Hen & Chicken

Jazz: Sexteto Gringo
2025-05-01 20:00 - 22:30 UTC | Chicken Shed
Andy Hague – trumpet, Ben Waghorn – tenor sax, Jim Blomfield – piano, Chris Jones – bass, Lisa Cherian – congas, Mark Whitlam – drums
Trumpeter Andy Hague ran his popular salsa/jazz octet Conjunto Gringo from 2010 to 2018, and now presents a slimmed down sextet version to play rearranged versions of the Conjunto repertoire, plus lots of new ones. Aiming to please equally both the jazz and salsa audiences the set contains latin-jazz classics from Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk, combined with a few Hague originals.
The regular jazz quintet line-up is expanded to sextet for this project by the addition of Lisa Cherian on congas – a pretty much ubiquitous face in the Bristol music scene, Lisa seems to play in nearly every band that relies on a strong groove – Mankala, Jingu Bang, K’Chevere, Aji Pa’ Ti and World Government to name but a few.
Well known in Bristol’s jazz scene, in 2019 Andy Hague played for the first time with legendary UK jazz composer Mike Westbrook as part of his Uncommon Orchestra, and post-Covid the band has appeared at Cheltenham and Cambridge Jazz Festivals, the Rossini Festival in Lugo, Italy and Ronnie Scott’s 2022 and 2023.
Long-term associate saxophonist Ben Waghorn is a versatile musician who has worked in London’s West End and on many pop, TV, and film recordings. He can also be heard on recordings with Geoff Eales and Dave Stapleton [Slowly Rolling Camera]. Ben has also recently performed with the BBC Big Band and played in Singapore with the London Concert Orchestra.
Pianist Jim Blomfield has been a vital part of Bristol’s jazz scene for many years but is now gaining national recognition for his outstanding latin/salsa style playing. Besides performing with The Bristol Salsa Orchestra, Dockside Latin Orchestra and Dockside Revolutions, JIm has also played recently with salsa legend Roberto Pla at London’s Pizza Express. “Jim Blomfield is the best British pianist you’ve never heard of and is an absolute marvel” – Independent on Sunday. Bassist Chris Jones and drummer Mark Whitlam have also worked together with their own project We Are Leif, which has received a lot of air-play on Jazz FM.

Comedy: MC HAMMERSMITH TOUR 2025
2025-05-02 20:00 - 23:00 | Hen & Chicken Studio
MC Hammersmith is the world’s leading freestyle rapper to emerge from the ghetto of middle-class west London. He presents an evening of improvised comedy raps based on your suggestions.
Featuring brand-new routines for 2025! You’ll leave astounded at the speed of his brain, the spontaneity of his punchlines, and the stability of his upbringing. Jaw-dropping, hilarious, utterly unbelievable.

Music: Marginal Gains and special guest DJ Bernie
2025-05-02 20:00 - 23:30 | Chicken Shed
Marginal Gain returns playing a selection of 90s and early 00s rock and indie, including Ash, Arctic Monkey’s, Blur, Green Day, Nirvana, Oasis, Pulp, Rage Against the Machine, Radiohead Red Hot Chilli Peppers, The Killers, and many more.

Music: The Anna Howie Band - Good For Roses Tour
2025-05-03 19:30 - 22:30 | Hen & Chicken Studio
Anna will be playing with her wonderful band, Andy Evans- guitar, Roger Nunn – drums, John Brooker – Bass
Anna worked as a session singer and backing vocalist for 25 years during which time she gigged across Europe and did live Radio 2 sessions with Brian May. Anna’s first solo EP ‘An Idiots Guide to Love’ recorded in 2019 in Nashville and produced by Grammy Award Winner Bob Britt went straight to Number 5 in the UK country charts.
In March 2022 Anna released her debut album ‘The Friday Night Club’ named after a Facebook Live Stream she started from her front room during lockdown which went on to have nearly 2 million views.
The album produced by Lukas Drinkwater at Polyphonic Studios is made up of 11 self-penned songs telling tales of lockdown loneliness and human triumph described as ‘Americana with a very British twist ‘ The Friday Night Club’ was released across all platforms on the 25th March on the Absolute Label ( Sony/Universal )
‘Angels Among Us’ the first single released from the album became song of the week across BBC the South with ’ The Friday Night Club ‘ itself becoming one of Maverick Magazines Top Picks
In 2023 Anna released 2 singles – ‘How to Stop Crying’ and ‘Searching for Christmas’
Anna was one of Black Deer Festivals Emerging Artists for 2023 and was a Pilton Stage Finalist at Glastonbury
‘Good for Roses’ was recorded with Anna’s band at Real World Studios, the home of Peter Gabriel. produced by Kris Wilkinson Hughes it is also to be released on the Absolute Label ( Sony/Universal). Out on April 18th 2025, It is a collection of songs about searching for the beauty in the everyday, the light in the dark, the roses in the shit !.
www.annahowiemusic.com

Theatre: BOUNCERS
2025-05-04 14:30 - 16:00, 2025-05-06 19:30 - 21:00, 2025-05-06 19:30 - 21:30 | Chicken Shed
A hilarious comedy by John Godber
Get ready to laugh until your sides hurt at this uproarious comedy by the talented John Godber. Join us at the Hen & Chicken for a night of non-stop entertainment as we follow the antics of a group of bouncers at a local nightclub. With witty dialogue and hilarious situations, this play is sure to leave you in stitches. Don’t miss out on this unforgettable evening of laughter!

