WELCOME
This blog will give you information about the comedy night held on the first Tuesday of every month. The venue is The Fox & Grapes pub in Fox Street, Preston and is easily accessible by public transport or car. Best of all, admission is absolutely FREE.
The event is compered by MC Alan Donegan (pictured)
We will post pictures of previous evenings as well as details of forthcoming acts. Copyright permitting we may even post short video clips of the performers in full flow.
It would be really helpful if you attend a performance for you to let us know what you thought about the comedians, the organisation, the atmosphere, the venue - even the beer!
The Fox
The event is compered by MC Alan Donegan (pictured)
We will post pictures of previous evenings as well as details of forthcoming acts. Copyright permitting we may even post short video clips of the performers in full flow.
It would be really helpful if you attend a performance for you to let us know what you thought about the comedians, the organisation, the atmosphere, the venue - even the beer!
The Fox
Sunday, 19 October 2008
Tuesday 7th October
Apologies for the delay in updating the blog - no excuses other than being a bit busy.
Well, another night of comedy at the Fox and Grapes and a mixed bag this time round. I got there about 8:30pm and was a bit concerned that we wouldn't get many in this time round. I needn't have been concerned as most of the regulars and a few of the irregulars showed up to make for a good atmosphere as MC Alan took the mic. Warming us up well as usual Alan went for something different this time with an extended piece on the humour to be found in French existentialist cinema and the atheistic pessimism of Schopenhauer. Only kidding, he actually mentioned sex a bit and swore a lot, thankfully.
Our first proper act of the evening was Michael J Dolan. Michael started off slowly and unfortunately got sidetracked by a heckler who seemed to think that the only way anyone was going to succeed was with his intervention. Michael's act never really took off though and to his credit he recognised this and curtailed proceedings early. Hopefully he will have learned from this experience and I for one would like to see him come back for another shot (maybe as Dom Woodward did last month).
Next up was Ruth E Cockburn. What is it with female comedians with musical accompaniment? You wait years for one to come along and then two show up within the space of a month. Unlike Mel, Ruth accompanied herself on guitar. Her songs were very clever and amusing and entertained the crowd well. Her non-musical comedy still needs a bit of work but a successful performance overall.
Finally our headliner for this evening was Bill Wooland. Bill is a scouser and many gags were based around this. The laughs came thick and fast and the audience lapped his humour up. He played well off the crowd and wasn't at all distracted by our latest heckler. I thought we may have to call for medical assistance for a couple of hernias the way the audience were doubled up during his set. A fantastic end to the evening which sent us all away extremely happy. I understand that Bill really enjoyed his Fox Experience and would like to come back. I hope I read the signs accurately when I say we would love to see him back soon.
The Fox
Well, another night of comedy at the Fox and Grapes and a mixed bag this time round. I got there about 8:30pm and was a bit concerned that we wouldn't get many in this time round. I needn't have been concerned as most of the regulars and a few of the irregulars showed up to make for a good atmosphere as MC Alan took the mic. Warming us up well as usual Alan went for something different this time with an extended piece on the humour to be found in French existentialist cinema and the atheistic pessimism of Schopenhauer. Only kidding, he actually mentioned sex a bit and swore a lot, thankfully.
Our first proper act of the evening was Michael J Dolan. Michael started off slowly and unfortunately got sidetracked by a heckler who seemed to think that the only way anyone was going to succeed was with his intervention. Michael's act never really took off though and to his credit he recognised this and curtailed proceedings early. Hopefully he will have learned from this experience and I for one would like to see him come back for another shot (maybe as Dom Woodward did last month).
Next up was Ruth E Cockburn. What is it with female comedians with musical accompaniment? You wait years for one to come along and then two show up within the space of a month. Unlike Mel, Ruth accompanied herself on guitar. Her songs were very clever and amusing and entertained the crowd well. Her non-musical comedy still needs a bit of work but a successful performance overall.
Finally our headliner for this evening was Bill Wooland. Bill is a scouser and many gags were based around this. The laughs came thick and fast and the audience lapped his humour up. He played well off the crowd and wasn't at all distracted by our latest heckler. I thought we may have to call for medical assistance for a couple of hernias the way the audience were doubled up during his set. A fantastic end to the evening which sent us all away extremely happy. I understand that Bill really enjoyed his Fox Experience and would like to come back. I hope I read the signs accurately when I say we would love to see him back soon.
