GARETH RICHARDS, regular on Frank Skinner’s Absolute Radio Show and star of 2009’s Comedy Zone, brings his debut solo show to the Edinburgh Festival. Performing stand-up between some poignant and genre-defying songs, the Chortle Awards Best Newcomer nominee interweaves the two strands of his comedy. Can you skilfully interweave two strands? We’ll see.
The first strand is his joyous stand-up comedy which includes one-liners; observational material with a sprinkling of wordplay and surrealism; and stories based on true events. GARETH draws from his school days, his aimless studentdom, his bewildering twenties and now his recent perturbing fatherhood. We’ll encounter subjects such as family, technology, immigration, politics, and death, all of which will de dealt with somewhat flippantly. Which is good news really, when you consider it’s a comedy show.
The second strand is the music. GARETH will be performing funny, moving and genre-defying songs from his debut EP, ‘These Songs Could Be Used in Adverts’. The show will include audience favourite, and first single, ‘Dave the Fridge’ a whimsical and moving exploration of anthropomorphic friendship. It will also include the epic ‘Third World Girl’: a stadium anthem about how love can cross boundaries of race and political correctness. ‘Don’t Go Out With’ offers some advice to all the single ladies in the audience, and GARETH will also probably do a song about his mum.
Accompaniment will be provided by GARETH on The Incredible Omnichord - a strange and beautiful instrument which he rescued from the 1980s.
PLEASE NOTE: When GARETH plays the Omnichord he sits down. When he does stand-up comedy he stands. So he will be standing up between songs, but the audience don’t have to…
ends
“An effortlessly assured act…exceptionally inspired and truly memorable.”
Chortle
GARETH RICHARDS’ first album, These Songs Could Be Used in Adverts, will be available on iTunes from the end of July. You can also buy a copy of the CD at: www.garethrichards.net or after the show
LISTINGS INFORMATION
Venue: Pleasance Cellar
Date: 4th - 30th August
Time: 18:00
Box Office: 0131 556 6557
For more information and press tickets, please contact: Ben Nolan, Fran Cherry, Bea Gwynn, Jo Cross or Dan Lloyd. Tel: 08700 70 50 50 [Edinburgh office] or 020 7598 7222 [London office]. Email: benn@avalonuk.com, franc@avalonuk.com, beag@avalonuk.com, joc@avalonuk.com or danl@avalonuk.com
AVALON PROMOTIONS
Avalon Promotions Limited is one of the leading promoters of live comedy in the UK. Productions include: NEWMAN & BADDIEL in the first comedy show ever to be staged at Wembley Arena; FRANK SKINNER’s record-breaking performance to an audience of 6,000 at the Battersea Power Station; Jerry Springer - The Opera at the National Theatre, at the Cambridge Theatre in London’s West End, on national tour and at New York’s Carnegie Hall; HARRY HILL at the Palace and Dominion Theatres in London; and Dave Gorman’s Googlewhack Adventure at the Sydney Opera House, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, on national tour and at the Village Theatre, New York (nominated for Drama Desk Award 2004).
The last 12 months has seen Avalon Promotions: present multi-award winning comics CHRIS ADDISON, SIMON BIRD, JENNY ECLAIR, DAVE GORMAN, RICHARD HERRING, RUSSELL HOWARD, LEE MACK and FRANK SKINNER on sell-out runs; produce AL MURRAY, THE PUB LANDLORD live at the O2 and RUSSELL HOWARD at Wembley Stadium; introduce some of the fastest-rising stars in comedy such as KRISTEN SCHAAL & KURT BRAUNOHLER and ISY SUTTIE; produce stage shows, such as Frank Skinner’s Credit Crunch Cabaret and Grumpy Old Women Live, which has toured the UK three times and performed highly successful runs in Australia and London’s West End; and present 20 acts at the Edinburgh Festival, where it has promoted a total of five Perrier Award winners and 18 Perrier Award/Edinburgh Comedy Award nominees in just 21 years.