Jazz: Dan Newberry Quartet
2025-05-08 20:00 - 22:30 | Chicken Shed
Saxophonist Dan Newberry holds a Masters from the Royal Welsh College and is one of the brightest rising stars of the scene. He studied with sax great Iain Ballamy from an early age, and has acquired an appreciation of all styles of jazz sax, able to switch from 30s swing to the most contemporary sounds in an instant.
Tom Berge is a jazz pianist and music teacher with a 1st Class Honours (BA) in Jazz Piano (Leeds College of Music) and an MA in Composition for Film and TV (Bristol University). He plays regularly with his own trio across the UK and has tutored at the Yamaha Jazz School in Falmouth and at the Dordogne Jazz Summer School.
Bassist Henrik Jensen moved from Denmark to London in 1997 and is a graduate of the Royal Academy. He has toured the world from Tokyo to Moscow with various modern jazz projects and also as part of the band for close harmony group The Puppini Sisters. Henrik has previously appeared at the club as band leader with his quartet Followed By Thirteen
Drummer Scott Hammond has spent years touring the world with Jethro Tull, but between trips he is heard on Bristol’s jazz scene with the Hopkins Hammond Organ Trio and 1970s Herbie Hancock/Weather Report influenced funk project Jingu Bang.

Music: The Deep Dark Woods (solo)
2025-05-09 20:00 - 23:00 | Hen & Chicken Studio
One might be tempted to think of the Deep Dark Woods as a band steeped in capital-T tradition, and that may be true, but now nearly two decades into their life as one of Canada’s finest folk-roots ensembles, that tradition is one of their own invention. The voice of founding member Ryan Boldt sits at the forefront of the band, and it doesn’t take long to reveal that he is a master of subtlety and shading, working in the lineage of iconic singers like Bob Dylan, Bert Jansch, Rick Danko, and Jason Molina. Boldt, a relentless lifelong listener of music, says “It’s all I do. When I’m not playing music, I’m listening to it, trying to find songs that make me feel an aching pain in my chest.” Accordingly, his singing is full of highly emotive nuance and an elegant, relaxed precision that makes it seem downright effortless, a perfect vehicle for the band’s particular brand of updated folk music. Fellow travellers like keyboard whiz Geoff Hilhorst, veteran drummer Mike Silverman, and Evan Cheadle round out the Deep Dark Woods unit, and they are often assisted by like-minded collaborators such as singer-songwriter Ellen Froese, Erik Nielsen, Leon Power, and the acclaimed duo Kacy & Clayton. This crew creates a powerful combination and has amassed a pile of celebrated albums, EPs, and a host of nominations from music awards outfits from across the country. Together they recall classic units like The Band, mid-period Wilco, and American Beauty-era Grateful Dead, but also legendary late ’60s UK groups like Fairport Convention, Pentangle, and Steeleye Span.
Which brings us to the Deep Dark Woods’ latest album, Broadside Ballads, Vol.III. Intertwined amongst their albums of original material, Deep Dark Woods has been steadily building up a series of releases called Broadside Ballads, focusing on traditional Irish, English, and Scottish folk songs. It’s a fitting tribute to the music that influenced Boldt’s writing and singing since first forming the band, and like their forebears, Deep Dark Woods aims to take their own experiences of traditional music and create something new and vital. The songs in this collection mine some of the more brutal depths of human experience, touching on broken hearts, love, murder, and the act of leaving. Boldt notes that “there are not too many jolly songs in there”, but the album is not a dour affair, instead benefiting from tasteful, unstated arrangements and an organic, no-frills recording sound. The songs on Vol.III generously display The Deep Dark Woods’ deep-seated links to the past while still sounding just like themselves.
A brand new album of original music recorded by David Parry (Loving, Alice Phoebe Lou) will be released on Victory Pool throughout 2025 complimented by tours of the UK, Canada, and Europe.

