Thursday 21 September 2023.

Thursday 21 September 2023. MICKY FLANAGAN live at Hammersmith Apollo. Very popular Cockney comedian plays the second of two sold out pronto shows at this venue. This is part of the second leg of his massive 2023 UK tour which mixes theatres and arenas. Earlier in the year he played multi-nights at The 02 Arena. Micky Flanagan has been a professional stand-up since 1997, Micky draws on his East End background as he ruthlessly deconstructs the Cockney myth with razor-sharp observational wit. He tells a comic tale of a working class upbringing, where alphabetti spaghetti is a luxury and a bottle of black tower the height of sophistication. Micky’s unique brand of intelligent humour appeals to men and women equally, as he bemoans the lot of modern man in pursuit of the perfect idle day. ----------- The venue is totally rammed sold out, as there are rear stalls standing and circle standing too. MICKY FLANAGAN arrived on stage at 8.45pm and performed for 80 mins. Micky arrives on stage to massive cheers. He moans about the aches and angst of recently turning sixty, but he was having comparable comedic growing pains in his fifties. Intimate bits of his body are be becoming leathery but his wit is as silky smooth as ever, even when the targets are low-hanging fruit. Big laughs are prompted by a veritable bunch of gripes, from fellow sunbathers on the beach who are more irritating than sand in your sausage rolls to society’s obsession with new teeth and cartoon eyebrows. As in previous shows Flanagan has plenty to say about the uneasy truce he has with his wife over everything from division of household chores to communicating with each other in their unashamedly big house. A beautifully-observed running gag about the varying volumes of “caller” and “callee” is the closest thing here to his legendary Out Out routine. As ever, Flanagan is happy to be the fall guy throughout, very much playing the blokey male stereotype who prefers shirking to working. At one point he reveals that he recently went to a musical to placate his wife – “torture!” – and wonders if there could be a market for a musical about The Krays. He might be a little traditional at times, but Flanagan is a fantastic stand-up with an ear for a relatable yarn. The show had plenty of swearing , but they actually helped the joke get bigger laughs. Micky landed his punchlines with laser-guided precision, grinning and swaggering around the stage. Top notch comedy from this cheeky cockney. ------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------ Wednesday 20 September 2023...I went to two events tonight... 6pm to 8.45pm JUNKYARD GOLF CLUB - showcase - Stables Market, Chalk Farm Road, London NW1. What they say... Experience four mashed-up crazy golf courses at Junkyard Golf Club's biggest location to date in Camden Market. The new home of crazy cocktails, even crazier golf and all things junk, each course is created from pre-loved and reclaimed items. Go face to face with creepy clowns, battle through tropical terrors, putt through the disco UV room and let loose in a distorted rave warehouse. If you love things loud and flashy, you’ll be in the right place. ------- This huge venue used to the home to SHAKA ZULU restaurant & bar. The bar and the tables are upstairs, and the golf courses downstairs. They have a very impressive range of cocktails and drinks. They don't actually serve food here but bought in some full size pizzas from nearby for the showcase. We had SIX different complimentary cocktails each here that were top notch. We had a go on one of the Crazy Golf courses which were good fun. In fact we were enjoying ourselves so much , that instead of leaving here at 7.45pm to get to The Palladium for the Dexys gig, we left here at 8.45pm. then DEXYS live at The Palladium. DEXYS are playing a UK & European tour to promote their new album 'The Feminine Divine'. They will play the album in full, followed by their greatest hits.u This year singer Kevin Rowland turned 70. I have seen Dexys several times since 1979 , when they supported The Specials at The Lyceum. Including two great shows at The Duke of Yorks Theatre on their last UK tour in 2013. I saw Kevin Rowland solo show at Reading Festival in 1999 which was one of the most bizarre performances i have ever seen...when he was promoting his 'My Beauty ' solo album.... Kevin Rowland singing 3 awful cover versions and Kevin wearing a dress with stockings with female strippers gyrating either side of him. ----------- Due to an extended stay at the earlier event, we ended up missing them play the new album in the first set. The venue is full of older folks that all could easily have been at Echo & The Bunnymen on Monday. Singer BOBBY GILLESPIE from Primal Scream was sitting near us upstairs. The second set saw DEXYS arrive on stage at 9.20pm and play for 60 mins. The band includes sax, trombone and violin, to create a lovely big sound. There was a big screen showing images on some songs, and some vertical stripped lighting. This set featured all the classic tracks from Dexys first two albums. Some on stage conversational banter between Kevin and his band mate was great. The big hits were kept until last, with 'Come On Eileen' lifting the audience as one to their feet and a four song encore comprising their two classic tributes to soul music greats – the brass swagger of 'Geno' and the exuberant ' Jackie Wilson Said 'with the traditional comical nod during the latter to darts champ Jocky Wilson on the big screen – as well as the moving slow dance of 'Carrickfergus'. A final encore of 'Tell Me When My Light Turns Green' was stunning. A great show. SECOND SET - Dexys Classics Soon Plan B I'll Show You All in All (This One Last Wild Waltz) Until I Believe in My Soul Free Come on Eileen Encore: Geno Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile) (Van Morrison cover) Carrickfergus ([traditional] cover) Tell Me When My Light Turns Green

Posted 21st September 2023