so sadly taken, would be most gratefully received.” https://www.gofundme.com/f/neil-kulkarni

8) STOP THE TORIES

Carol Vorderman wants us all to work together to stop the Tories, and here’s how: https://stopthetories.vote

9) I ARROGANTLY RECOMMEND SOME HAPPENINGS

LAWRENCE IN FITZROVIA  Sculpture of indie rock legend in lovely London chapel, until Feb 9^th

A SCULPTURE BY CORIN JOHNSON, CURATED BY MARTIN GREEN THE FITZROVIA CHAPEL, LONDON 26 JAN – 9 FEBRUARY 2024.

TWO PANEL DISCUSSIONS WITH LAWRENCE CONFIRMED

LAWRENCE IN LONDON – FRIDAY 1 FEBRUARY
LAWRENCE IN MARBLE – MONDAY 5 FEBRUARY

Lawrence (Felt, Denim, Go Kart Mozart, Mozart Estate) has announced details of the unveiling of the marble head – an incredible sculpture in Portuguese pink marble by Corin Johnson – in the meditative setting of The Fitzrovia Chapel, a magical Grade II listed space that once served Middlesex Hospital, and now stands alone in Pearson Square, W1.

The exhibition will run from 26 Jan until 9 February 2024, part of the chapel’s 2024 cultural programme with two panel discussions confirmed – full details below.
The sculpture will be lit up on a podium by the altar, providing an object of pilgrimage in the former sacred space of the chapel. Corin Johnson approached Lawrence at a Go Kart Mozart concert at London’s Moth Club in 2017, offering to create a life-sized bust.

A huge chunk of pink marble sat in his Camberwell studio and he thought this perfect for the maverick underground star. Lawrence sat through a bleak midwinter, freezing while Corin sculpted.

The finished piece, with Lawrence’s distinctive visor and hood evoking a monk in contemplation, an urban rebel and a public figure in disguise. Lawrence explains, “This huge undertaking reminds me of Caravaggio paintings and biblical statues from the Middle Ages, so it seemed apt to showcase it in the beautiful interior of The Fitzrovia Chapel.  It is unlike anything the pop world has to offer, this unique event showcases the coming together of old and new styles – the ancient and the modern – combined! You really haven’t seen anything like this before.”m

“Corin Johnson’s sculpture of Lawrence is a work of solemn beauty. His monkish, aquiline face is shrouded by a cowl-like hoodie and baseball cap, large sunglasses perched on top of a narrow nose bringing a touch of distance, like he is locked into some kind interior monologue that can never be fully revealed or understood by anyone else.” – Will Hodgkinson (The Times)

On Friday 1 Feburary, journalist and artist Siân Pattenden will host a panel discussion about London life with Lawrence, curator Martin Green and filmmaker Paul Kelly, and on Monday 5 February Lawrence, journalist and author Will Hodgkinson, artist Jeremy Deller, artist Georgina Starr and the sculptor Corin Johnson will discuss creating art in an increasingly commercial world – ticket links below.

Corin Johnson grew up in Sutton Coldfield, not far from Lawrence’s home town of Water Orton. He trained as a stone carver, studied fine art at City and Guilds, and his works include limestone carvings of martyred bishops for Westminster Abbey, a statue of St Andrew for Exeter College Oxford, a marble Lady Diana memorial at Althorp Estate, a stone and ceramic sculpture of Grace Jones and a series of devil figurines with Nick Cave. It is Lawrence, however, who captured his imagination.  “I find it more heroic to sculpt an artist like Lawrence, rather than someone like an admiral. It is the reality of his life which made me want to do the head.” The exhibition is curated by Martin Green who with Duovision Arts has exhibited work by Jarvis Cocker, Marc Almond, Gina Birch, Caroline Coon, Pam Hogg, Andrew Logan, Mick Rock and Sheila Rock. ‘I’ve known Lawrence for 30 years since he hung out at my club Smashing in the early 90s and always had enormous respect for him. So when approached to curate an exhibition of the marble head, I wanted to find the perfect venue. Fitzrovia Chapel is a beautiful intimate Victorian building standing proudly alone among a vast contemporary development in central London. Like Lawrence it remains a strident example of independent creative originality surrounded by a sea of new development.” The Fitzrovia Chapel – which features 17 different kinds of marble in its construction – was originally built as part of the Middlesex Hospital, and for decades was a place of respite and contemplation for medical staff, patients and visitors alike. When the hospital was closed in 2005, the chapel was saved from demolition because of its Grade II* listed status. It reopened in 2015 as a charity with one of its remits being for the promotion of culture, wellbeing and history for the community.