Music: Firestations
2025-05-10 19:30 - 23:00 | Chicken Shed
Here Comes Midnight Presents Firestations
We’re excited to be back with one of our favourite bands, Firestations! Playing a beautiful stripped-back show from their new album and beyond, this will be warm and layered treat.
In the Chicken Shed with support from Melinda Bronstein and Andy Skellam.
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Many White Horses is the brand-new album by eclectic London art-pop ensemble Firestations. Set for release on Lost Map Records on limited-edition 12” vinyl and via digital services on April 25, 2025, the album is a collection of sea-soaked acoustic songs and instrumentals, interwoven with field recordings and lyrics drawn from the immediate surroundings of a sailing expedition, all brought together with warm, textured production.
Firestations are Mike Cranny, Laura Copsey, Martin Thompson (aka Bit Cloudy), Tom Hargreaves and Neil Walsh. Their music spans genres from shoegaze to alt-pop and harmony-driven psychedelia. Their second album and their debut for Lost Map, The Year Dot, released in 2018, was followed by sonic collage album Dream Home in 2020 and the Automatic Tendencies EP project in 2020-21. The latter took the form of three EPs over a six-month period, each including alternative “sunken” versions by the band as well as covers and remixes of the band’s tracks by other artists. Thick Terrain, released in 2023, saw Firestations return to album format with ten tracks ranging from hypnotic sci-fi landscapes to addictive dream-pop jangles, exploring ideas around identity, conflict, progress and sanity.
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Melinda Bronstein – Melinda is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, photographer and filmmaker currently living in Margate. She started as keyboardist and backing singer for Americana-tinged Absentee, before shifting to the drums for grungy Wet Paint, indie-rockers Singing Adams and many other bands in between including, in recent years, as percussionist and backing singer with The Leaf Library.
Her band Sea Glass, a collaboration with Matt from The Leaf Library, was her first outing as the main vocalist and songwriter, a situation that has opened the door to an outpouring of solo recordings. In Reverse was recorded at home between March 2020 and February 2021, a year of massive shifts, it is haunted by a very human introspection, an unease manifesting in buried loops, vocal drones and cyclical lyrics.
Purely intuitive in her approach, Melinda fully immersed herself in using improvisation to explore the voice as multi-faceted instrument, the poised hum of experimentation clear throughout the album. As she says, “I approach making music without any expectation, plan or idea of what will come out. The un-knowing is the exciting part which allows me to surprise myself. I follow a thread and keep weaving. Once a piece is finished I listen back as though it did not come from me” – a reminder that expression will find its way out by any means.
In Reverse is the eleventh release on The Leaf Library’s Objects Forever label, and is the first joint release with Detroit label Metaphysical Powers run by artist, writer and producer Kristen Gallerneaux and writer Bernie Brooks.
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Andy Skellam – Andy’s music has been said to play like a surreal dreamscape, perhaps because it is the product of late nights spent hunched over a guitar beside the glowing embers of a fire whilst everyone sleeps. It has spawned from the dusty corners & dank barns of his feral childhood wedged roughly between Welsh mountains and English riverbeds.
“Andy Skellam’s Brighten Up the Place (Pear O’Legs) is a lovely, somnambulist set of songs about wayward hearts, bluebirds and bloodhounds, made intimate in every soft squeak of its chord changes, the whispery husk of Skellam’s voice, and the drawing bows of a cello.” – The Guardian

Music: Abigail Lapell / Steph Cameron
2025-05-13 20:00 - 23:00 | Hen & Chicken Studio
Abigail Lapell
Toronto songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Abigail Lapell returns with Anniversary, an evocative collection of original love songs. The album balances upbeat earworms with elegiac ballads, ultimately emerging as an earnest celebration of commitment. Anniversary was recorded at 200-year-old St. Mark’s Church in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, co-produced with Great Lake Swimmers’ Tony Dekker, who helped shape the project’s spooky, resonant sound while lending his voice to a few spellbinding duets.

Steph Cameron
SPILL MAGAZINE “Steph Cameron made waves with her debut record Sad-Eyed Lonesome Lady (2014), an effort that garnered its fair share of acclaim and rave reviews. Her sophomore release, Daybreak Over Jackson Street shares the same heartfelt spirit and intimacy that drew listeners in the first time around. After a great deal of touring and writing, the roots singer returns with tracks that reflect a confident songstress with maturity, experience and an empathetic eye.”
FOLK RADIO UK “It’s not unusual for artists plying an Americana trade to be likened to such names as Townes Van Zandt, John Prine and Bob Dylan, but the artists in question are usually men. It’s rare for a female singer to attract such comparisons. Vancouver’s Steph Cameron is both an exception and exceptional

Talk: The Art of Tim Burton: Exploring Dark Fantasy and Gothic Aesthetics
2025-05-14 19:30 - 21:30 | Hen & Chicken Studio
Characterised by dark, uncanny imagery and an off-beat persona, Tim Burton has cultivated a reputation as an eccentric and irreverent filmmaker. Spanning both live-action and animation, his work applies a macabre twist to everything from superhero and sci-fi films to biographical dramas and musicals. However, it is through stop-motion animation that Burton’s grotesque monsters and misfits truly come to life, allowing him to explore themes of bodily difference, disfigurement, and disassembly.
In this talk, Dr Christopher Holliday, a Senior Lecturer in Liberal Arts and Visual Cultures Education at King’s College London, examines how Burton’s fascination with unstable, conflicted bodies is enhanced by stop-motion’s inherent strangeness. We will trace his artistic beginnings at the California Institute of the Arts, his early work at Disney, and his departure to develop a gothic-inspired counter-style. By exploring Corpse Bride (2005) and Frankenweenie (2012), this talk reveals how Burton’s haunting aesthetic has shaped his legacy as a Hollywood outsider. By reflecting on Burton’s contribution to the development of animation as an art form over the last forty years, Dr Chris Holliday reveals how his haunting visual style has come to symbolise the career of a filmmaker whose identity has remained increasingly difficult to place.

