Tom Stade
Bought up in the backwoods of British Columbia Tom Stade earned his comedy stripes in Canada, where he recorded his own one-hour TV special Stade And Confused for the Comedy Network.
Now largely based in the UK, he is a circuit stalwart who has appeared on stand-up shows The Comedy Store , The Live Floor Show and The World Stands Up .
He made his Edinburgh Fringe debut in 2006 with the show And Relax.
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Tom Stade Totally Rocks! Fringe 2012
In 1995, Tom Stade married a girl he’d known for three months. In Vegas, while drunk, and wearing denim shorts and a cowboy hat. We know this because he has the embarrassing video to prove it.
Seventeen years later, and he’s still married to Trudy. Pretty remarkable, given the rush of youthful, lustful infatuation has long subsided. Things have certainly changed between them, and he’s not afraid to explain exactly what.
This Edinburgh-based Canadian isn’t the only fortysomething comic to comment on the transition from feckless young man to the stability of a long-term relationship. Indeed, you might spot a few clichés even in this strong hour – but they are clichés of life as much as they are stand-up, and Stade feels they need to be addressed.
read more of this review …
Luckily he does so with a flair and punchiness that puts a crisp sheen on what is frequently blunt material. Some of the edges are further knocked off that by constantly seeking affirmation from the audience. To make us complicit, he nominates two couples in the front row and passes almost every hypothesis of marriage by them before expounding his theory. ‘That right, Kev?’ That combines with the tight rhythm and carefully-placed stress of his sentences to give his utterances a purposeful punch.
He mixes well-articulated observations of the familiar with graphic descriptions of his sex life and edgier comments, cheekily raising some harsh realities about his wife and his relationship with his children that can only be true, but would never be mentioned… at least in polite society.
Speaking of things that shouldn’t be said, Stade has a piece about a disabled passenger in a train carriage who was unable to control his speech; a routine which seems designed to make his audiences feel uncomfortable. Though he tries to explain it away by saying he’s laughing at the ‘situation’ not the person, you can’t help feeling he’s getting laughs from impersonating the only sounds the unfortunate chap. Yes, even if Stade did have an uncle with Down’s Syndrome.
Still it’s testament to his abilities that he pulls this off without anyone making the leap from awkward to offended, and he brought the topic back to his domestic situation just in time. The show does start to run out of steam a little a the end, as demonstrated when the big relationship issues make way for routines about Groupon. But after 17 years of marriage, that’s what his life has become…
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Tom Stade Dates
Fri 28 Jun 2013
- Liverpool Slaughterhouse
- 20:00
- From £15
- Daliso Chaponda, Rob Rouse, Tom Stade
Sat 29 Jun 2013
- Liverpool Slaughterhouse
- 20:00
- From £15
- Daliso Chaponda, Rob Rouse, Tom Stade
Fri 9 Aug 2013
Book Now- Bluewater Glow
- 19:30
- £22.50 to £33.50
- Daliso Chaponda, Jason Cook, Lee Nelson, Rob Rouse, Shappi Khorsandi, Tom Stade
Tue 13 Aug 2013
- Assembly Rooms Fringe
- 21:20~22:20
- £15 (£12 concs)
Wed 14 Aug 2013
- Assembly Rooms Fringe
- 21:20~22:20
- £15 (£12 concs)
Thu 15 Aug 2013
- Assembly Rooms Fringe
- 21:20~22:20
- £15 (£12 concs)
Fri 16 Aug 2013
- Assembly Rooms Fringe
- 21:20~22:20
- £15 (£12 concs)
Sat 17 Aug 2013
- Assembly Rooms Fringe
- 21:20~22:20
- £15 (£12 concs)
Sun 18 Aug 2013
- Assembly Rooms Fringe
- 21:20~22:20
- £15 (£12 concs)
More Tom Stade Dates …
Tue 20 Aug 2013
- Assembly Rooms Fringe
- 21:20~22:20
- £15 (£12 concs)
Wed 21 Aug 2013
- Assembly Rooms Fringe
- 21:20~22:20
- £15 (£12 concs)
Thu 22 Aug 2013
- Comedy Gala In Aid Of Waverley Care 2013
- Edinburgh Playhouse [Fringe]
- 19:30
- Call for prices
Thu 22 Aug 2013
- Assembly Rooms Fringe
- 21:20~22:20
- £15 (£12 concs)
Fri 23 Aug 2013
- Assembly Rooms Fringe
- 21:20~22:20
- £15 (£12 concs)
Sat 24 Aug 2013
- Assembly Rooms Fringe
- 21:20~22:20
- £15 (£12 concs)
Sun 25 Aug 2013
- Assembly Rooms Fringe
- 21:20~22:20
- £15 (£12 concs)
Fri 8 Nov 2013
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Older Comments
Marga - 05/05/2013
So bad in Bristol that we had to leave early.
