document: This week 's new live comedy Gareth Richards , On tour The Omnichord is not an instrument you often see in musical comedy . Actually , it 's not an instrument you often see , full stop . A cross between an early synth and a banjo , it produces a limited range of twee electronic sounds , and it 's the weapon of choice for low-key but extremely talented young comic Gareth Richards . Having built a live reputation with well-crafted , pun-heavy stand-up , his debut solo show breaks up the spoken material with surprisingly tuneful , gently eccentric songs . He comes across like a quiet , introverted version of Irish keyboard wizard David O'Doherty , but there are flashes of Demetri Martin , too . It adds up to a delightful hour of comedy , mixing silly jokes about his mum with surreal but touching songs about love , loss and his mate Dave , who is , somewhat inexplicably , a fridge . Rondo Theatre , Bath ; Sat ; Barnstaple Queens Theatre , Wed ; Soho Theatre , W1 , Fri Dan Clark , On tour Dan Clark . Those of you unfamiliar with the recent comedy output of BBC3 might not be up to speed with the rise of Dan Clark , whose laddish sitcom How Not To Live Your Life has been one of the much-criticised channel 's most consistent successes . The show takes its strength from Clark 's ability to come up with great comic observations about the nature of feckless young blokedom , and his live show features plenty more of the same . But Clark adds a secret weapon to this apparent retread of laddish sensibilities : a diamond-hard , impregnable charisma , even when contemplating the most appalling things . Onstage , the alpha-male vibes and strong comic sensibilities make for an impressive spectacle . Derby Theatre , Sat ; Komedia , Bath , Sun ; Corn Exchange , Ipswich , Tue ; Memorial Hall , Sheffield , Wed ; Wulfrun Hall , Wolverhampton , Thu ; Town Hall , Birmingham , Fri The Alternative Comedy Memorial Society , London Thom Tuck , appearing as part of The Alternative Comedy Memorial Society . Just how meaningful a term is '' `` alternative comedy '' '' these days ? After all , we live in a world where a maverick talent like Harry Hill commands a sizable Saturday night audience on ITV , while the likes of Jim Davidson or Cannon and Ball seem condemned to light entertainment 's sidelines . But if alternative comedy has succeeded in going mainstream , did it sacrifice its radical , experimental edge to get there ? This ultra-quirky new night aims to redress the balance , offering a show that 's genuinely alternative and properly comedic . The off-the-wall brainchild of John-Luke Roberts and Thom Tuck , whose routines see him mixing accounts of his troubled love life with analysis of straight-to-video Disney films , this is a night where anything goes , so long as it 's envelope-pushing , creative and funny . Last time out , a man shaved off his beard , stuck it to a piece of card and announced it was Dave Lee Travis 's beard -LRB- perhaps you had to be there -RRB- . Performers this week include philosopher-disser Sara Pascoe , and hairless , high-energy character comic Marek Larwood . New Red Lion Theatre , EC1 , Tue
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