The Sheep Are On Song – New AFC Anthem Launched

 Aberdeen City, Featured, Sport  1 Response »
Apr 112014
 

Sheep On Fire - Sid OzalidWith thanks to Sid Ozalid.

A new anthem for Aberdeen Football Club has been launched ahead of the Dons’ Scottish cup semi final with St Johnstone.

Topically titled The Sheep Are On Fire it has been described as:

“a comedic but very groovy tune that celebrates everything that is great about Aberdeen FC”. 

To celebrate the birth of his son, Matthew, on the 21st March, just five days after the Dons lifted the League Cup, their first cup triumph in 19 years, best selling author and award winning poet, Sid Ozalid wrote a 18 verse poem about all the Dons players he has watched since the first match he attended in 1969. (AFC v Morton – Reserves)

He shared it with his friend Jim Shepherd of Jasmine Minks (Creation Records / Poptones Records / Alan McGee Signings) and the rest they say is history. Sid did have to cut it back to 3 verses, but thankfully, such lyrical gems as ‘Heid like a spud, Willo Flood’ and ‘Big Eck, Powder keg, face like a scrambled egg’ survived the edit.

When the Dons last won the League Cup in 1995, Sid was broadcasting weekly on Northsound Radio and had lots of ‘fitba’ chat with a young sports reporter called Richard Gordon. Sid had no choice but to invite him to take part in the recording.

Richard, now BBC Scotland Football Commentator, was happy to oblige and duly provided a spoof commentary which name-checks many Dons greats of the past as well as a few more recent red shirted heroes.

Sid also invited friends from other Aberdeen bands he had worked with from the 70’s, 80’s through to the present day. He likes to call them ‘The Sheep Shaggers Male Voice Choir’ and they – Fred Wilkinson (Toxik Ephex), Alan Davidson (The Kitchen Cynics), Wattie Duncan (Jasmine Minks) and Jeremy Thoms (Cathode Ray) to name a few – don’t appear to have any objections.

Sid’s only regret is that he feels he would have mustered a much larger flock had he not sent the invites out in the early hours of April 1st, but conversely, has come to the conclusion that this ploy was essential in rallying the ‘right’ kind of people for the task.

Play it loud and proud!

The Sheep are on Fire by Sid Ozalid, Jimmy Jazz, Richard ‘Fitba’ Gordon and the The Sheep Shaggers Male Voice Choir.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhF3r4QVLo0&list=UUyPKRrSSwnYVYKIyxyQyn2A

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Variety Show Returns With Scotland’s Only Blind Comedian

 Aberdeen City, Information  No Responses »
Feb 212014
 

Neil Skene With thanks to DV Press.

Popular variety show The Drummond Varieties returns to Aberdeen next week, hosted by local magician Eoin Smith.

Featuring the best in music, magic and comedy from around the North East of Scotland, along with a delicious one-course meal, the show will take place in Belmont Street’s Café Drummond at 8pm on Wednesday 26 February.

Headlining the show is Scotland’s only blind comedian, Neil Skene.

Blind since he was a teenager, Neil has trekked to Everest base camp, bagged over 65 Munros in Scotland, and run the London Marathon. These days he faces an even tougher challenge though… making a room full of strangers laugh!

With quick wit and brilliant humour, Neil is a fantastic comedian who is sure to raise the Drummond Varieties roof.

Also appearing are premier improv group Wildly Unprepared. A hit with The Drummond Varieties audience following their appearance last year, Wildly Unprepared will be taking more of the audience’s suggestions and turning them into hilarious sketches.

Rounding out the line-up are blues-rockers Strange Skies, who will be playing a special stripped-back acoustic performance, and promising Irish comedian Lee Brophy.

The Drummond Varieties is hosted by Aberdonian magician Eoin Smith. He said:

“We’ve been working hard to bring some amazing acts to The Drummond Varieties stage. This first show of the year looks set to be really strong, with some of my favourite performers from around the North East of Scotland taking part.”

