Tag Archives: spoken word

Broken Biscuits No.7.

Posted on by
Reply

broken-biscuits-hastings-flyer_nov_djt-1

broken-biscuits-hastings-flyer_nov_djt-2

Once more unto the breach, people of Hastings! BB7 is coming back atcha, because we love you to bits and you deserve it. This time, we’ll be at the Palace, right bang on the seafront (near the pier) and newly restored to its former splendour. Can’t wait!

We’ll be bringing Jenny Vegas with us (can’t keep her away), with her unique brand of celebrity culture gone a bit wrong, all squeezed into a character you can’t help falling for. Not quite sure how the Bernard Matthews Celebrity Tour of Norfolk is managing without her, but I’m sure we’ll get a letter soon. In blood.

David Quantick‘s back too! And we have it on good authority he’ll be doing a new piece called 20 Joan of Arcs By Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark. Anyone who was lucky enough to catch him last time will know that this is going to be quite something. Do not miss it; seriously.

And as if all this isn’t enough, we’ve managed to pull off something of a coup: The Magic Wizard (aka Dan Laidler) is going to out a few tunes for the first time ever. His work with Tiger in the 90s cemented his status as one of the UK’s most enigmatic singer/songwriters, and now he’s back. Thank the bloody lord, it’s been a long wait.

Yes, you’ll be getting the Windy’s Farm animations as well. And Idle Eye, now that we’ve worked out how to use the desk and put in funny noises. Also, this time we’ll have a proper compere! St Leonards’s very own Kate Tym has kindly agreed to step in and save me from embarrassing myself in public as per. Worth the ticket price alone.

So, all in all not a bad night out. It’ll be great, actually (I know we always say that but it’s true). See you there x

Broken Biscuits No.6.

Posted on by
1

bb6_general

And they just get better and better. Always lovely to do a gig in the manor but oh, Crystal Palace, you surpassed yourselves! Have a biscuit. Let’s break it down, because that’s what you know and love:

Sadly, Michael Legge couldn’t be with us for this one, but the unstoppable Jenny Vegas kindly agreed to take another day off her Bernard Matthews tour of Norfolk to join us once again. And this time, we got the full Manky Shanka, yes we did! God only knows how she manages to walk to Jobcentre Plus every morning.

Jenny Lockyer‘s hilarious, delicate and beautifully delivered songs ranged from a five-year-old’s wry observation of her mother’s appalling driving skills, to the quite brilliant Agnetta Askeholmen doing a ditty about a little dolphin and a magic fish; and anything in between. She’ll be joining us again in Bognor so if you missed this, for God’s sake get a train ticket now. Mmm, Southern.

Joe Duggan kicked off the evening leaving no stone unturned. I’ve tried to give a flavour of just how varied and powerful his work can be in the below edit, but to get the full hit you really need to be there in the flesh. He is blessed with not only the words, but also a voice that soothes on the one hand and kicks off with the other. An extraordinary talent.

Idle Eye went sonictastic for this one. Samples, vocal fx and not one but two wonderful guest speakers (Callum Hughes and Penny Capper) helped disguise shoddy writing and bullshit delivery from the main man. I’m seriously beginning to wonder why I continue to put on this utter no-mark; he’s a sad epitome of a waning talent, clinging onto the coat-tails of a rising star. Pathetic.

Next up, we’re back in lovely, lovely Hastings – 20th November at the newly restored Palace. Right on the seafront, right on the money. We’ll deliver, I swear to God. And if we don’t, Donald’s contact details follow below. Usually replies within 24 hours:

donaldrossskinner@notsurewhatsgoingonhere.co.uk

Broken Biscuits No.6.

Posted on by
1

broken-biscuits-antenna-flyer_oct_v3_hires-1 broken-biscuits-antenna-flyer_oct_v3_hires-2

I know I bang on about the respective BB line-ups a fair bit, but bloody hell, look at this one! This will be our third at leafy Crystal Palace’s fabulous Antenna Studios and sixth overall, so we’re pulling out all the stops:

Michael Legge, probably the most incandescent, sweary ambassador of our time, vegan killjoy and godlike comedy genius, will be treading the boards and slapping on the greasepaint. As if that isn’t enough, Jenny Lockyer, whose delightfully surreal characters have had me & Don (quite literally) wetting ourselves over the past few weeks, is up there too. Most probably with a guitar, to accompany her brilliant mind. And the magnificent Joe Duggan, without doubt Crystal Palace’s finest wordsmith, will try to pull us all back from the madness: tall order!

