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Generally when attending a puppetry show you might expect some loveable fluffy animals and maybe a sing-a-long or two. Turn up to ‘Punched’, the adult puppetry show at the Nightingale Theatre however, and you’ll be faced with a different kind of human-controlled monster.

There were five acts in total, some performances such as Biting the Dust were overtly performance-art based and insufferably pretentious. The Hare & the Tortoise II and A Brief History of the Universe stuck a more comedic chord and were genuinely funny – and would be worth seeing a full show. If you want the next Avenue Q however, you’d best stick with a DVD.

The Nightingale Theatre, 6 December 2011
Rating:
Woodrow Whyte

Ploughing his songwriter’s income from Olly Murs’ ‘Heart Skips A Beat’ into a farewell tour for The Ordinary Boys has shown where Preston’s musical heart lies. Tonight’s Juice-promoted show was a warm-up for the reformed, slightly revised group’s subsequent dates, and Preston had to make an extra effort to get some of the more curious than committed crowd moving. The band sidelined the slick post-Big Brother reflections of their third album in favour of their original mod pop look and sound, blossoming finally with a welcome run through the hits. It was good to have them back, albeit briefly.

Green Door Store, 30 November 2011
Rating:
Stuart Huggett

DJ Fresh is responsible for producing the first dub-step number one in the UK, that is the absolute smash ‘Louder’, so we were expecting good things.

The gig wasn’t going great though before it had even started, with the crowd waiting what seemed to be an age for the support-less DJ.

When he did eventually show he opened with the explosive ‘Gold Dust’ which was promptly, and oddly, followed by an apparent fire alarm!

Granted we got to hear ‘Gold Dust’ again, but the gig was beginning to feel a bit shambolic and not even ‘Louder’ could redeem this short and ultimately disappointing set.

Concorde 2, 30 November 2011
Rating:
Kayleigh Lewis

Comedians put us in a jolly mood in aid of local charities

As a part of the international 16 days campaign of activism to end violence against women, and specifically to raise funds for charities Rise and Survivors’ Network, some very funny people are heading to Komedia to entertain while doing good. We love that!
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