The Drummond Varieties is a monthly showcase of amazing variety and cabaret acts held in Aberdeen city centre. Entrance to the show also includes a delicious one-course meal. Previous acts include Team America lead puppeteer Scott Land, comedian and radio DJ John McRuvie, magician Garry Seagraves and ventriloquist Tiffer Robertson.

The Drummond Varieties takes place in Cafe Drummond, Belmont Street on Wednesday 26 February 2014 and is suitable for over 18s. Doors open at 8pm. Entrance to The Drummond Varieties costs £7 and includes a delicious one-course meal. Entrance without food is £5. Tickets available on the door.

For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/thedrummondvarieties

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Battle Of The Comedy Rappers

 Aberdeen City, Opinion  No Responses »
Dec 172013
 

oneills2Andrew Watson reviews.

Last time I’d been to a rap event was Public Enemy, minus Terminator X, in 2003.  In fact, I think that was my first ever concert.  In other words, discounting seeing sets by DJs Yoda and Format in relatively recent years, I’ve been too long not delving properly into the world of hip-hop.

The comedy rap battle upstairs at O’Neill’s was my first taste of live rap music in a long time, and in some respects it delivered.

Starting matchup of the first round was MC Hammered versus Jamie Bummerman.  The latter ‘choked’, as they say in hip-hop circles, his silence taking his adversary to the next round.

Following this was Vincent Price versus Cypher Forsyth.  This was more evenly matched, though hesitance cost Cypher his advancement to the second round.

Peter Wood saw off his competition with relative ease, his opponent opting out and being replaced by a man in the audience, dubbed Junkie Monkey.  His slurred lines urged many a laugh from the crowd.

The last battle of the opening round was, I daresay, a genuine rapping contest; rather than comedic farce.  Neeks, with good vernacular and expert flow, beat Giovanni, who wasn’t too shabby himself.

For the second round, to bolster the numbers and the length of the competition, a newcomer was introduced.  TK, a Californian, rather than focusing on his battle with Peter Wood, seemed to be eyeing up Giovanni.

This sparked a genuinely heated exchange between the two, and bought Giovanni his place back in the competition.  His inspired ripostes upon TK proving he was only a shadow of himself against Neeks, earlier on.

Junkie Monkey, now MC Mumble, took on Neeks in the last pairing of the semi-final.  The latter tore into the loveable drunk, but still kept it in reasonably good humour.

He looked set to win from the start, but was then pipped to the post in the final by Vincent Price.

Not a bad night, for free entry.  Just think how much better it would’ve been, had a couple of the performers actually turned up.  The talented Jamie Kemp was reduced to, albeit inventive, beat boxing because his rap battle cohort didn’t turn up. A pity.

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Wildly Unprepared: Night Of The Laughing Dead – Sat 26.10.13

 Aberdeen City  No Responses »
Oct 232013
 

night of the laughing dead featWildly Unprepared, AUSA Improvised Theatre Society & AUSA Comedy Society proudly present the most scarily hilarious show you will see in Aberdeen this year.

It doesn’t end there, we’ve also managed to book a magician whose combination
of magic and comedy has kept crowds enthralled throughout Aberdeen, Mr Eoin Smith.

After the show we’ve set up a bunch of Halloween party games.

But where will this all happen? I hear you scream- well we’ve managed to secure the most appropriate venue in the city: Slains Castle!

The event will feature improvisation, stand up comedy, sketches, games, cheap drinks and much more.

Entry- £4; or £3 if you come dressed as a zombie The best dressed zombie will win a fantastic prize.

Wildly Unprepared shall also be announcing our newest project. Come along and find out what it is.

More Info –

Follow the AUSA Improv Society on twitter.
Visit Eoin Smith’s Facebook page.

