comedy

Some days you’ve just got to get in a bin

I wrote before about how Next Level Sketch are filming a few sketches, and how I feel about that. Having missed the first batch of filming due to cat commitments, Dan asked me to play the non-speaking role of “furious neighbour” in his sketch about a man who is really, really, really obsessed with the… Read more

May 1, 2024

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jamesofwalsh

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Diary, London, Next Level Sketch, Sketch Comedy

comedy, London, Next Level Sketch, Sketch Comedy
Next Level Sketch with Mark Silcox, Nikola McMurtie and Thick ‘n’ Fast

One of the best shows. I go on far too long in these post-show blog posts, so I’ll just share some personal highlights via that last refuge of the feckless, the bullet point: Read more

April 26, 2024

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jamesofwalsh

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comedy, Diary, Next Level Sketch, Sketch Comedy

alternative comedy, comedy, Hoopla Impro, London, London Bridge, Mark Silcox, Next Level Sketch, Nikola McMurtie, Sketch Comedy, Thick ‘n’ Fast
The Dip, with Lilla Multipass, Freddie Hayes and Maria Telnikoff

A fun evening in the backstreets of Kentish Town, where myself and some other Next Level Sketch luminaries went to a rival comedy night, The Dip, run by our nemesis Chris East. Chris is a lovely host, and always books an interesting, alternative lineup. The venue is a little gem, an eccentric little cafe with… Read more

April 10, 2024

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jamesofwalsh

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cities, comedy, Diary, London

alternative comedy, comedy, Freddie Hayes, The Dip
Extra Topping with Rosalie Minnitt, Al Nash, The Magic Lady, and a Viking of some description

To the Extra Topping Comedy Showcase, then, which has MOVED from a rugby-obsessed pub in residential Hove to upstairs at the Yellow Book in Brighton’s fashionable York Place. Dog tarot cards on the table: I really liked the old venue. It was a comfy upstairs room, and an audience of locals being confused by some… Read more

March 18, 2024

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jamesofwalsh

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Brighton, comedy, Diary

Al Nash, alternative comedy, Brighton, Clementine, comedy, extra topping, Freddie Hayes, Rosalie Minnitt, The Magic Lady
Next Level Sketch with Vidya Divakaran, Chris East, Al Nash and Rosalie Minnitt

I took a break from being in the Next Level cast this month, but was still roped in for hosting duties. I happily accepted this: it’s nice to feel wanted. So instead of the usual pre-show rehearsal and running around in a panic, I was able to have a beer downstairs with Paul and King… Read more

March 1, 2024

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jamesofwalsh

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comedy, Diary, Improv, Next Level Sketch, Sketch Comedy

Al Nash, alternative comedy, character comedy, Chris East, comedy, Hoopla Impro, London, Next Level Sketch, Rosalie Minnitt, Sketch Comedy, Slug in the Club, Vidya Divakaran
Review: Julia Masli, Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, Soho Theatre

This article first appeared in the Morning Star newspaper. Can clowns save the world? This probably wasn’t what Julia Masli, an Estonian performer trained by the notorious Parisian pedagogue Philippe Gaulier, had set out to achieve with her latest. Still, you never know. Masli always aims high, with seemingly limitless reserves of care, poise, and… Read more

February 17, 2024

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jamesofwalsh

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comedy, Diary, journalism, Morning Star columns, Reviews

comedy, Julia Masli, Morning Star, review, Soho Theatre
This Machine Kills Wasps with MJ Hibbett, The Highchurches, Jo Burke, Shelf, Selena Mersey, and Mikey Bligh Smith

I arrive early, and the sound guy is already there. Conveniently, his name is Guy. Guy, the sound guy. Sound guy Guy. Guy Guy sound. He is friendly, and Australian. We have a nice chat, and as he sets up the stage, I learn his interest in experimental rock, music theory, and production. This is… Read more

February 10, 2024

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jamesofwalsh

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Brighton, Brighton Folk Choir, comedy, Diary, folk, music, Reviews, songwriting, This Machine Kills Wasps

Brighton, Brighton Folk Choir, comedy, Mikey Bligh-Smith, MJ Hibbett, music, Selena Mersey, Shelf, The Folklore Rooms, The Highchurches
Next Level Sketch with Camilla Borges, Joz Norris, Susan Harrison and Low Effort Sketches

Our first show of the year, and one that went really well, despite a bit of ring rustiness on my part. I was super honoured to see my old Guardian colleague Adam in the audience, along with Jeffrey, the amazing and chaos-element lead singer of their band, Applicants (RIP). I sat behind them and I… Read more

February 1, 2024

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jamesofwalsh

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comedy, Diary, Next Level Sketch, Sketch Comedy

Camilla Borges, comedy, Hoopla Impro, Joz Norris, London, London Bridge, Low Effort Sketches, Next Level Sketch, Sketch Comedy, Susan Harrison
‘I am basically Taylor Swift with Cheaper Trousers’: an interview with MJ Hibbett

Note: this interview first appeared in my newsletter, which you can subscribe to here. Indiepop legend and writer of some of the most life-affirming songs, well, EVER, Mark “MJ” Hibbett, is headlining my show This Machine Kills Wasps on Thursday 8th Feb at the lovely Folklore Rooms in Brighton. To celebrate this FACT I got… Read more

January 22, 2024

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jamesofwalsh

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Brighton, Diary, music, The Highchurches, This Machine Kills Wasps

Brighton, comedy, indiepop, MJ Hibbett, MJ Hibbett and The Validators, music, This Machine Kills Wasps
I joined an improv class and here’s what I think about that

January is a good time to do courses. Everyone is full of hope and excitement at doing something new, which is important in a month as cruel as this. [1] I joined a Level 3 course run by the local improv Kingpins The Maydays. I did this despite having not done their 1 and 2… Read more

January 11, 2024

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jamesofwalsh

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art, comedy, Diary, Improv

comedy, Improv, The Maydays