Dr Christopher Holliday is Senior Lecturer in Liberal Arts and Visual Cultures Education at King’s College London. He has published widely on Hollywood cinema and animation history, and is the author of The Computer-Animated Film: Industry, Style and Genre (2018) and co-editor of Fantasy/Animation: Connections Between Media, Mediums and Genres (2018) and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: New Perspectives on Production, Reception, Legacy (2021). He has written multiple book chapters and articles on animation and contemporary media culture for academic publications, as well as for Total Film, The Independent, and The Conversation, and spoken on animation around the world, including at the British Film Institute and Cinema Museum in London and recently at the Annecy Film Festival in France. He can also be found as the curator and creator of the website, blog, and podcast Fantasy/Animation.

Jazz: Ross Hicks Trio
2025-05-15 20:00 - 22:30 | Chicken Shed
Ross Hicks is a young Cardiff based pianist who made a great impression on a short tour with saxophonist Simon Spillett in 2023 and played his debut trio gig at the Be-Bop Club in 2024.
“Hicks was a revelation, ideas emerged and developed and injected drama even as the pieces unfolded at near terminal velocity” – Mike Collins [jazzyblogman].
Presenting music from his first album ‘Three Elms’, Ross and his talented co-conspirators will play a mix of original compositions and some other contemporary tunes. The album is a series of original compositions and is the result of a wide array of influences with an original spin – “an intelligent and intriguing piece of writing” – The Jazz Mann.
Ross is a graduate of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama now working as a full time freelance musician, and has formed his trio featuring two of the Be-Bop Club’s favourite players.
Nick Kacal is a bassist originally from Trinidad, but has roots in London and a presence on the Manchester but now residing in South Wales. After studying with Tony Hougham, the principle bass of the Covent Garden Opera, he moved to London and has played as a sideman on the scene playing predominantly jazz and acoustic folk, occasionally touring to places such as Cape Verde, France and Spain. He formed his own group, Guerillasound, releasing a CD in 2008 and touring successfully in Japan.
Drummer Andy Tween is one of Bristol’s busiest musicians who has in the past toured with Pee Wee Ellis and Seth Lakeman, and more recently with rock band Curved Air. He teaches at Wells Cathedral School and is also a composer who has had his work used by the BBC and the Discovery Channel.
Have a listen to their album promo here: Three Elms

Comedy: Dan Tiernan & Guests
2025-05-16 20:00 - 22:30 | Hen & Chicken Studio
Stand Up For The Weekend with Dan Tiernan featuring Dave Chawner & compere Meryl O’Rourke

Headliner: DAN TIERNAN
Comedian Dan Tiernan made a big impact on the UK comedy circuit back in 2022 after winning both the BBC New Comedy Award and the British Comedian Of The Year, and if this wasn’t enough he was winner of the Best Newcomer at the ISH Comedy Awards in 2023 and nominated for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Festival the same year. Since then, Dan has also been nominated for the Next Big Thing by the British Comedy Guide in 2025. With all of these accolades it does make you wonder where Dan can go from here.
Dan is hugely in demand and has performed at the Melbourne Comedy Festival, the Cat Laughs Comedy Festival in Ireland, and the BBC Comedy Festival, and has appeared on various radio and TV shows including The Last Leg, Live At The Apollo, 8 Out Of 10 Cats does Countdown, and The Stand Up Sketch Show.
“Raucously entertaining” The Guardian

Comedy: Abigoliah Schamaun LEGALLY CHEEKY
2025-05-21 20:00 - 23:00 | Hen & Chicken Studio
Abigoliah Schamaun thought she had it all; the flat, the career, the life partner. This US transplant was living The American Dream…in London. Then one day, the Wicked Witch of Westminster, told Abigoliah to click her sparkly heels and go ‘home’. In that moment, everything changed. To lose would mean losing everything.
Much to her surprise, Brexit means Brexit, even for non-Europeans. Abigoliah’s quest for the HolyVisa began, and the fight was very much On.
Legally Cheeky charts Abigoliah Schamaun’s journey in a heart-warming tale of highs, lows, twists and turns as she recounts the year that shook her and her partner Tom to the core. Her natural lust for life and infectious positivity transforms the painful and frustrating horror of bureaucracy and red tape into a joyfully hilarious shared experience; you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll cheer for her to win!