GET INclusive At The Cowdray Hall – 20/21 September

 Aberdeen City, Charity, Events, Featured  No Responses »
Sep 172013
 

Get InclusiveFeatWith thanks to Maree Adams.

The Aberdeen Arts Coalition are hosting Aberdeen’s first ever inclusive arts festival on the 20th and 21st September 2013.

The Arts Coalition are a partnership of arts and disability organisations who are working together to promote opportunities for adults with learning disabilities to realise their hopes and dreams, and to flourish within the arts. The Festival will showcase a wide range of talented acts, featuring people with and without disabilities.

Acts at the two-day Cowdray Hall festival will include Leanne Smith, Tonik, Mixit, SCAT and 5th Avenue – an eclectic mix of North-east culture , including disco, pop, jazz, blues, and Scottish traditional and new music.

The festival will also showcase comedy from John Scott, along with art, film and photography exhibitions from established local artists. Satellite events will be staged in various venues in the city, including Gerry Jablonski and the Electric Band at the Lemon Tree, Dan Leckie at the Atheneum, and live comedy, art, dance and drumming workshops.

GET INclusive has been organised by the Aberdeen Arts Coalition with Aberdeen City Council, and is supported by many local and national artists and bands including world-renowned percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie.

Dame Evelyn Glennie said:

“GET INclusive aims to increase awareness and to see beyond the disability. Projects like this have had an enormous impact on the lives of people who need to be included and given purpose”

Hollywood Star To Perform In Aberdeen

 Aberdeen City, News  No Responses »
Sep 062013
 

A Hollywood star is set to top the bill at an Aberdeen variety show on Wednesday 11 September 2013. The Drummond Varieties will welcome Scott Land, lead puppeteer on Team America: World Police, to Belmont Street’s Cafe Drummond later this month.

Scott LandScott Land will be travelling to the UK in September and will be performing at monthly variety showcase The Drummond Varieties. Having worked on a number of high profile Hollywood films – including Team America: World Police, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and The Princess Diaries – Scott is one of the world’s most in-demand puppeteers.

Scott said:

“I really love performing in the UK so I can’t wait to get on stage at the Drummond Varieties and show the people of Aberdeen what I have to offer. I’ll be taking some of my favourite marionettes with me, and hope to show the audience something they might only have previously seen on television or in movies.”

Also performing at The Drummond Varieties in September is Aberdeen magic duo Fifth Dimension. Blending magic and humour, Fifth Dimension were the first act from the North East of Scotland to be invited to appear at Hollywood’s prestigious Magic Castle. Expect the unexpected as they perform impossible feats right in front of your very eyes, while making you laugh along the way.

Completing the line-up is top local singer-songwriter Davy Shanks, one of Aberdeen’s most popular musicians, and comedian William Bradshaw, whose slick delivery has seen him grow from strength to strength.

The show will be hosted, as ever, by Aberdonian magician and performer Eoin Smith.

He said:

“We’re moving into our fourth month now, and each month the shows are getting stronger and stronger. I was lucky enough to see Scott Land perform earlier this year and I know the audience is in for a real treat!”

The Drummond Varieties is a monthly showcase of amazing variety and cabaret acts held in Aberdeen city centre. Entrance to the show also includes a delicious meal and the chance to win brilliant prizes. Previous acts include comedian and radio DJ John McRuvie, magician Garry Seagraves and ventriloquist Tiffer Robertson.

The Drummond Varieties takes place in Cafe Drummond, Belmont Street on Wednesday 11 September 2013 and is suitable for over 18s. Doors open at 8pm. Tickets for The Drummond Varieties cost £6 and are available in advance from Cafe Drummond and Cavern Records. Tickets are also available on the door. Entry includes a one-course meal.

