COMEDY 0025 1901 0001020 7 998
CUT-PRICE
Shout about the price Chris Coltrane
Funny pub The Colonel Fawcett
12 Scout London scoutlondon.com
too niche”, puts on an impressive line-up of quality acts at The Black Heart in Camden. For just £6, there’s not much better value for money out there. Ditto Chris Coltrane’s Lolitics, a delightfully friendly and political night, also at The Black Heart, where comedians like Josie Long and the legendary Rob Newman have performed. Unaffected by inflation, Coltrane still somehow manages to keep the entry fee at a mere £3. If you’re really feeling the pinch, head to The Invisible Dot in Kings Cross for The Free Shows, a new fortnightly event that will allow you to check out top acts for absolutely nothing. Surefire star-of-the-future Karl Schultz is behind Rampant Breakdown, an avant-garde
gig full of hilarious and bizarre character comedy, which is also free (The Colonel Fawcett, Kings Cross). And Schultz is also a regular at the Weirdos Comedy Club, which has just taken up a monthly residency at the Leicester Square Theatre. For only £5, expect comedy at its strangest. Finally, keep an ear to the ground for Edinburgh warm-ups and scratch performances of all kind (where comedians try out new material). These are a great way to see some of stand up’s finest performing great work for a fraction of the usual cost. Battersea Arts Centre, Soho Theatre and The Pleasance in Caledonian Road are all good places to spot a comedy star road-testing new gags. Joanna Hawkins
ANDY CRAWFORD, GETTY / IDIL SULKAN / EWAN MUNRO
L
ive comedy definitely isn’t the most expensive of London’s cultural activities. But the price tags attached to the big stand-up shows have become prohibitively high in the last few years – seeing Eddie Izzard at The O2 in June will set you back around £50 a ticket. Thankfully, this isn’t the case across the whole of the live scene, where there are still plenty of laughs to be had on the cheap. For £5, alternative comedy stalwart Harry Deansway’s club, Shambles, at the Aces and Eights in Tufnell Park, features the cream of well-known performers and rising stars. Themed nights are also increasingly popular and highly affordable. The new Specialist Subject night, “where no joke is
Cheap laughs Big stars like Josie Long still do affordable comedy nights