Andrew Lawrence & Leo Kearse

Andrew Lawrence and Leo Kearse are playing The Attic on Thursday 2 July, with both bringing a work in progress from their new tours. It's a double bill of two comedians road-testing new material, so you'll be hearing bits and pieces that haven't quite settled into their final form yet.

Lawrence is the more familiar name here. He's been working across stand-up, radio, and television since 2003, and the descriptions of his style tend to cluster around the same territory. The British Comedy Guide calls him a "master of black humour and political provocation", and The Spectator describes him as "supremely intelligent, highly articulate and profoundly bitter". The Scotsman puts it as "dark and deeply self-deprecating, scathing and capable of irony", while The Times has called him "one of the most likeable and exciting acts".

That dark streak runs through his other work too. He wrote Reasons to Kill Yourself, a book based on his stage show, and he's appeared on Live at the Apollo and in the BBC comedy Ideal. He's also known for being as provocative off-stage as he is on it; he's had a fair few public rows over his political views, and a couple of incidents — comments about the England national football team in 2021 and a 2025 appearance at a Liverpool FC victory parade — ended with shows being cancelled. If you're not in the mood for something that pushes a few buttons, this might not be your night.

With Kearse on the bill as well, it's a full evening of new material rather than a single set. Both are bringing work from their new tours, so you'll get a look at what they're building towards. It's at The Attic in Southampton on Thursday 2 July.