The Nightingales’ Amazing Return - May 2011 Mojo Magazine - By Andrew Male - May 31st, 2011

During this morning’s trawl through the bank holiday weekend email spam I spotted a plea for support from divisive stand-up comedian Stewart Lee. “Dear all,” it read, “Overlooked National Treasures The Nightingales (and Subway Sect) are closing my SOUTH BANK CENTRE AUSTERITY BINGE on Monday 30th May. Here are two great reviews from the current…

At Last! The 1981 Show at the Festival Hall ★★★★ - May 2011 The TImes - By Clive Davis - May 30th, 2011

Now that comedy is part of the Establishment it is good to be reminded that there was a time when stand-ups were angry young men (and the occasional woman) banging on the window, demanding to be heard. Part of Stewart Lee’s Austerity Binge mini-festival, this gathering from the lost era of alternative comedy produced a…

At Last, The 1981 Show ★★★ - May 2011 Guardian.co.uk - By Bruce Dessau - May 30th, 2011

When photographs of David Cameron’s new kitchen were publicised last week, the eagle-eyed identified a Michael McIntyre DVD on the PM’s shelves. But standup comedy wasn’t always so cosy with the mainstream. At Last! The 1981 Show, curated by Stewart Lee as part of his Austerity Binge mini-festival, marks 30 years since the alternative comedy…

Austerity Binge: At Last! The 1981 Show - May 2011 Word Magazine - May 29th, 2011

Comments: A night of comedy curated by Stewart Lee featuring acts that he, as a 12 year old, never got to see in their prime. The big names – Rik n Ade, Dawn n Jen, Elton and (thank god) Keith Allen are not here and the show is all the better for it. The acts…

Austerity Binge – John Cage – Indeterminacy - May 2011 O B S E R V A T I O N A L I S M - By J Francis Bowyer - May 29th, 2011

Last night I remembered how much I love sound in all its guises. A friend was down in London and had tickets for a performance of John Cage’s Indeterminacy, a series of short stories Cage wrote that were to be accompanied by improvisations from other musicians. Neither party is meant to pay attention to the…

Slow Comedy - April 2011 The Financial Times - By Stewart Lee - April 10th, 2011

I am a stand-up comedian. Or at least I thought I was. A few years ago, I received an unsolicited e-mail asking me if I was interested in “submitting content”. I was confused. The sender explained that I was a “content provider”. Did I want to provide content? Eventually it transpired that the content-seeker wanted…