It has its own cultural programme that focuses on these themes.  An architectural, historical and design masterpiece in its own right, The Fitzrovia Chapel has hosted exhibitions by galleries, artists and cultural organisations including the Stephen Friedman Gallery, Richard Ingleby Gallery, the Horiuchi Foundation, Erskine, Hall & Coe, and TJ Boulting Gallery. The chapel has taken part in Photo London, London Craft Week and Frieze

FASCINATING AIDA 40^TH ANNIVERSARY
The fantastic foul mouthed female Flanders and Swans of the singalonga-center-left are celebrating their 40^th anniversary and get funnier the longer they go on.
FEB 1^st Oxford Playhouse, 2^nd Salisbury Playhouse, 4^th-6^th London Palladium, 9^th N’hampton Derngate, 10^th Shrewsbiry Severn, 11^th Aberystwyth Arts, 12^th Monmouth Blake, 15^th Peterborough New, 16^th Folkeston Leas Cliff, 17^th Eastbourne Congress, 20^th Cardiff New, 21^st Aldershot Princes Hall, 22^nd – 23^rd Coventry Belgrade, 24^th Darlington Hippodrome, 28^th Lichfield Garrick, 29^th Newark Palace

MARCH 1^st Scarborough Spa, 2^nd Chesterfield Winding Wheel, 5^th Halifax Victoria, 6^th New Brighton Floral Pavilion, 7^th Wrexham William Aston Hall, 11^th Aberdeen Music Hall, 12^th Perth Concert Hall, 13^th – 14^th Glasgow Kings, 15^th Dunfermline Alhambra, 20^th Bournemouth Pavilion, 21^st Weston-super-mare Playhouse, 22^nd Dunstable Grove, 23^rd Portsmouth Kings, 26^th-27^th Bury St Edmunds Apex, 28^th Dorking Halls

https://www.fascinatingaida.co.uk/tour-dates/

MICHAEL ROTHER Neu! noise man still motoring FEB 3^rd 2024 London Barbican

LEICESTER COMEDY FESTIVAL FEB 7^th-25^th Multiple city wide venues. https://comedy-festival.co.uk Here’s five picks…

1) ROB AUTON – THE ROB AUTON SHOW. Rob’s endearing mesh of absurdist poetry and microtonal observations of life’s minutiae is measured, moving and very funny FEB 11TH

2) ELEANOR TIERNAN – WORK IN PROGRESS Future legend Tiernan’s dry comic cynicism armours a heart full of hope FEB 15^TH

3) PAUL CURRIE SHTOOM / THE DADA DOJO (WIP) A whirlwind of pure clown energy, once seen, never forgotten, in both his current finished show and work in progress incarnation. I love Paul Currie. FEB 16^TH/17TH

4) ALASDAIR BECKETT-KING – DIAL M FOR MONTGOMERY BONBON / KING OF CRUMBS (WIP) New material and a tried and tested tour show from a comedian and artist who has mastered a method of integrating inventive tech-support into his immersive and surreal worldview. FEB 24^TH/25TH

5) FATIHA EL-GHORRI – COCKNEY STACKING DOLL (WIP) A stomping shouting hurricane of pent-up comic energy, busting taboos and breaking barriers. FEB 25^TH

MARTIN CARTHY Never ending tour of English folk All-Father FEB 9^th London Kalamazoo, 10^th W’chester Hyde Tavern, 17^th Arnside Sailing Club

DANIEL KITSON World’s greatest comedian FEB 5^th – 9^th London Cockpit, 14^th-15^th Lancaster Duke’s, 16^th-17^th Scarborough Stephen Joseph

SIMON MUNNERY – JERUSALEM. The struggle continues for The Peter Cook of his generation.
FEB 15^th Bedford ?, 25^th Leicester Firebug, 29^th Aldershot West End Centre,
MARCH 1^st London Leics Sq Theatre, 7^th Bristol Comedy Box, 8^th Brighton Old Market, 16^th Oxford North Wal1, 17^th Cambridge Junction,
APRIL 3^rd Swindon Arts, 10^th Norwich Arts, 11^th S’hampton Attic, 16^th N’castle Stand, 17^th E’burgh Stand, 18^th Glasgow Stand, 20^th Bath Rondo, 21^st Colchester Arts, 25^th B’ham Glee,
MAY 19^th Salford Lowry, 29^th Leeds Brudenell, 20^th York Theatre 41