Jazz: Matt Anderson And Friends
2025-05-22 20:00 - 22:30 | Chicken Shed
London-based saxophonist and Dankworth Prize-winning composer Matt Anderson released his fourth album, Live at Leeds Jazz Festival, in 2024 with his long-running quartet. This live recording from the middle of their May 2023 U.K. tour is a snapshot of the band at their best: stretching out on a set of original tunes with a characteristically open, interactive and risk-taking approach. The roots of jazz are never far away, with a rhythmic feel and blues sensibility that is anchored in the tradition, however the music also expands into other areas such as modal and contemporary harmony and British folk-style melodies, giving the group a distinctive identity.
“a well-integrated, swinging and supremely confident ensemble… [with] a soulful depth to his musicality that underpins the academic attention to detail” – Jazzwise ****
“The band’s synergy as an ensemble shines brightly in this live setting… a must-listen album” – Jazz in Europe
Born in the North Yorkshire Moors, the son of a music teacher and based in Leeds for a time, Matt has lived in London since 2015. Becoming part of the fertile jazz scene in the capital, he has since performed with artists/bands such as Will Vinson, Greg Hutchinson (with the Jiannis Pavlidis Quintet), Ivo Neame, the Gareth Lockrane and Calum Gourlay big bands, Jamie Doe’s Magic Lantern and Hannes Riepler, and he has also toured in New Zealand, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. In 2023, he became a D’Addario Woodwinds artist and was also made an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music for contributions to the music industry.
For this appearance, Matt will be joined by some of his favourite musicians from the Bristol music scene, playing for the first time with pianist Rebecca Nash and drummer Andy Hague, alongside his long-time collaborator bassist Will Harris, who is a regular member of the Matt Anderson Quartet.

Comedy: Nathan Caton MY BIG FAT BLASIAN WEDDING
2025-05-22 20:00 - 23:00 | Hen & Chicken Studio
It’s official. Nathan Caton’s married and off the market – sorry ladies… and gentlemen! What should’ve been the happiest time of his life turned out to be the most stressful and expensive time ever. The end result? Well, it was either therapy or turn it into comedy. Nathan chose the latter…
Nathan is one of the most exciting young comedians on the scene. Gigging since the tender age of 19, over the last decade he has established himself both as a circuit headliner, and a name on TV and radio.

Nathan Caton is an award-winning comedian as seen on Live At The Apollo, Mock The Week, Russell Howard’s Good News and BBC R4’s Can’t Tell Nathan Caton Nothing…

Comedy: Stand Up For The Weekend with TOM WARD & Guests
2025-05-23 20:00 - 22:30 | Hen & Chicken Studio
Stand Up For The Weekend with Tom Ward featuring Huge Davies & compere Jereny Flynn
Tom Ward is a hugely in-demand comedian and voice-over artist. He has voiced literally thousands of commercials, documentaries, training films etc from excitable salesmen to husky women – he can do them all. As a comedian, Tom has won numerous awards which has catapulted him to acclaimed solo shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and guest spots on various TV stand-up shows.
His stand-up is amazingly assured and he is a unique and genuinely exciting act, oozing confidence from every pore, with quirky, original sideways looks at sex, singledom and swearing.

Tom has appeared on ‘Live at The Apollo’, ‘Roast Battle’, and ‘Stand Up Sketch Show’ as well as the LAD Bible series ‘In My Personal Space’ interviewing celebrities such as Kyle Walker, Lady Leeshurr and Jamie Laing.

He’s supported Jack Whitehall, Joe Lycett and Sindhu Vee on tour and done three solo shows at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Music: Rosemary Wylde in concert
2025-05-23 20:00 - 22:30 | Chicken Shed
Rosemary Wylde is in concert to celebrate the Official Debut Single Release.
Timeless sounds from nomadic blues sister come protest-folk troubadour. London born and bred, Rosemary embodies British rhythm fuelled by Americana influences, gospel driven vocals, with lyrics of change and revolution. After time on the road, and now with roots in the West Country, her original material celebrates the traditional to the eccentric.
She transports you to a by-gone era with resonator guitar, washboard, harmonica and use of acapella, whilst representing a message for the present day. The evening will celebrate the official debut single release in the run up to the upcoming album ‘Peace Revue’. This full-length set will feature all 3 upcoming singles, including the debut single ‘Peace’ and the stories behind the songs. https://rosemarywylde.com
Rosemary’s special guest is Retini. She was raised in Queens, New York before settling in Bristol, UK. Having been influenced strongly by Singer songwriters of the 1960’s, her music explores a range of different acoustic styles, blending a range of vocal sounds and melodic instrumental styles. Retini’s songs are inspired by emotions of love, her personal experiences on life and global events
There will be a collection fo the rBrain Tumour Support Charity on the night.

