comedy for Rock Ness

The comedy line-up has just been announced for this summer's Rock Ness festival, which happens each day from 1.30pm – 7.30pm each day in the new and improved Howard's End.

The line up is topped each day with comedy heavyweights, kicking off on Friday with headliner Ian Cognito. Ian has headlined some of the best line-ups in British comedy and is renowned for taking risks (he appears to be banned from more comedy clubs than any other British comedian!). Joining Ian on Friday is Scottish Aussie Comic Cowboy, and controversial Scottish Comedian of the Year 2010, Ro Campbell, plus the inimitable one man tornado and fount of masterfully timed jokes that flout the very laws of censure… the Reverend Obadiah Steppenwolfe III. Hear how he was lost but now he's saved in this howlingly funny show.

Also on Friday is a comedian who walks a fine line between irony and downright obnoxiousness, Marty McLean. His fearlessness of offending is legendary and the laughter in the audience is usually peppered with gasps of disbelief, and occasional cries of outrage, as those witnessed him storming last year’s Howard’s End will testify. Bruse Fummey has been speaking since the age of seven months and now delights audiences with his natural verbosity and flair. A toastmaster with a difference, Bruce’s gravitas can keep even the most demanding of crowds entertained. Erik Lampaert is renowned for sweeping up audiences in the sheer energy of his performance. Delightfully weird with a keen eye for the absurd, his scatty character rips like a mini-hurricane. Superb banter for day one of the festival.

Also on the bill is Glaswegian new kid on the block Mikey Adams. Destined for a great future in comedy, Mikey has been enjoying rave reviews including ‘very, very funny’ LIST, and ‘the whole crowd were with him as he ramped up the level of expectation’ One4Review. James Kirk is another one to check out if you can. Winner of the So You Think You’re Funny? New Act (previous winners include Peter Kay, Lee Mack and Dylan Moran), James “does comedy on his own terms” and made an appearance in the recent series of the excellent Gary: Tank Commander.

Scottish Comedian of the Year finalist and fast rising MC Ray Bradshaw is on Friday’s bill too. Ray is ginger and it’s caused his some pain. Expect a set peppered with witty one liners! Chris Henry started his joke telling career after performing song and dance shows in the holiday industry for six years (took him that long to figure out he couldn’t sing or dance). Now this loveable rogue will be sharing his bizarre and occasionally shocking tales at the Loch this June.

Bringing his talent in abundance on Friday is Mac Star, who sings professionally in a Jamiroquai tribute band, and has performed as a male stripper. Mac Star is renowned for blasting his audience into submission with a warm but authoritative machine gun delivery. And if straightforward west of Scotland patter is your thing then Eddie Cassidy is your man. Eddie is wowing audiences as one third of the sold out ‘An Alky, A Junkie and a Psycho Walk Into A Bar’ show. Completing Friday and continuing the Glasgow banter is the strange but distinctive, and more than a bit different, Darren Connell, and the politically incorrect John Walker, noted for his role in the sketch comedy show Full Frontal as well as a famed impersonation of John Howard, Prime Minister of his native Australia.

Headlining Saturday's comedy line up is 'Never Mind the Buzzcocks' star Sean Hughes who is flying in especially. Known for his dark, acerbic sense of humour and quick fire comedy style, Sean is one of the funniest out there. Joining Sean is Andre Vincent. Born in Woolworth's Department Store in Penge, Andre has not stopped appearing in the most unusual of places since. He started his career as a professional show-off at an early age, becoming a star struck stage brat and working whenever a small child was needed to up-stage everyone. RockNess is absolutely delighted to welcome back Scott Agnew for what promises to be another big, burly, barnstorming performance.

Perched on the shoulder of decency, shouting his slightly-skewed invective and dark view of the world, Parrot is one of stand-up comedy's great mavericks. His massive influence on the modern comedy scene extends far beyond his own stand-up act, having written for such stars as Dave Allen, Jack Dee and Jo Brand and shows including Rab C Nesbitt and Jonathan Ross Live. Alongside Parrot, and with a repertoire of blistering, unadulterated material which pushes dangerously near the boundaries of good taste is one of Scotland’s true comedy gems, Mark Nelson. Winner of the inaugural Scottish Comedian of the Year and with a sold out 2010 Fringe debut, Mark’s RockNess performance is strongly recommended. International globetrotter, English Comedian of the Year finalist, SKINS contributor and general heart throb, Joel Dommett is also Highlands-bound to share his manically funny musings. Known for reducing sell out audiences into bouts of uncontrollable laughter, this five time winner of the Comedy Café competition is not to be missed.

