On it Online

I know I say it all the time, but O M GOSH guys, WHAT A WEEK!

Well, two weeks actually since my last post but I can't help it if I've been too busy to write. So, yes, a lot has been happening in my world recently and I want to tell you all about it.

First up, gigs. Three of them to talk about. 

The first was for my good friend Donna Landy, technically taking place in Weston Super Mare but no doubt actually hosted on a server in China. I opened this little Pride fundraiser with some rollicking tunes and a few perfectly performed puns. The other acts were marvellous too. The Zoom audience numbered two and hid behind switched off cameras but them that like to watch through Facebook more than made up for it and some proper nice funds were raised. MARVELLOUS.

The second show was for the AMAZING Sonia Aste in virtual London and I headlined this one. The Zoom room was packed for this jolly and Sonia kept the energy up with big signs saying things like "applause" on them. Subtlety is for WIMPS! I got my groove on and fired my automatic pun-gun into the lot of them and heard the wonderful sound of slightly clipped distorted laughter in return. WIN! Money raised for charity too on this one. Charity begins at home in lockdown, or at least on your home computer.

The final show was MINE! Yes, yes, YES! Clash of the Tight Tens is BACK people with "trident tested" material from my favourite performers. Ali Woods, Lucien Jack, Alice Frick and David Eagle all belted out winners and the Zoom room cheered. I did a spot of MCing, mainly commenting on the angle people were viewing the show from. 

Was it funny? 

Yes...

...from whichever PERSPECTIVE you looked at it!

Oh dear.

Elsewhere, Annie and I hosted another Bonkers Quiz Night with Donna Landy as our special guest. She did better than the last time she played - scoring exactly 0.5 more points! Andy Onions was on top form as usual and our 90's Cool Britannia music round got people proper nostalgic - even if nostaligia isn't quite what it used to be.

And finally...TikTok! More ticks on the tock for my latest round of Comical Punishment. No green screen on this batch - more like a ropey disco in your local with a fancy lady chucking out the laughs between glasses of house white. Come and follow me, it's a RIGHT LAUGH!

This week coming the gig front is quiet but there's another quiz on Saturday and another Tight Tens the week after. I've also had confirmed my own Glossop Comedy Festival will be back this October. Stay tuned to see who I invite to this very exclusive house party in the top room of my local.

TikTok
Facebook
Instagram

Shows! Shows! Shows!

Oh wow, wow, WOW. WHAT A WEEK! I know, I start every other one of my blogs like this but, y’know, got to keep the plates spinning if you want to keep dishing out the drama of life.

 

Last week it was all about the socials. The Insta is up, the Facebook is up and the TikTok is now tipping 300 followers like an enthusiastic tourist. 300 followers isn’t that much in TikTok land, many might say, but that Greek bloke only had 300 men and they did pretty well. Well, until the last five minutes anyway. 

This week though it’s all about the LIVE! Yes, well, not live in person obviously but live through the internet. This Friday I’m doing my first FESTIVAL PREVIEW on the Zoom at the invitation of President Obonjo. I know my songs but everything else is on a clipboard for the while. Learning lines is hard. I’m a MUSICIAN not an ACTOR! The only lines I’m any good at are the ones I have to write when I’m stuck marking children’s work. Good effot but clarinet is spelt with an i not a y. Smiley face. (x30) GROAN. Anyway, I’m on for about 40 minutes from 9pm on a link I will send you if you write me an email.

The very next day, Annie and I have got Andy Onions and Donna Landy round our livestream for the latest episode of Angela Bra’s Bonkers Quiz Night. The music round theme is, “Cool Britannia,” and the bonus round features every mug in our house so it’s definitely going to be as AMAZING as ever. You can see the whole thing live on Saturday at 9pm here.

And as if that wasn’t already enough Angela for your weekend, I’m doing a GIG on Sunday night for Weston-Super-Mare Pride. There’s a VERY EXCLUSIVE audience attending in the Zoom room which I can invite you to if you’re very polite or you can just drop in on the live stream at 9pm here.

 

Anything else? Well, I’m please to say I’m HEADLINING a lovely little show hosted by my mate Sonia Aste on Feb 25^th at 8pm but I’ll leave the rest of the details to next week. Annie and I are also hosting our own comedy show – Andy Quirk’s Clash of the Tight Tens Online on Feb 26^th but that can wait a week as well.

As usual, here are some links for the socials. Subscribe! And read the weird and wonderful comments I get on TikTok in particular!

Facebook

Instagram

TikTok

 

 

Tik, Tik, Tik Tok, Zoom!