PATRICE MOOR – THE PRESENCE OF ABSENCE Contemporary figurative surrealism St John’s College Oxford FEB 16^th – MARCH 8^th https://patricemoor.co.uk

CRYPT W PROFESSOR ALICE ROBERTS The Alice Bag of archaeology LIVE
FEB 22^nd Inverness Eden Court, 26^th B’ham Town Hall, 29^th Bury St Edmunds Apex,
MARCH 3^rd London Blackheath Halls, 4^th Guildford G Live, 5^th C’nam Town Hall, 6^th Portsmouth Guildhall, 7^th N’hampton Derngate, 9^th Oundle Stahl, 10^th Wycombe Swan

FALLEN LEAVES The Gentlemen Adventurers of sharp-dressed mod-punk
FEB 24^th Guildford Holroyd Arms,
MARCH 23^rd London Hope & Anchor,
JUNE 8^th London Dublin Castle,
JULY 20^th Kingston Fighting Cocks,
SEPT 14^th London Dublin Castle,
NOV 2^nd London Hope & Anchor

BOHMAN BROTHERS Rare appearance from the surreal sound artists MARCH 1^st Brighton Bee’s Mouth

MARTIN NEWELL/CLEANERS FROM VENUS Unexpected return from 80s English psyche-pop legend suddenly beloved by the young FEB 25^th Brightlingsea Winterfest, MARCH 3^rd Colchester Minories, 23^rd Bristol Ritual Union Festival, 30^th Leeds Belgrave, APRIL 11^th London Stoke Newington St Mattias, 13^th Glasgow CCA, 20^th Southend Tea & Oranges

BO NINGEN Japanoiseniks MARCH 1^st Earth Hackney

ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN The psychedelic scallies play the greatest hits of their first incarnation March 2^nd – 26^th. March 2^nd Norwich Nick Rayns LCR UEA, 3^rd Brighton Dome, 5^th Bournemouth Academy, 6^th Bristol Beacon, 8^th London Roundhouse, 10^th Cardiff University, 13^th Nottingham Rock City, 16^th/17^th M’cr Albert Hall, 19^th Sheffield City Hall, 20^th Glasgow Barrowlands, 22^nd Leeds Academy, 23^rd Newcastle City Hall, 25^th/26^th Liverpool Empire

STIFF LITTLE FINGERS Raucous NI punk survivors, w Glen Matlock support.  March 11^th Nottingham Rock City, 12^th B’ham Academy, 13^th Bristol Academy, 15^th Newcastle City Hall, 16^th/17^th Glasgot Barrowlands, 21^st Leeds Academy, 22^nd M’cr Academy, 23^rd Camden Roundhouse

JOHN ROBB Spoken word tour by the ageless en-quiffed punk dandy intellectual flaneur and man of letters MARCH 22 SELBY Town Hall, 23 CHORLEY Theatre, 27 KENDAL Brewery Arts, 28 SALE Waterside, 29 HALIFAX Square Chapel APRIL 10 SHEFFIELD Leadmill, 11 POCKLINGTON Arts Centre, 12 BUXTON Pavilion Arts, 18 WORCESTER Huntingdon Hall, 19 BRISTOL Folk House, 20 SOUTHAMPTON The Attic, 21 CAMBRIDGE Junction, 22 SUDBURY Quay Theatre, 23 COLCHESTER Arts Centre, 24 NORWICH Arts Centre, 26 CHESTER Storyhouse Garret, 27 LIVERPOOL Philharmonic Music Room, 28 LEEDS The Old Woollen, MAY 01 BRIGHTON Komedia, 03 WOOLWICH Works, 04 LONDON 21 Soho, 09 EDINBURGH Voodoo Rooms

ALISON COTTON Acid-folk drone mystic MARCH 23rd Gregynog Hall Newtown,  28th Glad Cafe Glasgow, 29th March The Lubber Fiend Newcastle, 30^th Bishop’s House Sheffield, 31^st Rise York, APRIL 5^th St Pancras Old Church London 