Comedy: Elena Gabrielle LIVE
2025-05-24 20:00 - 22:30 | Hen & Chicken Studio
UNFORTUNATELY, DUE TO EXTERNAL CIRCUMSTANCES, THIS SHOW IS BEING POSTPONED TO LATER IN THE YEAR. TICKET HOLDERS WILL BE NOTIFIED DIRECTLY.

Prepare yourself for an uproarious evening with the one and only Elena Gabrielle. Known for her scandalously funny tales and unfiltered stories, Elena’s here to solve all your problems—or at least make you laugh about them! This time, she’s going beyond her usual wild adventures to dive right into the audience. Yes, that means crowd work, so be ready to get involved! Elena’s blend of quick wit, hilarious storytelling, and no-holds-barred interactions will leave you wondering, “Did she just say that?” and maybe, “Am I next?” Come with questions, leave with laughs—and possibly a little scandal.

Elena Gabrielle’s satirical look on modern relationships teamed with her uproarious musicality has seen her steal the show from Canada to South Africa.

This Australian born European based comedian appeals to sold out audiences across the globe with her witty, no-holds barred approach to stand-up comedy and because of this, has seen her go viral with 40 million plus views on YouTube to date.

Her embarrassing date stories are delivered in an intuitive storytelling style which cuts through cultural divides and is enjoyed globally. After touring non-stop for 3 years with ‘Story Party Tour’ (which saw her perform over 700 shows in that time and in 65 countries) and sold-out runs with her 2 solo tours “DIRRTY” in 2021/22 and “Addickted” in 2023, Elena is back on tour in 2024 with her new show “OK!?”

Talk: The History of Witchcraft and Feminism with Dr Jennifer Farrell
2025-05-27 19:00 - 21:30 | Hen & Chicken Studio
The image of a female witch, with broom and black cat serving the devil, is ingrained in pop culture. But where did this stereotype come from? The concept of witchcraft emerged slowly over the course of several centuries as a result of theological, intellectual, and cultural changes in ideas about demons and heresy.
Magical practices were varied – including love magic, healing, and various forms of prognostication. And it certainly wasn’t always associated with women. In fact, more ‘sinister’ magic like necromancy – which relied heavily on the power of demons – was mostly done by men. This type of magic involved a lot of education that simply wasn’t accessible to women at the time. So how come this image of evil women practising magic – witches – came about?
This talk will use feminist approaches to the past to explore medieval changes in ideas about magic, gender, and heresy in order to better understand the emergence of witchcraft at the end of the middle ages. We will also look at witchcraft in relation to female sexuality and fears about women’s access to ritual power throughout history.
Dr Jennifer Farrell is a lecturer in medieval history at the University of Exeter. With interests in both gender and the medieval supernatural, her research and teaching focuses on cultural developments and their relationship to socio-political changes in Western Europe during the high and late middle ages (c. 1000- c. 1500). She has published on subjects including medieval prophecy; fairies in medieval history and romance; the relationship between literary representations of fairies, the supernatural, and gender; and is currently working on a book focused on Geoffrey of Monmouth and the origins of the Arthurian legends. Her teaching has included undergraduate and postgraduate courses looking at medieval gender and sexuality, universities and learning in the middle ages, magic in the middle ages, sexualities across time and space, and the legends of King Arthur.

Theatre: Wednesday Night Improv - Triple Bill
2025-05-28 20:00 - 23:00 | Chicken Shed
Wednesday Night Improv kicks off with a triple bill packed with quick wit, bold characters, and stories made up on the spot.
Join us for a midweek comedy boost featuring three of Bristol’s sharpest improv acts—each one creating a brand-new show right before your eyes, all inspired by audience suggestions.
** JAZZ POLICE: THE IMPROVISED SKETCH SHOW **
American-style longform improv comedy troupe from Bristol. Having performed at the Edinburgh International Improv Festival and the Birmingham Comedy Festival, explore the world of improv through a hilarious compilation of scenes and bits as these masters of wit take one word and turn it into a show.
“Damn near perfect improv” – The Glasgow Improv Theatre
** PRESSURE COOKER: THE IMPROVISED RESTAURANT SHOW **
Pressure Cooker whisks you into the chaos of a fictional restaurant where chefs, customers, and kitchen staff are all played by a dynamic ensemble. Using YOUR stories as ingredients, our performers cook up hilarious, unpredictable scenes every night. From meltdowns to menu mayhem, it’s comedy served hot and fast.
** AFTER DUSK: THE IMPROVISED TWILIGHT ZONE **
You walk into a play, but none of the actors have learned their lines, because there are none. This show hasn’t been written yet. A nightmare or a dream? Who’s to say? Up ahead, there’s a sign. We take a turn through your imagination and arrive at your final destination: An improvised twist on The Twilight Zone!
Accompanied by a live violinist, some of Bristol’s best improvisers create a brand-new episode of the classic science fiction show which inspired Black Mirror. Suitable for all levels of nerdiness and Twilight Zone knowledge, including none!
★★★★★ “A beautiful demonstration of everything improvised performance can be.” – The Reviews Hub
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Whether you’re a seasoned comedy fan or just curious about what happens when performers make it all up as they go, this is a perfect night to dive into Bristol’s thriving improv scene. Expect laughter, surprises, and something completely different—every single time.
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Part of the Wednesday Night Improv series – also look out for The Bish Bosh Bash, our improvised gameshow spectacular, on 11th June!

