CCF12 PREVIEW: Elis James and Lloyd Langford

Elis James and Lloyd Langford

Previewing their shows in preparation for Edinburgh are the brilliant Elis James and Lloyd Langford.

I hardly think you should need telling about this pair, but I have a role to fulfill, so here you are!

I saw Lloyd Langford twice last year (you can read my review of one preview show HERE) and he was great.
To my mind, the truest guage of how good an act is comes of how they respond when something unexpected is thrown at them and I remember a particular moment at one show that a couple seated near me decided quite literally in the middle of one of his rambles they would leave... knowing that where they were seated would mean making four others at our table stand to let them out. Obviously, Lloyd noticed this and for a moment it was clear his confidence took a bash (especially given that it must have seemed an entire table were leaving!) and he lost his train of thought. He took it completely in his stride, though - just left that piece of his set and moved on. I was glad to see him the second time just to find the end of that particular piece (and don't even start me on the rudeness of walking out in as abrupt a way as they did, because it wasn't even as though they hadn't laughed- let's just say they clearly had other entertainment planned!) but it just shows that even though he portrays an image of disinterest and detachment he is actually completely aware of what is going on around him and his pretense of having not rehearsed his material and claims in that instance of making it up as he goes is a complete fabrication. Quite honestly, I still haven't worked out why we don't see/here more of him on TV or radio but hopefully that will soon change.

And what do I need to tell you about Elis James? Very funny, slick and subtle; crude enough to be interesting but not so much it makes the audience squirm. It might be more to do with his material than delivery as I have only seen him do one set (allbeit more than once!) but he comes across at first as quite naïve and innocent until you realise he is sneaking little moments past you un-noticed. It's a process which is hard to explain, but is testament to his imense talent as a writer as well as his performance skills.

I will say no more, because as with these things I do feel I am descending into the gushiness I try to avoid... but if for whatever reason you have never seen either of these guys, you should definitely do along. Or even if you have... but you won't need telling because no doubt you will have bought your tickets already!


Head to the event page here:
Elis James/Lloyd Langford

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Sunday Summary 29/01

I’ll be honest; I am closing this week in Quandary Lane, somewhere just off the intersection with Indecision Street.

There are a couple of things I have been working on of late of which I am quite proud and would really like to include here; I am concerned though because the subject matter is … well, it’s crude, sweary and likely to offend some… but I know some of you will like it as much as I do… so do I drag this blog into a pit of iniquity and risk losing some of you for the sake of sharing a few pieces of work?

I have been trying to re-write in a less -I guess graphic would be the right word- way… but I just can’t see the funny in it when it has been watered down; and were I writing a guide on how to be funny, I am fairly sure step one would be something along the lines of writing things which seem funny to yourself.

In terms of achievements this week:

• Not that I am number-driven, but my visitor stats have reached an all-time high here this week. Don’t get me wrong, I have done the research and know exactly how I could have hundreds of people passing by this blog on a daily basis; the steps I would need to take though would take me away from what I really want this blog to be, so I choose to plod along in my own way; and it’s always fabulous to be able to stick two fingers at the ‘experts’!
• Whilst TV and radio seems to hold little that is new right now, I have been looking further afield. I know some of you are tiring of my constant Welsh references, but there is some fabulous stuff to be found there right now. Starting with the brilliant “Gwlad yr Astra Gwyn” which I reviewed earlier this week and “Elis James Pantheon of Heroes” which is to follow (well, the review is ready to upload, just that I have to select a sample file to upload with it, which is proving tricky when the entire thing is so bloody funny!) amongst other things. I am trying to cover things which aren’t being covered on quite literally every review site, mostly because we do all become creatures of habit and I would like to help you break that even for just half an hour!
• There has been something of a resurrection of some old favourites on the BBC IPlayer – in particular, sitcoms Everyone Quite Likes Justin and Claire in the Community as well as Chris Addison’s The Ape That Got Lucky, sketch show The End of the World Show … the list is endless, so take a look for yourself at the comedy section of the listings and see if your old favourite is there.
• I have completed a huge chunk this week of that darker piece I have been referring to… I will try to post some sort of abridgment here, but I am not sure how that will work out without losing the full context. To be honest, with this being a fairly surreal piece, I am not sure whether to see it written down makes it seem a little silly… as a spoken word piece, it works really well, though! (I guess you’ll have to just take me at my word on that!)
• Oh, I finally filed my tax return too! That’s got to count as an achievement I think!!

So another pretty good week in spite of near zero sleep and general apathy… imagine where I could be by now if were a little more driven, eh?