WHOOP! Hey everyone, it's sooooo nice to see you back here again for another of my weekly updates. This week, things have been OFF THE HOOK like a landline that gets too many nuisance calls. Here's a little air-kiss to all of you my fans, whoever you are!

Remember to keep your mask on though, it's not just my laughter that could be contagious.

First things first. Yes, this time last week I was having a bit of a 'mare about my TikTok following of 23. This week the ticks have come into tock with 252 random people I don't know now keen enough on me that they want to see what I post next. WHOOPx2!

  Why? Well I'm a comedy genius obviously and people like 'Tik Toker', 'gazer of shoes' and 'Cool guy' knew it too and started tagging their mates into my post. Before you could say "don't knock the table!" viewers fell into my profile like dominoes. 

From the screengrab you can see there's some work to do on all the other posts but let's stick with the positive for now. I've made another nine videos to spin out over the next few weeks so make sure you're following me on TikTok, Instagram AND (not or) Facebook.

Last night Annie Sup and I were hosting our pub quiz gameshow once again, this time with special guests Charlotte Wynroe, Tom Short & Rhiannon and Andy Onions. Our camera actually came out quite nice this time so we don't look like we're transmitting from a Nokia in 2003. The music round's theme was songs with the word 'baby' in the title and in the final round, "Hair of the Dog?", everyone had to guess if the hair being displayed belonged to a dog or not. You can play along too here!

Anything else to report. ABSOLUTELY! I'm performing the first "work in progress" of my 2021 festival show, 'At Home With Miss Angela Bra', in two Friday's time on Zoom courtesy of the leader of Laughter Republic, President Obonjo. I'll probably be checking my notes throughout but if you'd like to witness the magic of developing a show (and plenty of jokes that won't make it to the final production) just drop me a message on one of my socials. It's forty minutes long and free!

Doube Trouble and a Youtube Bubble

Oh WOW guys, thanks for checking in with me again. This week has been completely INSANE in the MAINFRAME! First I’ve got to tell you all about my back-to-back gigs this weekend and then how my Youtube content has found it’s algo-rhythm.

So, first this week let me tell you about my live online adventures. After indulging in a little more home hairdressing my properly blonde bonce was back in time for Wyatt Shark’s Comedy Livestream at 7.30 on Saturday night. Poor Wyatt was having tech-mares and we started fifteen minutes late. Or by London open mic conventions, on time. I followed some solidly lovely stand-ups (and some lengthy tech-related pauses between each set just to, y’know, build the TENSION) to headline the show. I got the stream bubbling, involving the other acts in plenty of squirting, waving and rocking out. If you want to see it you can. It’s here!

Straight after that I crossed the streams and finished off the night for Pick N Mix Cabaret. It was a live Zoom audience who were well up for it and we PARTIED HARD! In-between all the partying a nice little bunch of viewers left me some lovely comments, which I’ll display here. The other acts I saw were great too. No link as it was a LIVE EXCLUSIVE. Next time, click that link and register for your tickets just like my dad did. LEGENNNNNND!

Away from live gigs Youtube got all excitable for my latest videos. My home yoga tribute has passed 1,000 views and the latest quiz night, which I host with my mate Annie Sup, added an extra 245 views to the thousand odd on Facebook. Takes the string out of having 23 followers on TikTok. Come on, sign up and start following me. COME ON!

I'm also hosting the February edition of Anything Goes Online. Watch the whole show here.

This week I’m writing questions ready for the quiz next Saturday and I’ll also be writing some more jokes for the TikTokkers to ignore. WHOOP!

Styling It Out

Hey everyone, thank you for once again dropping in on my blog to find out about all the AMAZING things I’ve been up to. BUSY AS EVER!

 

I’ve been refreshing my wardrobe with some proper dresses this week. Vintage style, very classy, fifties housewife chic because there’s nothing quite like reliving domestic oppression from seventy years ago. I bought four because I like them. It has nothing to do with the circular from my Head Teacher reminding everyone that the school dress code still stands whilst we’re Zooming from home and “dressing like you’re a teenager going clubbing for the first time” is still very much against policy. As I say. Nothing to do with that.

 

So what have I been up to online this week? Well, Annie Sup and I hosted another great quiz last night with Ali Woods and Andy Onions as special guests. They did well and the chat board was full of people hitting on each, shouting football chants and telling Annie how amazing she was. Nothing new there. Watch it here.

 

Elsewhere, I’ve been TikTokking every few days with a little joke or tune. Some of them have over 10 likes. Which I’m told is total rubbish but I’m still very proud of myself. See for your self here.

