Angel Comedy, the world’s first crowdfunded comedy club, is meeting popular demand with new events and free shows at The Bill Murray pub in Islington.
Owned and run by working comedians, The Bill Murray is extending its Saturday line-up with performances at 5pm, 7pm, 9pm and 11pm - including the flagship “Pro Shows”, where all tickets are free and offered first-come, first-served.
These are known for occasionally featuring high-profile entertainers like Eddie Izzard in “secret” sets, appearing alongside the best new acts on the circuit, and saw many fans turned away after filling to capacity each night.
Founder and stand-up Barry Ferns said: “When I started Angel Comedy eight years ago, just to get stage time in a shrinking comedy circuit, I had no idea it would grow into this.
“Now, Saturdays alone host seven shows across two venues - all providing a busy room and paid gigs to over twenty comedians, most of whom just want to improve their art in an ever-more-difficult profession.”
From running once-a-week above nearby pub The Camden Head, to being named a “Comedy Institution” by Time Out and rated Chortle’s “Best Comedy Club in London”, Angel Comedy now receives over eighty thousand guests a year at its two venues.
It even ranks at number two in TripAdvisor’s category of “Concerts & Shows in London”, beaten to the top spot by worldwide blockbuster hit The Lion King.
The company was built from patrons of a successful campaign on crowdfunding website Kickstarter - more than doubling its funding goal - with the mission of supporting accessibility via performance spaces, a podcast studio, writing gyms and training masterclasses.
Now partnered with legendary comedy school The Second City (whose alumni include Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Steve Carrell, Amy Poehler and Mike Myers), it also regularly hosts well-known international acts such as John Bishop, Josie Long, Stewart Lee, Mae Martin, Romesh Ranganathan, James Acaster and Rob Delaney.
Tickets are available at angelcomedy.co.uk, with free seats to Pro Shows reserved in-person at the venues every night.
The Angel Comedy club, now features larger-than-life portraits of icons such as Billy Connolly, Victoria Wood and Rowan Atkinson - all created by Zabou, renowned for her contribution to London’s thriving street art scene.
The enormous, 20m x 2.5m piece took 8 days to complete and sits atop her previous mural at the venue, which was created for The Bill Murray’s opening in 2016 (pictured).
Barry Ferns said: “She wanted to do it, because she's a graffiti artist, and change and reworking and development is part of the game; I was sad to lose some of the original art that she did, but the new work is absolutely phenomenal.
“We even have a picture of Bill Murray on the front this time… By complete coincidence, he has the same name as the person the pub was named after - the first Earl of Dysart, Sir William Murray”.
Zabou, 29, moved to London in 2012 and quickly developed a portfolio of street art portraits around the city before The Saatchi Gallery selected her work for exhibition and sale.
Having participated in graffiti demonstrations and festivals across the world, she then presented TEDx seminar “From Graffiti to Street Art, the evolving nature of Urban Art” - highlighting the ways her subculture has overcome its underground roots.
And finally, the pub has introduced a Pale Ale paired for stand-up comedy.
Named “Ground Hop Day”, after actor Bill Murray’s iconic 1993 film, the beer is brewed in collaboration with Watneys - a historic London alehouse with a close connection to British comedy.
Elliott Fulton, Key Account Manager at Watneys, said: “Ground Hop Day is a light and refreshing golden pale ale, with a citrus aroma and dry hoppy finish; very easy drinking and perfect to get you in the mood for a good night of comedy.”
“We’re always looking to work with great venues, so we were delighted to meet The Bill Murray and see how we could help them develop their range. We couldn't be happier with how things are going so far!
Photo credit: Zabou
