World-renowned comedian Ross Noble has chosen Shetland, the most northerly point in the UK, as the starting point to his UK tour. Mareel, the UK's most northerly music, cinema and creative industries centre, in Shetland's capital, Lerwick, will host an intimate gig for just 330 people, presented by Shetland Arts Development Agency. This warm-up gig on Thursday 11 September is the starting point of Noble's Tangentleman tour.
Speaking about starting his warm-up tour in Shetland, Ross Noble said: “I love playing in Scotland but unlike a lot of performers I don't think Edinburgh is as far up as you can go. I want to take the show from the top of the country to the bottom and I'm really looking forward to seeing what Shetland has got in store for me.”
In 2007 Noble was voted the 10th greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups and again in the updated 2010 list as the 11th greatest stand-up comic. He rose to mainstream popularity through making appearances on British television, particularly interviews and on celebrity quiz shows, which brought him widespread attention.
Described as “a randomist”, his stand-up routine is a largely improvised and surreal performance. Although he does often have a few set topics which he performs throughout a tour, he describes the planning for the entire show as "about four words on a piece of scrap paper.”
Lisa Ward, Shetland Arts" Marketing Officer, said: “As Tangentleman is a UK-wide tour, it seems only fitting that the tour should start in the UK's most northerly live venue. Shetland has a proud heritage of hosting some of the UK's biggest names in comedy and music, helping to build Mareel's reputation as one of the UK's "must-play" venues. Shetland Arts is delighted to be hosting this gig – we expect there will be a huge demand for tickets.”
Tickets for the show cost £15 and go on sale on Friday 18 April at 10am. Supporters and Patrons of Mareel can make priority bookings (two tickets per Supporter/Patron) from Tuesday 15 April.
Other locations on Noble's warm-up tour include Lossiemouth, the Isle of Mull, the Isle of Skye, and Oban, before the official Tangentleman tour kicks off on 25 September in Inverness, followed by shows in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Falkirk, Aberdeen, and Perth.