It is, somehow, six years since the very first Next Level Sketch, way back in January 2020, when we didn’t know what we were doing and very much didn’t know what was coming.
As the world collapses around us (not our fault!), we’re in a good place in terms of running a monthly-ish alternative comedy night in London Bridge.
We’ve got a settled producer gang of sketch elders, a good mix of contributors both established and new, and a core team of writer/performers who are relaxed, happy, and silly in each other’s company.
We’ve put on some of the very best alternative sketch, clown, character, and weirdo standup acts as our cherished guest stars [1]. These people seem to like us and the night that we put on – they know it’s an audience that appreciates its acts, and tolerant of weird, new, and mad shit, because if we can’t be silly in this day and age, then what can we be?
Myself and Euan started this thing back in 2019 with two main aims in mind – to provide a platform for new sketch writers, and to put on a show in which non-stand up comedy is centred and celebrated. The latter wish came from us seeing Tarot on a lineup upon which they were the only non-stand up act – despite being clearly the funniest thing on show (hi, subjectivity), they didn’t get the laughs they deserved, as sketch and character comedy moves to a different rhythm to that of the solo stand up act.
Looking around the London scene now, there are loads of other specifically alternative, character, clown, and other non-standup nights – and the scene feels a lot more interesting as a result. [2]
For our birthday show we received a healthy number of submissions. Indeed, we could have done a full half an hour show from new sketches alone, but as is our way these days we tried to do a mix of old and new. We had a debut sketch from one of our newer members – shout out to Naz – and two other debuts than we felt were ready for the stage, but we’ve held those back for next month’s show so the writers in question could be in the cast.
From our own set, I particularly enjoyed being in Ben Classic Sirens and my own Clown Union, and from the side of the stage I loved Sir Kier Starmer (aka Paul Creasy) trying to get down with the kids with his groovy TikToks, and Kat’s unhinged performance as the dishy holiday conquest with the unfortunate English accent.
Kat (and I’m sure she’ll hate me for saying so) has been a revelation. She performs BIG and she’s a reminder to myself that when on stage, I can get away with being at least twice as stupid as I think I can.
I did enjoy hosting, despite some rustiness. I forced the back row to move to the front row, which I’m sure they were delighted about, especially when Roger Prick (Han Whyte) made one of them perform as his sex robot.
For our birthday specials I try to bring back some of our favourite acts, and Prick (the creation of writer, performer and illustrator Han Whyte) is certainly one of those. This was Prick’s second time on the NLS stage, trying out bits that may or may not end up in his debut hour.
What I adore about this character – a kind of soft porn 1970s Alan Partridge, trying his best to adapt to today’s mores – is how he seems to have arrived fully formed out of some kind of time vortex. If Roger was more self-aware, he’d be pretty reprehensible, but Whyte pitches him just right. The drawn-on sideburns and home-made cardboard signs – and absurdly mis-sized sex doll – keeps all this in the realm of the absurd, though between the many laughs, serious points are being made.
Between the acts, my hosting gambit was that I’d never got to play pass the parcel as a kid due to being raised catholic (?), and had quite obviously rigged the whole thing so that I could win, as I suspect parents do for their special little children (parents reading: pls confirm).
The audience got more into it than I was expecting, and seemed to genuinely enjoy both the prizes (various beloved possessions of mine, like my Princess Diana teatowel) and my increasing desperation and disillusionment as the music kept playing regardless how long I clutched to the parcel.
After my announcing to the audience that we were running exactly to time, like some excited Swiss train conductor, we were back on with our favourite ever guest act (official), the person who has done Next Level Sketch more than anyone else on the planet.
We are of course talking about Luke Rollason. The man that can make a room laugh with a single grimace, glare, grin, or raised eyebrow.
Working on new material, here Rollason lurked and crept to the stage as Nostradamus, with his many hysterical and doomed predictions. He followed this up with a character he wasn’t sure about, but the audience loved. Let’s just say it involves a waistcoat made of poppies, a cruise ship, and some very silly dancing.
Our night was headlined by Yuriko Kotani, the London-based Japanese comedian who is one of the most charming and certainly friendliest stand-ups on the circuit.
There can be a lot of front with standups, who frequently perform as an exaggerated or harder version of themselves. Kotani is so good because she seems exactly the same on and off stage, utterly (again, seemingly) without front and without artifice. Her openness is what powers her joyous observations about the different words for orgasm in English and Japanese, the terror of cycling in London, and the utmost seriousness she takes being the greatest auntie ever.
Thanks, then, to all the acts, writers, performers, and Michelle on tech. We’ll be back on Wednesday 25th of February for another gorgeous, hilarious, and welcoming show.
- Tickets to future Next Level Sketch shows
- Comedy writer Annabel Edmonds’ recent newsletter post about us
- Follow us on Instagram and Substack.
[1] our past guest acts include Julia Masli (twice!), The Lovely Boys, Tarot (twice!), Lorna Rose Treen (Twice!) Shelf (twice!), The Awkward Silence (many times!), Lil Wenker, Lachlan Werner, Sam Nicoresti, The Mayor & His Daughter, Luke Rollason (many times!), Jamie Mykaela, Low Effort Sketches, Grubby Little Mitts, Blank Peng, Jen Ives, Just These Please, Siblings, Joz Norris (many times!), Baba, Mikey Bligh Smith, Luke Rollason (many times!), Thick & Fast, Jen Zheng, Mark Silxox, Nicola McMurtie, Rosalie Minnitt, Al Nash, Vidya Divakaran, Christ East, and many, many more…
[2] We did this single handedly, obviously. Nothing to do with ACMS and the acts themselves. No siree.
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