ALASDAIR BECKETT-KING The hilarious multi-media surrealist takes his Nevermore show to your town MARCH 27^th B’ham Old Rep, 29^th Glasgow Oran Mor, 30^th Belfast Limelight, APRIL 2^nd Colchester Arts, 5^th Cambr Junction, 6^th Canterbury Gulbienkin, 10^th Nottingham Just The Tonic, 12^th S’hampton Attic, 13^th Salisbury Arts, 17^th Basingstoke Anvil, 19^th Leeds City Varieties, 20th L’pool Hot Water, 21^st M’cr Home, 24^th Bristol Redgrave, 25^th Shrewsbury Walker, 27^th N’castle Stand, MAY 1^st Norwich Playhouse, 2^nd Brighton Komedia, 3^rd Bury St Edmunds, 7^th Swindon Arts, 8^th Cardiff Glee, 9^th Exeter Phoenix, 10^th Taunton Tacchi-Morris, 16^th & 24^th London Leicester Sq Theatre

THIS IS MEMORIAL DEVICE Scottish dates for a brilliant adaptation, by Graham Eatough, of David Keenan’s life-affirming fiction. MARCH 28^th – 30^th Glasgow Tron, APRIL 3^rd – 6^th E’burgh Traverse 

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY INDIE ROCK FESTIVAL MARCH 29^th High Wycombe Venue. https://www.datathistle.com/event/2293582-iwd-fest/ With Popguns, Desperate Journalist, Miki Berenyi of Lush, Debbie Googe of MBV, Charley Stone (of everything) & The Actual Band, Debbie Smith + more.

JOLIE HOLLAND  Alt-country chanteuse returns MARCH 31^st London Bush Hall, APRIL 1^st Cambridge Portland Arms, 2^nd Birmingham Kitchen Garden, 3rdf Belfast Black Box, 4^th Edinburgh Summerhall, 6^th M’cr St Michael’s, 7^th Brighton Komedia

HAWKWIND This current Hawkwind iteration channels their classic ‘70s space rock sound unashamedly, with keyboardist Thighpaulsandra of Coil, Cope and Spiritualised clearly living out a childhood dream. April 4^th M’cr Academy, 5^th Newcastle City Hall, 6^th Edinburgh Academy, 7^th Glasgow Academy

HOUSE OF ALL M’cr Fall-related supergroup tour APRIL 2^nd Sheffield Leadmill, 3^rd Glasgow Stereo, 8^th London Dome, 9^th Brighton Hope & Ruin, 20^th M’cr Gorilla, 25^th Portsmouth Wedgewood, 16^th Bedford Esquires

KEVIN MCALEER.  The most I have ever laughed is at this reclusive Irish comedy genius, making a rare greatest hits return. APRIL 11^th Dublin Vicar Street, 21^st Belfast Mandela Hall.

ROSIE HOLT – THAT’S POLITAINMENT Satirist on the road. APRIL 11^th Didcot Cornerstone, 12^th Newbury Corn X, 13^th Winchester Theatre Royal, 18th-19^th London Leics Sq Theatre, 20^th Swindon Royal, 21^st Bristol Redgrave, 24^th Poole Lighthouse, 25^th Bridgwater McMillan, 26^th Cardiff Sherman, 27^th Norwich Playhouse, 28^th N’hampton Derngate, MAY 1^st Bradford Kings, 2^nd Maidenhead Norden Farm, 3^rd Tunbridge Wells Trinity, 4^th Bury St Edmunds Royal, 5^th Colchester Arts, 9^th Birmingham MAC, 10^th Farnham Maltings, 12^th Leeds City Varieties, 22^nd Lyme Regis Marine, 23^rd Brighton Komedia, 24^th Milton Keynes Stables, 25^th L’pool Playhouse, 26^th Salford Lowry, 31^st Chipping Norton Theatre.

JASMINE MINKS Victory lap for Glasgow’s C86 era mod-ish janglers APRIL 19^th Bristol Thunderbolt, 20^th London Waiting Room

ELIZA CARTHY The first lady of folk and reigning Queen of The Faeries in full flight APRIL 20^th Oxford North Wall, 26^th Bristol Folk House, 27^th Sheffield Greystones, MAY 10^th Cambridge Stoney’s Field, JUNE 19^th Gateshead Glasshouse

GIANT SAND The great improvising Americana legends unexpected return to active service. APRIL 22^nd Newcastle Cluny, 23rs Glasgow Broadcast, 24^th M’cr Yes, 27^th London Hackney Earth w Dream Syndicate, Kristen Hirsch, Islet, Stewart Lee and more.