We’ve had the chat with Dan Laidler about Windy, who is fast becoming the unsung hero of these BB events, and we have it on good authority that more episodes are on their way. In the meantime, even if you’ve seen them before, give it up for what we already have . As our world slowly shrinks and the demons begin to take hold of the Free West, it’s comforting to know that a little black and white windmill and a Spanish tractor driver can make a difference.

That’s it for now. Hope to see some of you there on the 29th, but for those who can’t make it, we have two more shows before the year is out: 20th November at the newly restored Palace in Hastings, and finally at Bognor Regis’s fantastic SeaFiSh on the 15th December. Don said that if you come to both, he’ll play World Shut Your Mouth to your Nan on Christmas Eve at a venue of your choice. Naked…x

Broken Biscuits No.5.

Posted on by
Reply

bb5-general

4.5 hours in a Triumph Herald filled to the roof with kit was always going to be interesting, but oh was it worth it! Regather Works is a great venue, so perfect for our bizarre little cabaret. But bizarre doesn’t even begin to cover it – before we knew what was what, (A Whiff of) Chester Le Flange burst onto the stage, the man himself as the pope and accidental guitarist Ollie Quiche as the Test Card, and had a startled audience eating out of their hands by the end of their first number. No mean achievement.

In case we’d forgotten where we were, The Yorkshire Teabaggers let us know. In style. With innuendo, a pinch of smut and sweet, sweet harmonies. Lovely to catch up with David McClelland after a 30 year hiatus (hit the audio tag for more of his work with Idle Eye), and we were all treated to a drink on the boys after the set. Of tea, bless ’em! Tread with caution if you’re looking them up on the Twitter, mind.

And then there was Jenny Vegas. The inimitable standard bearer of celebrity culture, she has survived the mire of her dysfunctional childhood to become the Face of Dave’s Tyres, a recorded songstress (Only If You Care/Ooh Baby) and author of the bestselling novel Love and Nuts. There is no one quite like her, except off of the telly.

Idle Eye banged out the hits as per, because we have hits and we’re not afraid to use them. And Dan Laidler‘s Windy’s Farm, despite the palaver of assembling a screen the size of Wembley Arena, was riotously received again. People were crying; they were, they were. If you’re reading this, Dan, you know what to do…

We’re back on home turf for the next one: Antenna Studios, Crystal Palace on 29th October. With a line-up so skillz, you’ll never believe we didn’t resort to bribery or extortion. Because we did with the others x

Broken Biscuits No.5.

Posted on by
Reply

broken-biscuits-sheffield-flyer_oct_v2_hires-1

broken-biscuits-sheffield-flyer_oct_v2_hires-2

Right, in three weeks we pack our bags and head off to the amazing Regather Works in Sheffield. It’s small, very cool and we’re delighted they’ve agreed to put us on. This time, we’ve got Shane Doane from the unstoppable Everly Pregnant Brothers, giving it a bit of welly on the stand-up; the magnificent Jenny Vegas, who will somehow find time out from her gruelling tour of Norfolk turkey farms and the DHSS to be with us – for one night only; And The Yorkshire Teabaggers, featuring David McClelland (the erstwhile star of long-forgotten 80s c-movie Cut) will be doing summat we’re pretty sure is to do with that there Yorkshire. And, of course, the redoubtable Dan Laidler‘s cult animation Windy’s Farm will make its greatest journey yet. If you’re within a fifty mile radius, there are no allowable excuses. You heard it here first x

Broken Biscuits No.4.

Posted on by
Reply

BB4_General

Komedia Brighton, you are a one! We got ourselves proper scared about this, and it turned out to be brilliant, lovely and the best fun EVAH. Where to start, though?

With Joss and Nick Hollywood. Because they transformed the space into a Lynchian, dystopian playground of circus animals, 50s neon and technicolour weirdness, all spurred on by Joss’s extraordinarily eclectic playlist. The boy may be fifteen, but he has carte blanche to DJ at my funeral. I’ll be posting a short compendium of clips on the Facebook page soon, be sure to check it out.

And then the acts. Kate Tym was just superb – taking no prisoners as per, she kicked off about kids, sex, Joanna Lumley, death and Take That. In that order. There are no words. Except hers. Jules Oliver‘s subtly surreal, hilarious set (who else could segue a loathing of falconry into an Essex Brides Magazine party featuring Spandau Barry?) had us all wondering when she was gonna crack. Not once, not once… And James Cook rounded off the night with a truly inspired collection of songs from his solo career. Just himself, a laptop and two guitars. Wonderful stuff!

