Brand on the run

10 April 2012

This year's London Comedy Festival bows out with a star-studded gig in support of Breakthrough Breast Cancer. The line-up is topped by Jo Brand, who stand-up act now ranges much wider than the cakes-and-girth gags she made her name with.

Don't expect Brand to be quite as tastefully eloquent as she was when she appeared on BBC1's Question Time, but behind the cynicism there's a keen intelligence working overtime.

If Brand is not your favourite tipple, then the ale force wit of Al Murray, The Pub Landlord, may be more to your taste. Other guests include bearded Black Books bard Bill Bailey, the mad, bad Jenny Eclair, Red Dward alumnus Hattie Hayridge and telly soundbite regular Gina Yashere. Music comes from the London Community Gospel Choir.

Elsewhere around town there are plenty of rousing LCF gigs. The pick of the pack is probably the in-your-face Ian Cognito, who has grabbed the Jerry Sadowitz shock-baton and bolted away with it. Cognito can be experienced doing an extended set at Bound & Gagged, N13 on Friday, Bound & Gagged, N7 on Saturday and in a shorter burst at the Brixton Comedy Club, SW2 on Sunday. For a complete contrast, catch Spike Milligan's erstwhile writer Neil Shand reminiscing at the Well Hard Club in W6 on Saturday.

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