The Fox
Monday, 8 September 2008
Comedy Night 2 September 2008
Setting off for The Fox and Grapes on Tuesday I was a bit doubtful about how this one would go down. Many people would be just back from holidays, the schools started back that week and the weather was, to put it politely, filthy. Would people turn out in these circumstances? Well friends, I underestimated your resilience and your need to be cheered up a bit. As it turned out there was an excellent showing, with to these eyes, a good representation of newcomers.
The next piece of good news was that we had three acts on rather than the two we had expected. Could the quality be up to standard? I should never have doubted MC Alan and his ability to come up with the goods.
First up was a female comedian from Burnley, Mel Moon. Mel started off well with some banter with the crowd and went for the sympathy vote with mention of her recent accident. The insurance payment helped her buy her keyboard which she used to help serenade us with some cracking musical comic pieces. I bet Mel is fed up with the Victoria Wood comparisons but it doesn't do either of them a disservice to make them. A great start to the evening.
Next up was our surprise act. Wanting to try out some new material in front of a critical audience Dom Woodward had asked Alan if he could fill the showcase slot. Some of you may remember that Dom was with us a few months ago and I don't think it's unfair to say his set was a little patchy that night. Well done to him for braving The Fox and Grapes again, and even better he was very, very good. He had learned lessons from the previous performance and had us in stitches from the start. Only one or two jokes failed to hit the mark and they were soon forgotten in the torrent of laughs that soon followed. Two down, one to go, could the headliner follow such a great undercard?
No problem. Ciamh McDonnell hit the ground running with a series of self-deprecating observations about his hair, his size, his accent, his age ... He already had the crowd eating out of his hand and despite the occasional heckle, which he handled masterfully, we were with him all the way. He has a look of Dermot Morgan (Father Ted) and sounds a bit like Dara O' Briain but he had a style of his own which proved hugely popular. I can highly recommend seeking him out if you missed the evening.
So there we have it. In my humble opinion the standard of entertainment was the most consistently high that I can remember at the Foxsake night. Believe me, you won't want to miss any night from now on. Get there early to get a good spot. Special thanks to the bar staff for their work in keeping us supplied with drinks and acting as unofficial security when the talking got too loud! Thanks once again to Sharon, the landlady, for supporting the evening.
See you all soon.
The Fox
The next piece of good news was that we had three acts on rather than the two we had expected. Could the quality be up to standard? I should never have doubted MC Alan and his ability to come up with the goods.
First up was a female comedian from Burnley, Mel Moon. Mel started off well with some banter with the crowd and went for the sympathy vote with mention of her recent accident. The insurance payment helped her buy her keyboard which she used to help serenade us with some cracking musical comic pieces. I bet Mel is fed up with the Victoria Wood comparisons but it doesn't do either of them a disservice to make them. A great start to the evening.
Next up was our surprise act. Wanting to try out some new material in front of a critical audience Dom Woodward had asked Alan if he could fill the showcase slot. Some of you may remember that Dom was with us a few months ago and I don't think it's unfair to say his set was a little patchy that night. Well done to him for braving The Fox and Grapes again, and even better he was very, very good. He had learned lessons from the previous performance and had us in stitches from the start. Only one or two jokes failed to hit the mark and they were soon forgotten in the torrent of laughs that soon followed. Two down, one to go, could the headliner follow such a great undercard?
No problem. Ciamh McDonnell hit the ground running with a series of self-deprecating observations about his hair, his size, his accent, his age ... He already had the crowd eating out of his hand and despite the occasional heckle, which he handled masterfully, we were with him all the way. He has a look of Dermot Morgan (Father Ted) and sounds a bit like Dara O' Briain but he had a style of his own which proved hugely popular. I can highly recommend seeking him out if you missed the evening.
So there we have it. In my humble opinion the standard of entertainment was the most consistently high that I can remember at the Foxsake night. Believe me, you won't want to miss any night from now on. Get there early to get a good spot. Special thanks to the bar staff for their work in keeping us supplied with drinks and acting as unofficial security when the talking got too loud! Thanks once again to Sharon, the landlady, for supporting the evening.
See you all soon.
The Fox
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