Becky. - 09/10/2012
Saw Tom for the first time this year, he's hilarious. Had us belly laughing. He's a natural. Can't wait to see him again.
Sarah - 29/05/2012
At that same show in Birmingham and it was one of the funniest show I'd ever seen. I didn't get Tom hates women at all. He just talked about being married. And from what I saw everybody was loving it men and women. Like all comedy at least I can see the exaggeration. Long live Heroin Jimmy!!
Brummagem - 25/05/2012
Saw him at Birmingham Glee club (which is a great club!): he really comes across like he hates women. That's a tired thing to say but he only interacted with men in the audience and 90 per cent of his act was the theme of women destroying their partners' lives. I see a lot of comedy and have no problem with 'men vs women' stuff but this was way, way too much... it got boring, essentially. It doesn't take any great originality or observation to bang on and on about women not allowing their partners to speak or make decisions... He's clearly a clever bloke and when he moved on to other topics he was funny, so it's a pity. He needs new material maybe
Incubus2011 - 05/12/2011
Saw him in Barnsley on a bill with Abi Roberts and Bob Mills - all three absolutely ripped it but Stade really was top notch - excellent delivery, fine material and an almost Bill Hicks-Esque style about him.
David Shaw - 05/11/2011
Just got back from a trip to Manchester where we saw Tom. Seen him before a few times around London and like his shows, this was the best ever, he had us howling with laughter. We have seen probably most of the best but this was the funniest show we think we have ever been to.
melanie ford - 12/09/2011
Tom Stade at Worcester Huntington Hall had both good and bad elements. Tom is a very funny man, that has to be said, however having followed him on the circuit for a while I fear he has become a lazy comic who is just reworking old material from his 2008 blue album. I did laugh out loud but was excited at the prospect of hearing new material, of which we never got. Tom does make me laugh but it was a mix of enjoyment and disappointment.
Douglas Thomson - 22/02/2011
Tom Stade at the Ironworks Inverness was both good and bad experience. Good to see him live, and he made the audience laugh . Bad because he said nothing new in his act, tried and tested on TV over the past year and more. It's testament to his skill as a comedian that it still made me laugh all the same. It seems once a comedian gets established like Tom, they get a bit complacent in their attitude to their audience.I wouldn't hesitate about going to see Tom Stade again despite my criticism - he enjoys his chosen vocation, it transfers to his audience and it shows.
Swamp Thing - 13/02/2011
If there was a guy you could look up too, who smokes dope and keeps the dream alive with fantastical tales, this man would be Tom Stade. He's honest and charming, and delivers a hilarious performance of the what would be everyday life for many britons. Highly recommend.
Paul Marson - 11/01/2011
I have seen many comedians live, including, Jimmy Carr, Frankie Boyle, Stephen K Amos, Kevin Bridges and Lee Mack, but without a doubt, Tom Stade is the one me and partner have enjoyed the most. He has a natural delivery when telling a joke, and is in my opinion the best stand up comedian working today!
Nikki McC - 07/04/2010
I first saw Tom years ago at Jongleurs, it was the first time in my life that I actually thought that I might die laughing!! His very original material and black humour draws you in as he tells tales of his life and his observations of the U.K. Since then I have tried catch most of his Glasgow shows, the latest being at Highlight in Glasgow where he was joined on stage by another of my favourite and outstanding comics, Sean Collins. Both used to do a double act together in Canada and worked brilliantly on stage together. It was evident that they don't get to catch up much! The atmosphere was electric and the show was great! I seemed to be prime target and the butt of many of their jokes, made my night! I would definitely recommend seeing Tom Stade and of course Sean Collins, even better? Get yourself to a night when they are both there!
heroin Jimmy - 07/12/2009
I've seen Tom over the years, and there are few comics as funny to the core working anywhere in the world. He is always writing new material for himself and to help improve his peers. Half the circuit has gags that Tom has created for them when working together. He is unique this way in making comics around him better. His sets range from experimental new material to the bullet-proof TV sets that he is well known for. So if you happen to catch him doing material you've seen on TV, it is because the club requested a greatest hits set on that particular night. catching him on a night where he has the freedom to just riff, you'll see material never tested before, but equally rewarding.