Gus Lymburn burst onto the comedy scene in 2006 when he performed at The Stand’s Red Raw night. Since then he’s been charming and disturbing audiences in equal measure (don’t be fooled by the cheeky chappie demeanour, behind the puppy dog eyes lurks a sick mind). Joining Gus is former BBC presenter Julia Sutherland who stumbled into stand-up as the result of an on-air dare. Four years later, after losing 6 stone, she returned to comedy – with a whole new perspective. Her bold observations on relationships and tales of life in her new body pull no punches. Paul Alcroft has been entertaining audiences from Largs to Inverness since his introduction to comedy 20 months ago.

For raunchy confessions and enlightenment on life, love and everything in between, look no further than blonde bombshell Sarah-May Philo. Darren Connell drops back in again on Saturday too.

Headlining Sunday is Scotland’s youngest comic prodigy Daniel Sloss. Half-man-half-Xbox, this hormone-ridden twenty-year-old started doing stand-up aged just 16. Daniel sold-out three Edinburgh Fringe seasons, starred on Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, Rob Brydon Show, Jason Manford’s Comedy Rocks and Mock the Week as well as starring in his own BBC show The Adventures of Daniel - all before he started to shave.

Scott Agnew, Reverend Obadiah Steppenwolfe III, Parrot, Ro Campbell, Marty McLean, Mark Nelson, Chris Henry and Ray Bradshaw all return to hit up Sunday’s Howard’s End and they are joined by the hilarious Teddy. Ross ‘Teddy’ Craig’s comedy style incorporates true life stories, topical gags, and sharp-edged one-liners weaved together in a darkly comic, self-deprecating and edgy fashion. Having cut his teeth at The Stand Comedy Club and with a stint at the acclaimed The Comedy Unit production company where he worked as writer (including on Only An Excuse?), Teddy has been doing stand up gigs as a freelancer ever since.

Joe Hullait began entertaining audiences with a varying range of underhand comments on race and class relations in modern Britain. Since then he has performed in the US, where he also produced the satirical podcast ‘Big Throbbing Question’, interviewed guests such as George Galloway as well as creating a prolific online profile much of which features his cult political character Tarquin Bartleby.

Completing the RockNess 2011 comedy proposition are two fast rising Scottish talents, David Innes and Matt Winning. As one fifth of The Unusual Suspects comedy coalition who recently wowed audiences at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival, expect a range of surreal, dark, angry, lateral and educational humour from David Innes. Paisley boy Matt Winning is also steadily making a name for himself…in between studying for a PhD in the Economics of Renewable Energy. Finalist in the Chortle Student Comedy Awards, Matt’s brand of humour is both intelligent and compelling.

And last but certainly not least the whole raucous weekend of laughs will (hopefully) be held together in some orderly fashion with MC extraordinaires Billy Kirkwood, Alan Anderson and the aforementioned Andre Vincent. The bonafide Ayrshire born ‘comedy fizz bomb’ Billy Kirkwood is a must see with a massive cult following, surreal style of storytelling and near non existent attention span. Undeniably funny, unspeakably juvenile. And if ever there was an authority qualified to compère the opening of this year’s comedy in Howard’s End it has to Alan Anderson. As the promoter behind the Scottish Comedian of the Year, the annual event is now one of the hottest dates in the calendar and is always a night to remember!

Commenting on this year’s comedy proposition at RockNess, Festival Director Jim King said "The comedy programme last year was a great success and we wanted to build on that with more depth to the line. Brett has come up with some great names as well as the very best in emerging Scottish comedians, and with comedy now having its own home this year it’s going to be a really important part of the festival for many years to come".

Rock Ness takes place on the scenic banks of Loch Ness, Scotland on Friday 10th to Sunday 12th June 2011 where Kasabian, The Chemical Brothers, and Paolo Nutini will headline this summer.

They are joined on the bill by Glasvegas, The Wombats, Two Door Cinema Club, Groove Armada presents Red Light, DJ Shadow, Mark Ronson (DJ set), The Cribs, Modeselektor, Magda, Jamie XX, Frightened Rabbit, We Are Scientists, Magnetic Man, Example, Lissie, Katy B, Annie Mac, Erol Alkan, Zane Lowe, Brother, Boys Noize, Simian Mobile Disco, Fake Blood, DJ Yoda, Rob da Bank, Howard Marks, and more, with many more still to be announced. For the line-up details as available please click here.

Tickets are priced as follows:

£149 for a 3 day weekend camping or non camping ticket
£159 for a 3 day weekend camping or non camping with coach travel
£135 for a 3 day weekend camping or non camping student ticket
£145 for a 3 day weekend camping or non camping student ticket with coach travel
£189 for a 3 day weekend camping or non camping VIP ticket

To buy tickets, click here.

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To buy tickets from Ticketmaster, click here.

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