As for Idle Eye, I’d like to thank Kate and Louise Yates for turning a six post run into something far more entertaining, Donald Ross Skinner for letting me take a piss over his 80s credentials, and to all the friends, family and those I’ve yet to meet who made the trip and helped make the night what it was. Because it was really quite something.

Now, a few weeks to regroup and then we’re off to Regather Sheffield on the 2nd October for BB5. We have a line-up in place and once again, it will not disappoint. I’ll throw something up here when the flyers are done, but if you happen to be in the vicinity and fancy a (very big) laugh, put the date in your diaries. We’re going comedy-tastic for this one, which is appropriate: my worthless degree came from Psalter Lane x

 

Broken Biscuits No.4.

Posted on by
Reply

Broken-Biscuits-Brighton-flyer_Aug_V6_HiRes-1Broken-Biscuits-Brighton-flyer_Aug_V6_HiRes-2

Next up is Komedia. Now, everyone on the circuit knows that this is an important one, so if any of you Brighton (or environs) folk would care to part with a few quids and get stuck in, we’ll make it more than worth your while. I mean, look! We’ve got Jules Oliver for starters, who’s won more comedy awards than I’ve had hot dinners and is surreally obsessed with Concorde. The plane, not the venue. Natch. Also, James Cook is doing a turn: his astonishing career has spanned NEMO, IAMX, The Mighty Boosh and a string of spectacular solo albums. Thoughtful, political and above all, effortlessly catchy – not to be missed. And yay! Kate Tym‘s going to hightail it over from St Leonards to join us once again. Her Tampon Tax Poem at BB2 Hastings went through the roof on the IE Vimeo account; she is one seriously funny lady.

I was told recently that after seeing Dan Laidler‘s wonderful mini-series Windy’s Farm at BB3, a colleague woke up in the middle of the night in deep distress at poor Windy’s plight. So we’ll be showing them all over again. The cruelty of art, the cruelty of art.

Finally, I am delighted to announce that my old pal Nick Hollywood will be doing a DJ set with his 15 year old son Joss. The Brighton-based godfather of electro-swing himself alongside the next generation of home-grown talent. This is worth more than the price of admission alone, so please do the right thing. The link below is for online bookings, but you can also contact Komedia direct at the number on the flyer. Looking forward to seeing you there x

https://komediabrighton.ticketsolve.com/#/shows/873555772

Broken Biscuits No.3.

Posted on by
Reply

BB3---General-HiRes2

Three under the belt now and it’s going from strength to strength. BB3 was fantastic! Gary From Leeds stepped up to the plate at the very last minute and was bloody hilarious; Marijne and Paul from Salad got back together for the first time in 18 years and belted out a set that had us all doubting it; Franck Alba and Nina Walsh’s beautifully subtle electronica was a joy to be immersed in, and Idle Eye was…pretty good, actually. And yes, we got hold of a projector somehow, so Dan Laidler’s Windy’s Farm had its second outing in public and went down a storm. If you don’t believe me, have a look at some of the edited highlights below. Thanks so much to everyone who came, to everyone who performed or helped out, and to all those who made a cash money donation. These are the things that help keep the arts going at a time when we need them the most. See you in Brighton x

IE Audio 27 : The Final Curtain

Posted on by
Reply

A certain curtain.

Broken Biscuits No.3.

Posted on by
Reply

Broken Biscuits CP flyer_July_HiRes2-1

Broken Biscuits CP flyer_July_HiRes2-2

Just to let you know that BB returns to Antenna Studios in Crystal Palace on Sat 16th July, and once again the line-up is superb. The unfathomably prolific Franck Alba will be knocking out a few tunes like only he can; Joe Duggan, possibly the Palace’s finest wordsmith, will make you laugh, cry and think, most often all at once; Marijne and Paul (engine room of ’90s indie darlings Salad) are reunited at long last, so expect effortless, lyrical pop for those with something upstairs; and yes, DRS and I will pretend we’re not pissed as we try to hold it all together. And if we can get a projector, we’ll be continuing the newly-found tradition of screening Dan Laidler‘s superb animated mini-series Windy’s Farm. If we can’t, we’ll sing a little ditty or something. Like you like.

Tomorrow, we head out West for the Wonder Fields Festival just outside Exeter. We’ll be doing a few posts on Sunday, probably around midday. In a tent. And we’re meant to dress up as Aztecs or something but that ain’t gonna happen. One of the very rare occasions that common sense and human dignity shall prevail. No one needs to see that x