Jazz: Andy Urquhart Quartet
2025-05-29 20:00 - 22:30 | Chicken Shed
Andy Urquhart is the power house trumpeter who has played at the club many times with Sound of Blue Note. Tonight he appears for the first time as band leader playing a set of standards and contemporary jazz tunes by current luminaries. Based near Blandford Forum, Andy has for many years led the house band at Jazz Café Sandbanks near Poole, in which capacity he has played with most of the UK’s best known players as visiting guests, recent examples being Art Themen, Iain Ballamy, Liane Carroll and Vasilis Xenopoulos.
Pianist Phil Doyle also plays with Sound of Blue Note, and is a former forces musician who works with the famous Joe Loss Orchestra. Known as one of the best jazz pianists working along the south coast, he has accompanied visiting US artists such as Bobby Shew and Scott Hamilton.
The band is completed by Bristol rhythm team Chris Jones – bass and Andy Hague – drums.

Comedy: Jack Skipper SKINT
2025-05-29 20:00 - 23:00 | Hen & Chicken Studio
Carpet-fitter turned comedian Jack Skipper delivers his debut, Edinburgh Comedy Award nominated, stand-up hour with a show about how he went from a tradesman with no qualifications to a full-time comedian (with no qualifications) – offering insights into the endeavours of a working-class father struggling to navigate his way through life.
Seen on The Stand Up Sketch Show. Tour support for Michael McIntyre and Russell Kane. Over 16 million likes on TikTok.

Nominated for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2024.
Winner of Best Debut Show at Leicester Comedy Festival 2024.
Nominated for Next Up’s Biggest Award In Comedy 2024.
So You Think You’re Funny 2022 runner-up.

Comedy: Pierre Novellie and Guests
2025-05-30 20:00 - 22:30 | Hen & Chicken Studio
Stand Up For The Weekend with Pierre Novellie featuring Joe Wells & Jeremy Flynn

Pierre Novellie is a stand-up comedian, writer, radio host and podcaster. He was co-host of The Frank Skinner Show on Absolute Radio, and TV appearances have included World’s Most Dangerous Roads (Dave), The Mash Report (BBC2), and Stand Up Central (Comedy Central). On the radio, Pierre has performed on The Now Show (Radio 4), hosts the BBC Sounds podcast series Obsessed With… SAS: Rogue Heroes and co-hosts the hit podcast Budpod with Phil Wang. As a writer, Pierre was one of the regular writers on the rebooted Spitting Image (ITV/Britbox) and has also written on shows including Mock the Week (BBC2), The News Quiz (Radio 4) and The Mash Report (BBC2).​

One of the UK’s most acclaimed live acts, Pierre‘s latest show Why Can’t I Just Enjoy Things? saw a sold-out run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and was his third show to have been placed in the top 20 best-reviewed comedy shows across the entire festival. He first special, Quiet Ones, was distributed by US comedy label 800 Pound Gorilla Records and has amassed over 250,000 views online.​

Comedy: Ignacio Lopez SEÑOR SELF DESTRUCT
2025-05-31 20:00 - 22:30 | Hen & Chicken Studio
Spain’s Best Export(TM) Ignacio Lopez is on a mission to destroy himself, and build a better version. Leaner. Smarter. Funnier. Join the star of Live At The Apollo, Have I Got News For You, Comedy Central, QI, House of Games, & more, for a riotously funny exploration of vices, intrusive thoughts,
and self improvement.

Expect an armada of playful, wicked humour from the exotic outsider comedian, as he tries to identify his faults and how to improve. Is it worth going to the gym? Can you be addicted to technology? Do you know what happens if you give spiders drugs? Ignacio uses his razor-sharp wit, and effortless charm to tackle these questions and a bunch of other irrelevant horsesh*t.
★★★★★ “CHARMING, CHARISMATIC, HILARIOUS. WILL HAVE YOU LEAVING WITH A SMILE ON YOUR FACE” DEADLINE

The Shroomshop: DIY Mushroom Cultivation Workshop with Darren Le Baron
2025-06-03 18:30 - 22:00 | Chicken Shed
Learn how to grow edible, nootropic and medicinal mushrooms at home from expert cultivator Darren Le Baron.Darren has been educating and growing mushrooms for over thirteen years, welcoming thousands of budding mycologists to his famous Shroomshop! This event will sell out, so grab your ticket now!
Mushrooms have been growing wild since prehistoric times. Their therapeutic value has been prized in indigenous cultures for thousands of years. They play a critical role in medicinal practice and were noted in some of the first books on herbal medicine written thousands of years agoIn the past few decades, mushrooms have become more popular for their therapeutic qualities in the west as a result of an expanding body of scientific research supporting their numerous health benefits.Come and learn the basics of mushroom cultivation, explore various techniques for growing gourmet and medicinal mushrooms such as Oyster, Reishi, Lions Mane and many other magical varieties of mushrooms.This will be a hands-on experience and will cover everything you need to know to get you started. What will you learn?

