Welcome, welcome, everyone!
It’s our first preview of the wonderful Theatre & Circus offerings at Glastonbury Festival 2024 and where better to start than with a big hitter – the Cabaret tent.
The venue, set in Bella’s Field alongside Sensation Seekers, A Little More Sensation, Poetry&Words and the late-night Mavericks, is filled with some of the biggest names of comedy and cabaret – and more than a few surprises. It’s an eclectic representation of all that is cabaret.
The tent opens at noon on Friday, Saturday and Sunday – running until the early hours of the morning. Start your day with a panel show and end it with a cult hero unleashed – here are our picks of the weekend.
Cabaret Picks of the Weekend
The Infinite Monkey Cage / Friday from 12:00 to 13:00
Robin Ince and Brian Cox take their BBC Radio 4 show, The Infinite Monkey Cage, to Glastonbury for a special live recording to open the Cabaret tent for the weekend. Previous years have seen Cox and Ince joined by a host of guests on the Cabaret stage, from musicians Billy Bragg, KT Tunstall and Blur’s Graham Coxon to comedian Shappi Khorsandi and scientists like Professor Tony Ryan, Fay Dowker and Jeff Forshaw. Who might we see this year?
Luisa Omielan / Friday from 13:30 to 14:00 and Saturday from 21:40 to 22:10
Luisa Omielan “Created her own genre of comedy,” according to the BBC, which kind of makes the Cabaret tent at Glastonbury the perfect place to see the BAFTA Breakthrough winner perform, amongst other genre-defying comedians.
Basil Brush: Unleashed / Saturday from 23:30 to 00:00 and Sunday from 23:25 to 23:55
“Boom, Boom!” – yes, it’s Basil the Brush in a special show for adults. Following a day of keeping the children of Kidzfield happy, Basil is unleashed in the Cabaret tent with co-host Martin Cabble-Reid in a show strictly for adults. Expect the unexpected!
Paul Foot: Dissolve / Sunday from 18:10 to 19:05
Paul Foot is a unique force in comedy with his freewheeling comic style and iconoclastic fashion sense. He has famously appeared regularly on Never Mind The Buzzcocks, as well as other comedy panel shows like Would I Lie to You and 8 out of 10 Cats. He takes his new show Dissolve to the festival following success in the same slot in 2023.
Read our 2023 interview with Paul Foot here
Laura Lexx / Saturday from 15:25 to 15:55 and Sunday from 20:20 to 20:50
Comedian, author and actor, Laura Lexx was described by Entertainment Focus as “…stomach-achingly funny.” She’s at Glastonbury ahead of a headline tour, Slinky, across the country later this year – so why not catch the multi-award-winner ahead of the crowd?
Feeding the Fish / Friday at 23:45 to 00:00 and Saturday at 00:00 to 00:15
Feeding the Fish has gained a worldwide reputation as pioneers in event performance with their LED juggling and dance performances. Founder Alix Wilding describes their peformances as “a mesmerising melange of dance, lights, juggling and music!” They also perform in the Circus Big Top and Sensation Seekers Stage.
Read our interview with Alix Wilding ahead of last year’s performance here.
Ian Stone / Sunday from 15:35 to 16:05, also compere on Friday from 12:00 to 16:00
The Independent ranked Ian Stone amongst the top ten stand-ups in Britain, The Times described him as “a masterful exponent of self mocking Jewish humour” while The Guardian has called him “Seriously funny” – you get the picture, he’s good.
Look out for our interview with Ian Stone later this week
Glastonbury Festival 2024 takes place from 26 to 30 June
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