The Glee Club (comedy club)
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The Glee Club logo | |
| Location | |
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| Owner | Comic Enterprises Ltd. |
| Type | Comedy club, music venue |
| Genre(s) | comedy, music, spoken word |
| Seating type | Theatre style |
| Capacity |
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| Opened |
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| Website | |
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www | |
The Glee Club is a small chain of independent live stand-up comedy and live music venues in the UK.
The first Glee Club was opened by Mark Tughan in Birmingham's Chinese Quarter in 1994,[1] the first dedicated comedy club to open in the United Kingdom outside London.[2]
Refurbished in 2001 the Birmingham venue has two event spaces: a 420-seat main auditorium and a 150-seat studio theatre.[1]
A second branch opened in Cardiff in 2001 and is located in the Mermaid Quay development in Cardiff Bay. It has a seated capacity of 440 and a standing capacity of 600.[3] ITV Wales broadcast a series of eight stand up shows from the venue in 2006.[4] The Cardiff venue has won the Chortle Award for best venue (Wales and West) eight times since the awards began in 2002.[5][6]
A third club opened in Oxford in April 2010.
A fourth, two room club opened in Nottingham in September 2010. It is attached to a café bar called Café Glee.
In 2014 a High Court judge ruled that the TV show Glee 'diluted and tarnished' the reputation of The Glee Club comedy chain.[7]
Comedy show
The Glee's regular comedy show, most Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at both clubs, consists of three acts from the UK and international comedy circuits introduced by a compère. The Saturday shows are followed by a disco in some venues. All clubs also host tour shows by more established acts. Unlike many other comedy clubs, the seating for all comedy gigs is arranged in a theatre style[8] and the clubs' bars close during the performances.
Previous comedy acts include Lee Evans, Jack Dee, Michael McIntyre, Jack Whitehall, John Bishop, Sarah Millican, Russell Howard, Peter Kay, Frankie Boyle, Al Murray, Tim Minchin, Dylan Moran, Matt Lucas, Jo Brand, Dara O Briain, Rhod Gilbert, Jimmy Carr, Bill Bailey, Kevin Bridges, Micky Flanagan, Ed Byrne, Ross Noble, Jon Richardson, Alan Carr, Sean Lock, Milton Jones, Tim Vine, Lee Mack, Greg Davies, Chris Ramsey, Tom Stade, Chris Addison, Rich Hall, Alexei Sayle, Phill Jupitus, Mark Watson, Angelos Epithemiou, Shappi Khorsandi, Daniel Kitson, Tim Key, David O'Doherty, Bo Burnham, Marcus Brigstocke, Mark Thomas, Stewart Lee, Richard Herring, Mark Steel, Josh Widdicombe, Seann Walsh, Josie Long, Paul Foot, Robin Ince, Steve Hughes, Paul Chowdhry and The Boy With Tape On His Face.
Live music
The Glee Clubs have presented live music since April 2001. Music was initially bought to the Glee Club by promoter Markus Sargeant. Previous music shows include Antony & The Johnsons, Joanna Newsom, Feist, Bat for Lashes, Sufjan Stevens, Regina Spektor, Mumford & Sons, Laura Marling, Noah & The Whale, Lykke Li, Ben Howard, Michael Kiwanuka, Lianne La Havas, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Amadou & Mariam, Nouvelle Vague, Yann Tiersen, Lee Scratch Perry, Seth Lakeman, Mr Scruff, Ray LaMontagne, Iron & Wine, The Gutter Twins, Henry Rollins, Ani DiFranco, Low, Beach House, Adele, Richard Hawley, Imelda May, Melody Gardot, Rumer, Eddi Reader, Cerys Matthews, Nigel Kennedy, Supergrass, The Coral, Neil Finn, Roddy Frame, Gruff Rhys (SFA), A Camp and Paul Heaton.
External links
- Glee.co.uk Official site
References
- 1 2 Doors will open on an improved Glee club Birmingham Post, 25 October 2001
- ↑ Brum loses out in comedy stakes Evening Mail, 8 October 2003
- ↑ Live Music At The Glee Club Glee.co.uk
- ↑ ITV Glee - Late-night showcase for stand-up Chortle, April 23, 2006
- ↑ Cardiff Glee Club Chortle
- ↑ 2009 Chortle Awards Chortle
- ↑ "Could hit TV show Glee be about to vanish from our screens after High Court ruling?". Wales Online. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
- ↑ Live Comedy At The Glee Club Glee.co.uk
"Could hit TV show Glee be about to vanish from our screens after High Court ruling?". Wales Online. Retrieved February 7, 2014.