What are Mushrooms?
How do Mushrooms grow?
How to cultivate Mushrooms at home!
How to make your very own grain spawn!
Making a mushroom fruiting tub!
Mushroom Aftercare!
Where to get everything?
Each participant will leave with a mushroom grow kit and access to digital notes.

Music: Dana Sipos
2025-06-03 20:00 - 23:30 | Hen & Chicken Studio
Known for crafting music that is both fragile and orchestral, acclaimed Canadian songwriter Dana Sipos invites the listener beneath the surface through a nuanced lens that isn’t afraid to be out of focus at times. Sipos’ talent for earthen imagery, rich spiralling vocals, and textured instrumentation sets the stage for a deeply moving performance. She is a consummate performer, having brought her her unique brand of cosmic folk to living rooms, concert halls and festivals stages across North America, Europe and Australia. Her 2021 release, The Astral Plane, was lauded as a “mesmerizing jewel of an album” (No Depression) and garnered Sipos a Solo Artist of the Year nomination at the 2022 Canadian Folk Music Awards. With a new collection of captivating songs that hold the complexity of the human experience up to the light, her new album Golden Molten will be released in spring 2025.

Jazz: Fini Bearman
2025-06-05 20:00 - 22:30 | Chicken Shed
Fini Bearman is a superb vocalist who took over from Brigitte Beraha as vocal tutor for the last few years of the Falmouth Jazz Summer School, and is Professor of Jazz Songwriting at London’s Guildhall School. Visiting the club for the first time, she is touring nationally with her band of A-list London jazz musicians.
Fini tours regularly across Europe and notable performances include Ronnie Scott’s, The Sage Gateshead, The Barbican, The A-Trane (Berlin), Cafe Mercedes Jazz (Valencia), Manzioli (Izola, Slovenia) and Dizzy’s (Jazz at the Lincoln Center, New York). Festival highlights include the London Jazz Festival, Manchester Jazz Festival, Berlin Jazz Festival, ‘Jazz Voices’ in Lithuania and ’Voicingers’ in Poland.
For this tour she is presenting music from her 5th studio album “Last Night of the World” (Pastiche Records). An eclectic collection of jazz, folk & pop-infused songs, Last Night of the World draws on Fini’s experiences of motherhood & new beginnings, of love & loss, sometimes of a new-found sense of meaning, sometimes an existential lack thereof! The record was conceived using writing exercises created for her work teaching songwriting, and these seeds grew over time, coming to fruition in tandem with her pregnancy; final vocal and instrumental takes often taking place with Bridget asleep in a sling… Inspiration for the songs is drawn from a diverse spectrum of influences: the melodic inventiveness of Madison Cunningham, the esoteric jazz/folk realms of Becca Stevens, Chris Thile, Paul Simon and the electronic, minimalist songwriting voice of Bjork.
This album marks a departure from Fini’s last LP (the solo record La Loba, 2020) and acts as a return to her true ‘musical north’- a jazz-meets-indie-pop rhythm section playing lyric-based songs, with nuanced and at times complex harmonic structures and rhythmic idiosyncrasies. Each song is individual and unique in its own right, with space for improvisation, interaction and connection.

Theatre: Tales From The Wasteland: Post-Apocalyptic Improv
2025-06-07 20:00 - 22:00 | Hen & Chicken Studio
Tales From The Wasteland is an improvised post-apocalyptic adventure comedy. This twisted and talented cast of wastelanders will take a single suggestion from you and craft an entire narrative show with no pre-prepared characters, story or dialogue.
If the world was ending, what would be the one thing you’d want to survive? Join us as we explore a new world and find out what’s left over after Earth’s devastation. Expect raiders, mutants and violence over scarce resources in this absurd dark comedy inspired by classics of the genre such as Mad Max, The Last of Us and Fallout.
Warning: this show tends to have dark themes, violence and cannibalism. Seriously, cannibalism comes up way too often.
“I’m still reeling at how such an intricate tale was woven on the spot, it’s truly a gift this cast has been blessed with.” – Obscure Reviews

WITH SUPPORT FROM: Blame of Thrones

A gripping political court drama! The beloved Monarch has suffered a terrible “accident,” leaving the royal court teeming with Machiavellian schemers, each vying for power. As the Monarch lingers on their deathbed, who will outmaneuver the rest to save their own skin? And who will seize the crown to become the all-powerful successor?

Entry requirements: 16+