Another something to think on, I guess!

And because I love it… here’s a clip from Everyone Quite Likes Justin, written by Justin Moorhouse and Jim Poyser.

This clip features Justin Moorhouse, Susan Cookson, Paul Copely and Lloyd Langford:

Ask Rhod Gilbert

BBC 1, Wednesdays 10.45pm

Those who know me will have expected this review long ago, but it has taken many re-writes to make it not seem gushy! Much as I try to remain objective I do feel there is little these guys can do that I would not love so I have watched it over and again trying to bore myself to the point I can find something negative to say; but still I have nothing.

The show has a feel of intimacy to it, as though rather than watching people try to be funny you are just in the pub having a chat with them. With a huge array of panel shows featuring the same faces time and again each fighting for their camera time, this is a refreshing approach. And okay, nothing has really changed since the last series and I am aware I have (quite recently) criticised other shows for this very thing – but much as I hate the cliché thing: if it ain’t broke… blah blah!


This first episode featured guests David Hasseloff, Kimberley Wyatt and Phill Jupitus. I have to admit, having seen Jupitus live a few times I expected more of him than we saw in this programme, but I feel he was very much overshadowed by Hasselhoff! I have never particularly been a fan, even in the days of Knight Rider (Airwolf was more my thing, Michael Knight was far too clean-cut for my liking!) but I have to say I found him highly entertaining through this episode – not enough to persuade me to watch BGT (or X-Factor? – No it’s definitely BGT – see, researched a fact and came right back, I can do it!) but I would no longer turn a show off just because he happened to be on it.

I did notice during the first series that most of the questions posed were repeated from the brilliantly funny Irish comedy "Great Unanswered Questions" but thankfully that seems not to be the case this time around. It is far easier to roll with the jokes when you do not already know the true answer!

Ok, for some the humour might at times be a little puerile, nonsensical and juvenile but to my mind that suits the loose, easy flowing format well. This series is unpretentious and unapologetic, treating everyone with equal contempt regardless of status and as such brings out the best in its guests.


So there you are; another fabulous series! Watch it – many times – it gets funnier I assure you!


Showing Wednesday nights at the bizarre time of 10:45pm and repeated Sundays around midnight – or on the Iplayer at any time of course!


And for no other reason than to show off as usual; another of my baby's drawings!

Swansea Comedy Festival

Thank you for the emails! I had not realised there were so many people hanging on my words, so here is the review you have been so – erm – patiently waiting for!

The venue itself was great; although the music played between acts left a lot to be desired. There is only so much Kylie and Take That a person can handle and with a playlist of only four or five songs, I reached my ceiling fairly quickly! But in terms of our purpose, it was perfect; the view of the stage from all seats was good, the sound system was of a good enough quality that every word was easily heard and it had a nice intimate atmosphere.

I must admit, there was a small moment of seat envy when the people with the best places, immediately next to the stage, talked incessantly throughout the entire evening. It was not quite clear whether it was that they were talking loudly enough that we could hear them from our table quite some distance away or if their voices were being picked up by the microphone and we were hearing from the speaker next to us, but either way having their muttering as a background noise was annoying, and quite apart from being an irritation to other audience members, it is hugely disrespectful to the acts themselves!


Regardless, the evening was very enjoyable. I have never quite decided which is better, to catch a preview whilst the material is still fresh or to be at the end of a run when it is has been polished and added to, but anyway both sets were really funny.

Andrew Lawrence was very funny - as I expected he would be! He has a very loose delivery, with a relaxed, nonchalant attitude and of course some excellent material. The things he was doing on TV and radio over last year whilst funny were often quite safe and mediocre, so it is good to see him pushing beyond this a little and becoming slightly edgier. He is currently recording a new series of “What to do”, so I am very much looking forward to that… and hoping the episodes are longer this time!

By contrast, I found Lloyd Langford to be quite mainstream. I read a few reviews of his work complaining about how he pushed boundaries too far, often taking people into territory they were not comfortable with. I personally like to be challenged in that way (I have mentioned it before, so won’t repeat myself…. although I do – often – suffice it to say that I think it is a better experience if I actually stop for a moment to think about why I find something funny rather than just laughing idly with the rest of the audience) so I was slightly disappointed in him; not that he wasn’t funny, just not in the way I was anticipating. It also bothered me at the time that through his entire pre-amble he seemed to make the assumption that the whole audience were local, making “in-jokes” and referring to nearby places. With hindsight, though, I do think my friend and I were possibly the only people in the audience who had travelled from England for the show, so maybe it is unfair to hold that against him.

