November and December Gigs!

A little pre-Christmas flurry of gigs around the country, mostly as part of Nine Comedians & Carols... Come along!

Fri 27th Nov - Nine Comedians & Carols, St Matthew's Church, Tarring Road, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 4BH, 8pm start

Sat 5th Dec - Nine Comedians & Carols, Milton Baptist Church, Baytree Road, Weston-super-Mare, BS22 8HJ, 7:30pm start

Sun 6th Dec - Nine Comedians & Carols, St Michael-le-Belfry, Minster Yard, York YO1 7HH, 7pm start

Tues 8th Dec - The Laughing Sole, The British Oak, 1364 Pershore Road, Stirchley, Birmingham, B30 2XS, 8pm start

Wed 9th Dec - Nine Comedians & Carols, Buckhurst Hill Baptist, 28 Palmerston Road, Buckhurst Hill, Essex, IG9 5LW, 8pm start

Sat 12th Dec - Nine Comedians & Carols, Letchworth Garden City Church, Icknield Way East, Letchworth Garden City, Herts, SG6 1EF, 8pm start.

Award Winner!

I am totally delighted that the film I was in very briefly (Me, Me, Me) has won an award at the prestigious (I imagine) Newport Film Festival.

We won the Welsh Dragon award for Best Achievement in Film, and also Best Achievement at being In Some Way Welsh.

Congratulations to Geraldine Geraghty the director, the producers Miranda Glasser and Cath Royle, and to myself for so convincingly playing the part of a pretentious, camp Yogic Man. I deserved an award just for bringing my own Ganesha Festival t-shirt. Probably not.

Computer Game Voice Acting

Yeah, so Graham Linehan already posted this, so I'm horribly behind the times, but Lord, is it good...

Top 50 Worst Videogame Voice Acting - watch more funny videos

My favourite is number 26, from Castle Shikigami 2. Plenty more on Audio Atrocities!

(You'll forgive me for taking the opportunity to direct you towards my Voice Reel for an alternative to bad voice acting...)

Nine Comedians & Carols - Year Two

Don't know if you remember, but last year myself, Tim Vine, Miranda Hart, Girl & Dean, Andrew Watts, Joanne Lau, Gareth Richards and others assembled in Guildford under the stern eye of Paul Kerensa to enact the inaugural Nine Comedians & Carols - in which the aforementioned number of funny people assist in delivering lessons and carols to godly folk.

Well, now it's back! I'm adding the gigs to the gig list on the right, but if you live in Worthing, Weston-Super-Mare, York, Buckhurst Hill or Letchworth, then boy are you in luck, as a gaggle of gagsmiths land on your doorstep for yuletide yucks. (Why I'm not writing the labels on Innocent Smoothies is a mystery to me.)

If you would like us to come to your venue, email me and I'll pass on the information - contact details are on your right.

Oh come, all ye faithful! Yay!

tom:foolery

I'm totally chuffed to be part of the newest movement in comedy. The movement of the Toms.

(NB. Woah. That Spotlight name change happened just in time.)

I'm performing at TOM:FOOLERY next Wednesday 21st October. It's a comedy night for only Toms, Thoms, Thomases and Tomasinas.

Currently down to perform are Toms Allen, Meeten, Parry, Rosenthal, Webb and myself (Wateracre). Also includes a tom:bola and tom:trumps. Exci-Tom-ent! (weak)

It's 19.15 at Escape, 10a Brewer Street, Soho, London. It's £7 to get in, £5 if concession, £1 if you are called Tom. Come along!

And look! It was mentioned in the flippin' INDEPENDENT!

Or go to:
Facebook event
Facebook group

Surbiton Gig on Saturday

Hello there all -

I'm doing a longer gig (40mins) in Surbiton this Saturday as part of the Landirani Live mini-festival. Check out the flier!



Landirani is a lovely charity dedicated to helping the orphans of Malawi, and so I'm thrilled to be taking part. Check out their website for more information on the day, and come along if you're in the area!

TOMMAPALOOZA - SUNDAY

Welcome to the third day of Tommapalooza - "A Kind Of Paltry Latitude Substitute" (TM). It's a carefully-curated festival of music, in which I encourage you to enter into the spirit of things and make this the best music festival you've ever held in your own house. How to take part: 1) Download Spotify. 2) Access the Tommapalooza - Sunday playlist. 3) Turn up loud. Each band has a set of five songs, with the headliner allowed an encore of two songs.

Today opens with the traditional quasi-religious act. Al Green was unfortunately booked elsewhere, so instead we have the hollering gospel of SISTER WYNONA CARR! I callenge you not to be moved by the intricate stories, powerful lungs and moral fervour of Sister Wynona as she unapologetically preaches about the darkness of the world, and the light of the heavens. A genuine discovery.

Bringing it down a notch, we have ELLIOTT SMITH. Moody, stripped-to-the-bone emotional, and melodically beautiful, Elliott Smith's troubled life is brought to his songs and stirred into the potent mix. Celebrate his too-short life with these beautiful songs.

Next, THE AFGHAN WHIGS! As fixated on the darkness in humanity as both the two proceeding acts, Greg Dulli went so far as to meet his bandmates in prison. Longing, lust, funk and rock, wrapped up in a powerful little lozenge, forgive the Afghan Whigs their terrible name and enjoy this indie rock extravaganza.

Warming up for the headliners we have THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS! A Canadian Supergroup, featuring members of Zumpano, Destroyer and the indomitable Neko Case, the New Pornos make pop-punk for the indie kids amongst you. If I had had the New Pornographers when I was 16, they would have been my favourite band in the world.

