Preview: Megagrotto 2015

Written by: Si Hawkins
Published: Thursday 19th November 2015

One unarguably fine thing about the festive season, for Londoners at least, is the rise of indie comedy festivals, from one day affairs to ambitious multi-week behemoths. Although it can be a bit bewildering, as some have awkwardly similar names. Hence BCG is wading in.

We kick off with Megagrotto, which isn't entirely Christmas-related, as it's a spin-off from a free-but-fundraising regular clubnight, The Comedy Grotto, not to be mixed up with Bob Slayer's upcoming three-week bash, Grotto. Confused? You will be, [Yoda voice] you will be [end Yoda voice].

Megagrotto, this coming Saturday, features 14 acts doing full hour-long shows, across two rooms, so at each break punters will have to choose which comic to patronise with their presence. It's like a tiny Edinburgh Fringe. We asked organiser/performer Alex Kealy (pictured) for a few pointers. And he went off on one.

The regular Comedy Grotto night sounds interesting - what's the story there?

Thanks! The thoughts behind setting it up were:

a) The noble reason: I wanted to run a regular night raising money for various charities, including PBH's Free Fringe and MTI's Syria Refugee Relief.

b) The less noble reason: I wanted to create a fun environment for brilliant, established acts doing new material, plus great emerging acts drilling their 10s.

c) The least noble reason: a guaranteed spot for this guy - Alex Kealy, 26, Grade two pianoforte (pass) - to perform new material at least once a month.

It's been going two and a half years at the Star of King's in King's Cross. In 2014 it was monthly and in 2015 we went fortnightly. Following this law of doubling, by 2024 we aim to hold 36 Comedy Grottoes per day and by 2031 hope it'll become the major organising unit of human society before, sadly, taking up all the Solar System's atoms in approximately 2046.

Acts who've appeared at this free / donate-after regular night include - deep breath - James Acaster, Kevin Eldon, Aisling Bea, Liam Williams, Felicity Ward, Sarah Kendall, The Pin, Cariad Lloyd, Sarah Franken, Alex Edelman, Brett Goldstein, Ivo Graham, David Trent, Mike Wozniak, Pierre Novellie, Lou Sanders, Alfie Brown, Lazy Susan, Phil Wang, Sam Fletcher and Ben Target.

So tell us about this spin-off event. Why? How? Who?

Megagrotto is a big all-day festival we're putting on this Saturday, 21st November 2015, at the Star of King's from lunchtime until midnight. It's a follow-up to an all-day festival of Edinburgh previews we ran earlier in the year, which starred Richard Herring, James Acaster, Liam Williams and Sarah Kendall, amongst others.

This time, it's 14 acts doing their Edinburgh shows spread across two rooms and the line-up includes alternative comedy legend Simon Munnery, Edinburgh Best Show Nominee Kieran Hodgson and character act Sarah Franken ("Best Alternative to Psychedelic Drugs" - San Francisco Bay Guardian).

It's an all-in ticket of just £20 to watch all the shows... well, up to seven really, unless you have a creepy telepathic twin simultaneously relaying the show in the other room, and I'm sorry but your kind aren't welcome with your silvery skin and your mind control and your xenogenetic modes of reproduction. Britain's full!

I think running these comedy festivals is great fun and allows London audiences that might not have made it to Edinburgh to catch a feast of shows in one day.

I noticed there's another Comedy Grotto on this Christmas, run by Fringe legend Bob Slayer: is that connected? Coincidence? Is there 'beef'?

Yikes. Nope, nothing to do with this. Bob Slayer and I both agree that it's helpful to run events at the same time of year with titles so similar that Google literally cannot tell the difference between us, thus confusing the public! Hahahahaha!

Seriously though, [there's] minimal to no beef: Bob's Christmas shebang has, as ever, a brilliantly curated line-up of innovative acts and shows, many of which raise money for a great cause.

Completely unrelated note: I'm currently reading Robert Harris' excellent thriller Dictator, in which the orator Cicero swallows his pride and publicly praises the infinitely more powerful Caesar - of whom he privately disapproves - to preserve his own position. Nobody likes Cicero, though, because he uses phrases like "of whom" and couldn't even get a fucking merit at grade two pianoforte. #SweetSweetRomanSlam #AllGoodFunIfABitTense

So you're performing too - what's your own background?

I started stand-up about five years ago, and haven't looked back since (neck injury). I have often, though, questioned my motivation and overall emotional wellbeing during that time. I've enjoyed stand-up: only one family member has directly told me that I'm not funny and should give up comedy. The rest have said that I'm sort of funny and should give up comedy.

I've seen the provisional line-ups for the two rooms and there are some fascinating face-offs - have you actively pitted acts against each other using some clever system/algorithm?

Nope, we're pretty old-fashioned at The Comedy Grotto - just the usual Sacrifice-A-Chicken-And-Check-The-Entrails-For-Optimal-Match-Ups-And-Then-Give-Thanks-To-The-Sacred-Gods-Of-The-Hearth kinda deal (seriously, you've got to read Dictator.)

Which 'bouts' are you particularly moist about? Michael Legge vs Ian Smith and Lou Sanders vs Mae Martin look tight contests.

I couldn't comment on most of the matchups but you've got to think BEARD (pictured). As the only sketch group on the bill, they stand a pretty good chance against David Trent, with their two on one advantage. Unless it's tag-team, in which case with Trent's aggression and BEARD's versatility it's anyone's fight.

You've put yourself up against Thom Tuck. What would you say to ticket-holders who are torn between you?

That those people would be insane to be torn, because:

1. Thom Tuck is an Edinburgh Best Newcomer nominee, 1/3 of hilarious whip-smart sketchers The Penny Dreadfuls, presenter of BBC Radio 4's Sketchorama and co-creator of The Alternative Comedy Memorial Society.

2. I dropped half a cup of Sainsbury's Minestrone on my kitchen floor this morning - that's not even true. I just wanted to find something especially mundane about me for the contrast between Tuck and Kealy but resorted to inventing a soup-dropping incident. That's how boring I am.

3. I'm not very good at self-promotion and find it all very awkward - I'm actually basically reasonably OK at comedy, but Thom Tuck is extremely good.

Megagrotto does sound a bit like an X-Men villain. What are his powers?

Invisibility and digitally marketing comedy events.

Megagrotto is at the Star of Kings, Kings Cross on Saturday 21st November 2015 - click on Alex's shameless link above for details.