All told, both were very funny; I would certainly make the trip again for them! In fact, I would even brave the drive myself rather than being Miss Wimpy and making my friend have to take me!


There are still another three shows before the festival finishes on 30th July, so check out the Swansea Comedy Festival website for more information.

Swansea or Bust!

Geography is vexing me like a hard-assed mofo right now! It would be fab if I didn’t love everything about living in this region…. It’s just that all the cool stuff is so damned far away!! You would not believe how many free tickets I have had to pass up lately because of living where I do!

I managed to score a couple of tickets for the Swansea Comedy Festival and have been desperately trying to arrange the logistics because I so need some hearty laughs right now. I have wanted to see Andrew Lawrence for a while, having missed out for a variety of reasons when he performed nearby a few weeks ago. He had a fab radio series last year which irritated me mostly by being recorded as just fifteen minute episodes so I am looking forward to hearing more of what he has to say! Also on the bill is Lloyd Langford. I have to admit to feeling a little ambivalent towards him: although I do laugh at his few appearances on television and radio, he often appears more as a feeder to other comedians so I wonder how well his comedy stands alone. Reviews don’t bode well, but I have always been a free-thinker, so will be keeping an open mind and will be sure to let you all know once the event has passed! In fact, I have to say that I tend to want to like something more if it has a bad review just so as to stick it to the reviewer.

I just hope my own words don't meet with the same contempt!

Getting away is not without its issues of course! With a disabled hub-ling and three children to organise, getting a night out even on a weekend is tricky – and this one is a school night! Add to that my fear of driving motorways, my terror at the thought of dealing with the bloody bridge again, the cost of fuel and the fact that staying awake for a 3 hour drive there let alone home again is likely to prove difficult for me, I was veering towards public transport. This isn’t as simple as it should be, though! I thought the advantages were clear: a faster journey, lower costs, a more relaxed trip. The reality is something else altogether. This probably is nothing new to those among you who have good rail links so use trains regularly, but here the trains go to one place only and as it is not somewhere I ever need to go, I do not use trains. Ever. That said I do know that were I to drive it would take 50 minutes, whilst the train journey is a mere 15-20. Why, then, does my three hour drive to Swansea become a five hour train journey? Least of all because were I to take a ten minute drive to the next town, I can actually see the bloody place! And why is it that whilst I can get there for a mere £11.50, I am expected to cough up £45 for my return? In having a moan over facebook about this (as one must in such circumstances!) I commented, “Well that’s it – I shan’t go!” to which an old friend replied simply with “It seems to me, going isn’t the problem!” That gave me a little chuckle as I pondered over whether attending a comedy gig was reason enough to abandon my domestic duties altogether and set up a new life for myself.

The jury is still out on that one!

Luckily, I am blessed with the friendship of one of the most amazing people on the planet, who called me up and said “Don’t panic, I’ll borrow hubs car and drive you there!” Perfect, since I had a spare ticket anyway! So ROADTRIP!! Very much looking forward to it! Indeed!

Mostly for some quality time with my top girl! Not only that, but we both SO need to blow out the cobwebs right now!

So I was thinking “Where do we eat?” And I stumbled across this in a review which made me giggle! 

“if you want to occasionally be just a little sophisticated, without going to Cardiff”

Now, I hadn’t ever really considered Cardiff to be a hot-bed of sophistication so wonder what this tells us about where we are going – although my visits have been hospital ones, so I guess I have not seen the best of the city! But anyway, that was my little “laugh-out-loud” moment for today!

And incidentally, the venue looks to be right near the place it would be logical for the much awaited Devon/Swansea ferry to land so future visits should be far simpler…. That is, assuming the Welsh fix up a landing point fairly soon! Perhaps they aren’t as keen on joining the two nations as we are… something to think on!

Oh, and as an FYI: When looking for a good restaurant ALWAYS switch on safe-search before using your preferred search engine to find “Eating out in Swansea”….

As an addendum:

Believing as I do that a person should make up their own mind about things, I have spent some time hitting up You-tube. There are not a great deal of videos of Langford, but from what I have seen he is every bit as funny as many other comedians I have seen so I hope the nay-saying reviewers are hanging their heads in shame! In fact, of the few clips I found there were some which seemed to be from the very gigs referred to in the reviews I read. I sometimes wonder if the writers of negative reviews have simply thought up some great lines of derision and have to use them at any cost... something to think on, I guess! Anyway - roll on July!

More on this topic here!