For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/thedrummondvarieties

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The Spice Of Life: Spectacular Midweek Variety Show

 Aberdeen City, News  No Responses »
Aug 152013
 

A new monthly variety show aims to bring old school variety back to Aberdeen. The Drummond Varieties will be held in city centre venue Cafe Drummond, Belmont Street, on Wednesday 21 August 2013.

eoin-smith-jpg

Now into its third month, The Drummond Varieties sees a diverse range of talent take to the stage every month including magicians, ventriloquists, comedians, dancers, musicians and more.

Throughout the night members of the audience are also treated to a delicious candlelit meal, and are able to compete in an interactive competition for a fantastic prize.

Topping the bill in August is the Pied Pyper Freak Show, a group of trained professionals who will risk life and limb to entertain their audience.

Re-enacting stunts first seen in Victorian side shows, this is a unique act in the North East of Scotland that mixes humour with amazing feats of strength and bravery.

Also appearing is improvisational comedy troupe Wildly Unprepared, who will perform for the first time in Aberdeen since their successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe. Taking cues from the audience, these masters of comedy can turn any suggestion into a startlingly funny sketch.

Completing the line-up are two up-and-coming student acts that are guaranteed to dazzle the crowd. The Aberdeen University Juggling Society will appear to defy gravity with their amazing displays of dexterity, balance and coordination, while comedian Mitch Skilling will have the room howling with laughter at his hilarious take on the world around him.

Each month, The Drummond Varieties is hosted by local magician Eoin Smith ( pictured ). A regular at variety and comedy nights around the city, Eoin will guide the audience through the evening with a little magic and a whole lot of energy.

Eoin said:

“The first two shows have been fantastic, and I think we’ve raised the bar again this month. It’s been great to see so many people coming out to support variety in Aberdeen.

“There’s a lot of talk about variety and cabaret undergoing a revival at the moment, but the truth is that it never really went away. There’s a great variety scene forming in Aberdeen, and I hope that the public really get behind it and help it grow.”

The Drummond Varieties is a monthly showcase of amazing variety and cabaret acts held in Aberdeen city centre. Previous acts include comedian and radio DJ John McRuvie, magician Garry Seagraves and ventriloquist Tiffer Robertson.

The Drummond Varieties takes place in Cafe Drummond, Belmont Street on Wednesday 21st August 2013 and is suitable for over 18s. Doors open at 8pm. Tickets for The Drummond Varieties cost £6 and are available in advance from Cafe Drummond and Cavern Records. Tickets are also available on the door. Entry includes a one-course meal.

For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/thedrummondvarieties

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World Class At Woodend Barn

 Aberdeenshire, Information  No Responses »
May 172013
 

There’s some world class music and comedy coming to Woodend Barn and Braemar over the next week. With thanks to David Officer.

blazin-fiddles-pic1
On Friday 17 May Woodend Barn  welcomes back one of Scotland’s finest folk groups, Blazin’ Fiddles.

What began as a project for the Highland Festival almost 15 years ago, continues as one of Scotland’s top traditional bands. From remote village halls to the BBC Proms, Blazin’ Fiddles have delighted audiences with their highlands and islands tunes and tales.

The audience has a rare opportunity to hear pieces featuring the regional styles of each fiddler followed by all hands jumping in for a wonderful explosion of music.

£15.00 full, £13.00 conc. £5.00 U16 in advance + bf
£17.00 full, £15.00 conc. £7.00 U16 on the door + bf

Then on Saturday 18 May in Braemar, we’re putting on Vamm – a brilliant young trio that weave melody and harmony together, creating a rich sound, bursting with texture and groove. Expect to be wrapped in a full sound that is contrasted by dynamic subtleties and moments of intimate quietness that will take your breath away.

Inflecting the sound with their own musical traditions, fiddlers Catriona Macdonald (Shetland), Patsy Reid (Perth) and Mandola player Marit Fält (Norway) relish the unlimited possibilities that great melodies possess, and play them in a fun and exuberant fashion.

