THE SKETCH BEST THING The Dog-Eared Collective explain why you’d be daft not to see their new show at The Carriageworks …
It seems you can’t swing a cat these days without clipping the head of someone proclaiming ‘London is the place to be for the comedy scene’. And we all agree that this person should have their head fouled upon by the cat in question, as this is pish. With comedy clubs thriving all over Leeds and numerous national comics playing at the City Varieties, Town Hall and now the First Direct Arena, Leeds is a veritable hot spot for humour. However, as a set of self proclaimed sketch pests who established in Leeds back in 2005 we do see a chink in the knitted Northern armour. And that is for the regular presence of sketch comedy.
Don’t get us wrong – Leeds has played host to the odd comedy festival appearance from multiple funnymongers like WitTank and Sheeps, but these are few and far between. So why is this?
Well, it is true that to the average comedy club owner – when compared with your standard stand-up comics – we bring more props to a gig than a raging kleptomaniac, and the number of sound cues we demand would leave a technician arthritic. But, to the comedy punter, the arthritis is a small price to pay for an all-singing, all-dancing, frantic eye-festival of funny. There are still the same life observations and witty one-liners that you get with a seasoned stand-up, but so much more besides. And we may not be in the same leagues as the arena, but we do have a Sunday Times Critics Choice under our belts along with a TV skit on Richard Hammond’s Secret Service, which aired on BBC 1 in March – so our one liners are well worth a look.
So we’re chomping at the dog chain to participate in a Northern sketch scene but despite having formed in Leeds 8 years ago, it’s getting tougher to keep our shows travelling North of the cockney Border (with 3 of our company now having migrated to London) and the Yorkshire comedy connoisseurs seemingly harder to find. So we urge you, Culture Vultures – if you like your comedy left-field and your visuals larger than life, to take a chance on the joy of sketch this September and give our show ‘The Dog-Eared Collective‘ a go!
A self-titled skit parade, it features some of our best material from the last 3 years – along with a whole load of new and never-before-seen sketches. And to honour our commitment to waving the sketch flag in Yorkshire we’re offering Culture Vulture readers a Buy One Get One Free ticket offer, so if you quote ‘kennel club’ when booking your tickets you get them for just £4.25 each. So take a chance on left-field sketch comedy and join us at The Carriageworks on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st September for a power hour of our wildest sketches and most anarchic characters that promises to blow your silly-bone to smithereens!
And, to those of you who are still unsure whether sketch should be scheduled into your weekend, we ask: where else could you see a portable shower, a flying owl balaclava or a super hero radiation accident live onstage? (NB bird-enthusiast B&Q workers named Bruce Banner need not apply).
Gig Details
‘Critics Choice ‘Give this group a sketch show’ Sunday Times, 2011
‘Haemorrhage-inducingly funny’ Whats OnStage
Friday 20th & Saturday 21st September, 8pm
The Carriageworks, Leeds
Tickets: £8.50/£7.50
Box Office: 0113 224 3801
Quote ‘Kennel Club‘ to receive Buy One Get One Free offer on tickets
I have seen them in action a few times and I always laugh at their antics. Unique and intriguing. Chortle and chuckle. I dare you not to!