And finally, headlining Tommapalooza 2009, we have CURIOUSLY EIGHTIES BOWIE! There was a point when David Bowie was curiously '80s. That point was the 1980s. Revel again in some of the less fashionable end of Bowie's career, with some special guests, and the greatest closing singalong ever.

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Post any comments below (or join the Tommapalooza Facebook Group.

Thanks for participating in the inaugural TOMMAPALOOZA!

TOMMAPALOOZA - SATURDAY

Welcome to the second day of Tommapalooza - "A Kind Of Paltry Latitude Substitute" (TM). It's a carefully-curated festival of music, in which I encourage you to enter into the spirit of things and make this the best music festival you've ever held in your own house. How to take part: 1) Download Spotify. 2) Access the Tommapalooza - Saturday playlist. 3) Turn up loud. Each band has a set of five songs, with the headliner allowed an encore of two songs.

Saturday's line-up at Tommapalooza traditionally brings a bit more of a boisterous tone to proceedings, and tonight is no exception. We start with the mighty JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION. Three men, two guitars, one drumkit - the JSBX encompass a surprising range of styles, from rockabilly punk to more traditional crooning, whilst showcasing the personality and self-aggrandisement of Jon Spencer himself. Not to be missed.

Following that, we have the indie darlings RILO KILEY. Owing to Spotify's somewhat curious labelling system, it may look like Rilo Kiley are going to be playing their song "The Execution of All Things" four times. This isn't true. Fronted by the lovely voice and crafty lyrics of Jenny Lewis, Rilo Kiley bring large, crashing choruses imbued with emotion to rub against snarky hipster attitude, and may just come out of the ensuing scrap with your heart.

In the middle here we have... dear Lord! It's DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979! Two Canadian bearded men, one with a heavily distorted bass, one with a drumkit, making a whole lot of racket. If it sounds like someone throwing a lot of instruments down some stairs, then that's intentional. If that noise makes you want to party, then that's allowed.

After that, anyone requiring a breather must be escorted from the audience quickly, as here's ANDREW W.K.! A classically-trained madman with blood streaming down his face, Andrew Wilkes-Krier makes music that sound like the Fun House Theme Tune got jacked up on Fanta and then proceeded to slam itself repeatedly against the wall. Unfortunately Spotify failed to stock Andrew W.K.'s everything-and-the-kitchen-sink third album "Close Calls With Brick Walls", but here's a set intended to scare your girlfriend and thrill the teenage boy in you.

Headlining tonight, we have... THE QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE! Conceived as a heavy rock band for the Ladies, QOTSA have transformed the stoner rock of their earlier incarnation Kyuss into something more supple and funky, with Josh Homme's smooth vocals being supplemented by Nick Oliveri demented howling. QOTSA will send you to your tent either rocking gently to expunge the madness from your poor little skull, or rocking out hard.

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Post any comments below (or join the Tommapalooza Facebook Group, and see you tomorrow for Tommapalooza's exciting final day!

It's all go at Tommapalooza!

I'm already hearing some brilliant stories from Tommapalooza day one. Nice to see so many people checking out the literature tents. They really can pop up on you when you least expect it, can't they? And the range of food is quite extraordinary! Tonight, I tried the Thai stand, while I have heard other reports of pizza and even casserole... AMAZING!

Here's some of my photos from the Festival so far...

	I have my ticket, so it's off to Tommapalooza with me!
	My wacky Festival Hat!
	I declare this festival...
	... OPEN!
	I help out on the Thai Food stand. Mmm... Delish! (This is Quorn, by the way...)
	The dreaded Festival toilets...
	I can't believe I have to sleep here! It's so PRIMITIVE!

Add your own photos at the Tommapalooza Facebook group!

TOMMAPALOOZA - FRIDAY

Welcome to the first day of Tommapalooza - "A Kind Of Paltry Latitude Substitute" (TM). It's a carefully-curated festival of music, in which I encourage you to enter into the spirit of things and make this the best music festival you've ever held in your own house. How to take part: 1) Download Spotify. 2) Access the Tommapalooza - Friday playlist. 3) Turn up loud. Each band has a set of five songs, with the headliner allowed an encore of two songs.

Today's line-up starts with retro, filthy-minded, sassy rockers THE DETROIT COBRAS. Fronted by an ex-stripper, their sound is sexy, funky and fun.

Second on the Tommapalooza stage, THE NOISETTES. Although now famous for supplying soundtracks for car and yoghurt adverts, their first album is a tricksy bag of eccentric character and hard rocking, and their second aims both for the dancefloor and the heart-strings. Let's hope for a tight set by this glorious young British band.

Next up, the mighty SPOON. With Spotify not stocking their amazing "Kill The Moonlight" album, expect a set drawn heavily from their last album "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga", as these intelligent Austinites explore the meeting points between Americana, Clash-style infatuation with global sounds, and indie-kid-baiting grooves.

Warming you up for the headliner, MODEST MOUSE. Isaac Brock's ever-changing line-up of indie greatness recently welcomed the addition of Johnny Marr to offer gnarly little guitar lines to counterpoint Brock's astonishing voice. A band with a lot of character, a lot of rock, and a lot of soul.

And finally, headlining because I worry they are too cool to ever do so in the real world, CLEARLAKE. Brighton's finest, Clearlake have been under the radar for far too long, and while we wait for their next album (which their website still claims will be out in April 2009), here's a lively set from a band with ideas and emotions to spare.

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Post any comments below, and see you tomorrow for Tommapalooza's exciting second day!