 

This week coming I’ve got two gigs next Saturday. You can watch the first from 7.30 – 8.30 here and the second one from 8.00 – 9.00 by signing up for the Zoom link here. Choose one, choose both. I’m headlining / on last at both of them so you could even hop between them if you like. Busy busy!

 

This week coming I’m putting the finishing touches to another little music video and I’m also recording my intro for February’s Anything Goes Online comedy compilation on Youtube. It features loads of new acts plus me – if you fancy some “Comedy PUNishment” early then just click here and give it a thumbs up!

 

‘til next week…

Cry Me A Livestream

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE, lovely to see you again! How have you been? With the vaccine numbers, and vaccinators, shooting up all over the country maybe we will get a sociable summer after all! I’ve got all my fingers and toes crossed for that – which pretty easy for me as my heels keep my toes more or less permanently in that position.

For the while though it’s an online life for me. I’ve been eeking out my little joke videos on TikTok regularly and have even found some of my favourite comedians on there now. Gatis Kandis is still alive and taking his printer for a walk, Andy Storey is playing with filters and Tom Little is having it large. AMAZING! Between the people wiggling around, attempts at singing and toddlers running into things there’s actually some top quality stuff to watch. Subscribe to my profile with this link https://www.tiktok.com/@missangelabra - and if you haven’t got one then make one!

Next Saturday (Jan 23rd) is quiz night for me and Annie once again. We’ve got some super celeb guests on as usual to keep you amused - and in good company if you’re only playing with yourself. First up we’ve got the meme king that is ALI WOODS and alongside him Manchester’s finest TOM SHORT with his partner RHIANNON. ANDY ONIONS will be there as well of course. A man of many layers who’ll have you crying with laughter in no time. As usual, you can join in live at 9pm on the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BonkersBingoMcrOfficial

I’ve also got some online gigs coming up. Well two. Both on Saturday 30^th January - and I’m HEADLINING (or, as it’s also known in the biz, on last) at both.

At 7.30pm there’s Comedy Livestream with Wyatt Shark and a whole host of funny people. It’ll be streamed to Youtube here https://youtu.be/zcmOsCUqoeM and you can also join the FB event here to put it in your diary, https://www.facebook.com/events/1724428031072283/ .

If you prefer cabaret to comedy then you might want to see me on Pick N’ Mix instead from 8.30pm. This one’s streamed exclusively through Zoom so pop over to https://www.annabelszki.com and fill in the form to request the link the week before. I watched this yesterday and it looks great. And I can see who’s watching and doing all the actions I expect of you in the songs!

Both shows are donations based so if you’re really poor then you don’t have to pay anything and if you’re rich you should shower me in cash. Preferably notes because people have thrown coins at me before and IT ISN'T QUITE THE SAME!

TikTok TikTok It Don’t Stop

Hey everyone, WHAT A WEEK! Yes, once again it’s been frothy latte full steam ahead for me with another smash hit quiz night and my debut on the only other social media platform I haven’t micro-waved on yet, TikTok.

Let’s start with TikTok, the video equivalent of Twitter before they let you write more than half a sentence on it. I thought I’d start easy by grabbing a couple of choruses from some of my songs and dicing them up like a chef to fit the time limit and jump around in the kind of visual assault the kids love. Extreme close-ups, subtitles all over the shop and more hashtags than a graffiti artist advertising their mean green. It kind of worked!

With 500-800 views a clip and anything up to 41 likes in the space of three days I got the fear. How could I keep this going? How can my fans see EVEN MORE of me? Then I hit on a plan. It’s a well known fact Instagram is for people who can’t read. What if TikTok is the place for people who can’t concentrate for longer than a fish doing two laps of their bowl? “Keep it simple,” I thought, “Do not overestimate your audience!”

So now I’m doing jokes on the TT. One liner puns with lots of colours and movement to keep flick-happy fingers from moving on. Some of them might end up in my set. Maybe one day I’ll do 50 minutes in 15 second chunks. 4 chunks a minute for 50 minutes is…plenty. Anyway, if you tick your tocks you can follow my account here: https://www.tiktok.com/@missangelabra

As for last weekend’s quiz… AMAZING! Annie and I hosted Nationwide TV advert famous funny man Andy Storey, leading lady in comedy exercise videos Stella Graham and good pal (and hilarious man in his own right) Andy Onions. If you didn’t play along then click the link at the end of this to make that happen – the final round, “The Hills Have Eyes,” is worthy of a BAFTA. A LAFTA BAFTA in fact! Annie and I are looking for live guests in Feb so if you’d like to join us just send me an email. Quiz Video.