JS - 13/11/2009
Did my gigs last weekend and encored both nights, including a double encore at one of the venues - world class
Cheryl Buchanan - 20/08/2009
How funny is this man? Saw him this evening at the comedy store and dragged a friend along, we were both in stitches. Got the cd which I'm so looking forward to and can't wait to go and see him again. Cracking stuff
Victoria Smith - 18/08/2009
I saw Tom for the first time on Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow. I thought he was great so quick and funny. Then I was suprised to see him when i went to Baby Blue comedy club in Liverpool. Them 20 minutes where the funniest 20 minutes of my life! He was great and he used material that I'd never seen him use before, it was all new. So that made it even better! I really enjoyed watching him and are going to be seeing him again octoberish when he goes and plays in Liverpool again! I hope it's as good as it was last time!
Nigel Lord - 09/08/2009
Just caught Tom on Comedy Central's Edinburgh & Beyond and can only say his set came as a real disappointment. As someone I would have rated among my top three stand-ups I've been waiting for him to move beyond the 'meat van' and 'living in Wolverhampton' material which has been his staple for the past few years. If the ten-minute slot on E & B is anything to go by, he has a lot of work to do to elevate the new material to the heights he previously scaled as a stand-up. Obviously, new material will always take time to come together, but however funny Tom thinks it is, his current set really doesn't engage you like the tried and trusted material he's relied on up to now. He seems to have lost his perspective as an 'outsider' trying to make sense of British culture ("...I guess you've got a lot of old shit in England") - which, of course, was the basis for much of his act. Perhaps, as Chortle's review suggests, he is still "workshopping" new material - I certainly hope so. Tom has consistently been one the most inventive and engaging stand-ups with a relaxed delivery which comes as a real breath of fresh air alongside all the bright young things desperately trying to figure out how to be funny.
Lisa McNeil - 04/07/2009
Only saw Tom once on Michael McIntyre's roadshow and actually only initially caught my attention because i thought it was Patrick Dempsey on the stage! I hope to catch one of Tom's show's he is hilarious, I've never laughed so much about so little. I mean, a meat van for crying out loud! I even Sky + it to show the rest of the family who found it equally as funny - good stuff Tom, keep it up!
Dave B - 25/06/2009
Saw Tom for the first time on Michael McIntyre's comedy roadshow. A likeable persona with a perfect delivery enabled him to get 10 minutes of fantastic material out of the story about the meat van. Like a lot of other comments on here, you can't quite put your finger on why he's so funny but he is very comical and had me laughing all the way through his set.
Tracy-Lyn Hausen - 19/07/2008
Tom used to work at the comedy club my husband and I own in Kingston, Ontario Canada and although we haven't seen him for a few years now, I will never forget his performances. He has always been my personal favourite and no other comic has had me in tears from laughter. Wishing him fame and success in the UK!
Pete - 26/12/2007
Saw Tom in afghanistan,where he came to entertain us troops with three other comedians. I'd never heard of him before and I can honestly say he is the funniest guy I have ever seen! I don't know why he isn't as famous as he could and should be.
gareth hiscox - 11/03/2007
You are truly a great of your time. I like Lee Evans and Ricky Gervas and have een them both live but when i saw the comedy club routines about eskimos and family etc I thought they were hilarious, insightful and very clever. I can't sit here and analyse why you're funny, all I can do is hope and pray you bring out a DVD because i will be the first in the queue to buy it. Your like a stand-up version of Tommy Cooper without all the props.
arvy - 16/10/2006
Edgy, spaced out. Resolutely not drunk. Tom was on fine form on Friday night at the Comedy Store. His edgy, slightly "wacked out humour" is definitely worth the experience. In some respects like Bob Schimmel, in others, much gentler, he is nevertheless fully engaging and consistently funny. He does have a few edgy jokes but each is delivered with such aplomb that you adore him more for it and want to remain engaged. See this man!
Ben Heal - 09/09/2006
Gnomic white trailer trash. Written on paper you his material is as thin as that paper. Delivered it is hilarious for some reason tied up with his character (which you would not want to be). He had a 200 size audience on a roll merely discussing a Meat Van in a car boot sale - viewed from American Trailer trash perspective on the bargain seeking propensity of the English. Go see him, if you can beneath his baseball cap, he will assuredly make you laugh - but heaven knows why.
Dan - 29/08/2006
I caught a short set of Tom's at the Phat Cave this year. Out of the twenty or so shows I saw, his was the only one which had me doubled over with tears rolling down my cheeks. Well done, sir.