PETER CASE/SID GRIFFIN British dates from American power-pop progenitor turned Grammy-awarded grizzled folk-bluesman, with Long Ryders leader Sid Griffin in support. A must. APRIL 23^rd Chester St Mary’s, 24^th Birmingham Kitchen Garden, 26^th Edinburgh Bannermans, 27^th Glasgow Glad Café, 28^th Leeds Northern Guitars, 29^th Bristol Hen & Chicken, MAY 1^st London Leytonstone Social, 2^nd Dublin Upstairs At Wheelans, 3^rd Belfast Cathedral Quarter, 4^th Kilkenny Roots Festival

NIGHTINGALES Off the beaten track small town dates for Birmingham post-punk heroes of belated King Rocker film fame May 2^nd Kendal Glisky, 3^rd Telford Firefly, 4^th Halifax Square Chapel, 5^th Milton Keynes Crawford Arms, 6^th Ramsgate Music Hall, 8^th W’chester Railway, 9^th Newport Le Pub, 10^th Warrington Irish, 11^th Dunoon Burgh Hall

THE HANDSOME FAMILY Literary Lynchian Alt-Country duo MAY 3^rd Dublin Liberty Hall, 7^th Glasgow St Luke’s, 10^th M’cr Stoller Hall, 12^th Leeds Irish, 14^th Norwich Arts, 16^th Cardiff Gate, 18^th Salisbury Winchester Gate, 21^st London Union Chapel, 23^rd Folkestone Quarterhouse

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE Punishing Japanese acid-jam veterans. MAY 9^th Brighton Hope & Ruin, 10^th London Dingwalls, 12^th Dublin Workman’s, 16^th Dundee Church, 17^th N’castle Lubber Fiend, 20^th Chelmsford Hot Box, 22^nd Cambridge Portland Arms

THE BEVIS FROND Psych legends Lexington, London May 18^th

THE LOVELY EGGS Art-punk duo MAY 23^rd Glasgow St Luke’s, 24^th Edinburgh Belle Angele, 25^th N’castle Grove, 26^th Leeds Brudenell, 27^th Birmingham Xoyo, 28^th Bristol Thekla, 29^th Brighton Chalk, 30^th London Earth, 31^st Nottingham Rescue Rooms JUNE 1^st M’cr New Century

THE PRISONERS Psychedelic Medway mods return MAY 24^th London Camden Roundhouse

ROBERT FORSTER Former Go-Between all grown up into silver fox troubadour MAY 24^th/25^th London Omeara

WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM Black metal with an eco-bent MAY 28^th Limerick Dolans, 29^th Dublin Opium, 30^th Bristol Fleece, 31^st London Earth, JUNE 1^st Glasgow Garage/Scarborough Fortress

RAIN PARADE LA’s 80s psychedelic revivalists revived JUNE 14^th Bristol Strange Brew, 15^th Leeds Brudenell, 16^th M’;cr Night & Day, 18^th Nottingham Metronome, 19^th London 229

DETROIT COBRAS Garage punk party time JULY ^2nd Bristol Lost Horizon, 3^RD M’cr Rebellion, 4^th Glasgow Oran Mor, 5^th Leeds Brudenell, 6^th London Camden Forge

THE SADIES Surf-twanged country-Canadiana JULY 3^rd Oxford Bullingdon, 4^th Leeds Brudenell, 5^th Eaton Farm Park Woodbridge, 6^th London 100 Club

THE DAMNED Black Album/Strawberries line-up, with hard-wristed Holy Grail headhunter Rat Scabies back on drums. DEC 4^th Newcastle NX, 5^th Glasgow Barrowlands, 6^th M’c Academy, 8^th Leeds Academy, 9^th Nottingham Rock City, 10^th W’hampton Halls, 12^th Bristol Beacon, 13^th S’hampton Guuildhall, 14^th Eastbourne Winter Gardens, 16^th Cambs Corn X, 18^th London Roundhouse

10) IN OUR LAMENTATION 2024

Tony Oxley (Sheffield’s Sunny Murray, 1938)
John M Burns (His modesty blazed, 1939)
John Pilger (News terrier, 1939)
David Soul (The covered man, an inspiration 1943)
Annie Nightingale (Gateway drug, 1940)
Pitchfork (Signal to noise, 1996)
Mary Weiss (She led the pack, 1948)
Chris Karrer (Archangel’s Thunderbirdman, 1947)
Iasos (Greek space muso, 1947)
Phil Niblock (NY art noise, 1933)
Pluto Shervington (Ram Goat Liver Eater, 1950)
Tisa Farrow (Zombies ripped her flesh, 1951)
Norman Jewison (Rollerball Superstar, 1926)
Neil Kulkarni (Era-enhancing music critic, 1972)