£12.00, £10.00, £5.00 u16 in advance + bf
£14.00, £12.00, £7.00 u16 on the door + bf

Then, back at the barn on Sunday 19th May at 6.30pm we’ve got Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Claudio Abbado as part of our live screening series.  They’ll be performing a wonderful programme of Mendehlsohnn and Berlioz.

£12.50, £10.50 conc, U16 £5 in advance + bf
£14.50, £12.50 conc and U16 £7 on the door + bf

Finally, we’re really excited about the return of Jo Caulfield on Wednesday 24th May.  Not only is she Graham Norton’s main writer but she’s a fab stand-up in her own right and had us all in stitches on her last visit.  This is going to be another busy night full of laughs!

Friends will save £1 on advance tickets but these must be bought by phoning or calling into the box office.

£10.00, £8.00 in advance + bf
£12.00, £10.00 on the door + bf

Wildly Unprepared – Ready For Glasgow

 Information, Opinion  No Responses »
Mar 072013
 

They’re free, they’re funny, and they’re found monthly at Aberdeen’s Belmont Cinema Bar.  They’re heading to Glasgow’s, ‘Round The Clock Comedy Roadshow,’ and they are Wildly Unprepared. By Suzanne Kelly.

wildly-unprepared-chalk

Wildly Unprepared is a troupe of comedians offering up a thoroughly enjoyable blend of comedy improvisation and audience participation.
They recently celebrated a totally unprecedented one-year anniversary of shows in Aberdeen’s Belmont cinema, and have watched audience numbers and critical acclaim steadily grow.

‘Round The Clock Comedy Roadshow,’ which runs from Saturday 30th until Sunday 31st  March this year, is the first ever weekend comedy roadshow during the Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

This comedy roadshow is being done for a good cause, Clyde Cash for Kids, a fantastic charity that helps children in poverty throughout the West of Scotland.   Wildly  Unprepared are pleased to be part of the Round The Clock Comedy Roadshow.

Wildly Unprepared will perform on Sunday 31st March from 3 to 5pm at The Old Hairdressers, Renfield Lane, Glasgow.  See www.stereocafebar.com.

In the run up to the Sunday Show, Wildly Unprepared members Bambi McDee, Tomohawk Paul McGinn, and Robert Starr  will each perform solo on Saturday 30th March.

Robert Starr has a slot between 11am at Eurohostel, Clyde Street.

Tomohawk will be on between 12pm – 2pm at On the Rox at The Roxy 171, Great Western Road, and finally,

Bambi performs 3pm – 5pm at The Admiral Bar, Waterloo Street.

In Aberdeen, the Belmont show is held on the first Friday of each month from 8pm in the basement bar of the Belmont Cinema on Belmont Street – there is no admission charge.

The show is typically in two halves, each comprises several improvisation games, along the format of such shows as ‘Whose Line is it Anyway?’ and ‘Mock the Week.’  Wildly Unprepared  members take turns on timed games, for instance where one comic will be assigned, by the audience, to have a (ludicrous) secret, and other members will have to get it out of them.

Other times, audience members will be asked to pose the team however they wish, as they have to improvise their way through perhaps a rugby game or discussion about anteaters.   Anything could happen, as the audience’s ideas are incorporated into whatever sketch or scene the guys are expected to act out.

With the audience participation aspect there is little ability to pre-plan any gags or dialogue – the improvisation is genuine, and genuinely funny.  Each member of Wildly Unprepared brings their own background in acting and/or comedy to bear in the skits, and the interaction between the different personalities makes this group work.

Past sketches include ‘Students Come Dine With Me’, ‘Pee Buddies’, and ‘Robert Built a House.

COMMENTS ABOUT WILDLY UNPREPARED:

 “Wildly funny!”  – their friend Iain who thinks he’s funny

“One of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen” – a hot girl Bambi tried to pick up

“Everyone should see this” – Pete Wood

“Ai Ai Ai Ai Aiiiiii” – Guitar Wifey

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