Sharn W - 23/08/2006
I have seen Tom Stade only once, and cannot wait to see him again. What a fantastic comedian! I laughed so much i almost wet my pants. Tom Stade is a must-see comedian so go see him now
Angie W - 22/08/2006
He was the last comedian I saw when I was up in Edinburgh for the festival last week - and I can honestly say the Edinburgh experience ended in an absolute high after seeing this man. I can't remember a time when I laughed so much - the bits about the meat van at Bilston market and the consolidation loans adverts for debt-ridden African governments made me laugh so hard I didn't need to do any sit-ups. I can't fathom why this man isn't hugely famous either, but sometimes it's better that way, as it can be 'our little secret'. Will definitely look out for him again. The man is comedy platinum (as well as being very cute!)
Mark - 21/08/2006
Saw Tom in Edingurgh on Saturday, best act I saw all weekend!
Roland - 24/07/2006
Saw him at Latitude festival last weekend. Started crying with laughter, then snotting, then just kind of swaying. Amazing.
Jay Ryan - 12/07/2006
There is a mere handful of comics who could perform in an armchair. This is guy is one of them. He takes you on trip of the ordinary mundane ways of life and makes you aware of the absurdness of it all. All to great effect. Damn funny guy!
Vanessa O'Connor - 19/06/2006
I saw Tom in Greenfield, Oldham. Peter Kay has got nothing on this man - absolute genius
Samaire - 08/06/2006
A great night of comedy at the Bullingdon in Oxford. Tom was excellent and I was proud to be one of the few women who didn't take offense at some of his stuff and queued up to buy his CD. To quote him direct "I don't trust anything I can't laugh at".
David Shaw - 30/03/2006
This was a great show.
Liz - 16/03/2006
Have to admire the talent but thought some of the material was a trifle crude - loved the travel bits though
Funk - 08/02/2006
One of the funniest comedians on the planet
Alan Tovey - 07/02/2006
Saw Tom at Jesters (something of a bearpit in my opinion) in Bristol a fortnight ago. He dealt with savage heckling with aplomb, delivering one of the best acts I've seen in a long time. His insight into the British culture is perceptive and very, very funny. Go see him: you won't be disappointed - unless you are one of the group of teenage hecklers who wanted to show how right on they were and rightly got the savaging they so deserved.
Celeste - 28/01/2006
The best I've seen for a long time. He's fucking great
Dave - 17/11/2005
Nice job. Very funny, I was busting a gut all the way through. A true connection with the audience.
- 16/10/2005
I seen tom on the Comedy Now network the other day - man talk about a hack comic. He used 'Did you ever notice...' twice, Please, Tom, tell me more about relationship problems...
Yan Vaillancourt - 16/10/2005
The funniest comedian I have ever seen.
Matt Colman - 04/10/2005
Mr Stade is one of the funniest comedians, I have ever seen. He can make the dullest subjest into a hilarious piece of comic genius.
Mark G - 30/09/2005
Just saw Tom in St Helens as a warm up man for Jonny Vegas. Unfortunately for Vegas, Tom stole the show! Good work fella
Glyn - 02/09/2005
Quite simply, the funniest man walking the earth today. Saw him at the Hyena cafe in Newcastle and I am still laughing now. I cannot sing this guys praises enough. Can't wait to see him again.
Damon Mackay - 03/08/2005
The guy is a genius. He had me doubled over with a silly song about getting drunk and haggling over the price of a stapler at a car-boot sale. You can't make this stuff up.
Nione - 22/07/2005
Just saw Tom at a Jongleurs On The Road night and was hugely impressed. Warm, original, a great raconteur and most importantly, very funny.
Welsh - 13/07/2005
Funniest, randomest stand up i've seen since Mitch Hedburg.
D - 11/04/2005
Superb. Had the audience in stitches the whole time. It was hurting laughing at him so much. Painfully funny observations delivered in a very watchable style. If you have a chance to see him, do so - you won't be disappointed.
Paul Russell - 19/03/2005
Just watched Tom perform on telly and he had me in stiches. Hopefully he will come and do a show in my neck of the woods as I would love to see him do a whole show other than 10mins on telly. A brilliant performance especially about the walrus.Top stand up.
Kath Christmas - 15/03/2005
Watched Tom at the Comedy Store in London last weekend and had to hold my cheeks (the ones on my face I mean!) coz they were aching from laughing so much! Sir Tom, you are truly hysterical, one of the funniest people I have ever seen.
Johnny - 06/02/2005
I saw Tom at the Stand Club in Glasgow on Friday night. It has been some time since I saw someone so hilarious and charismatic.One of the funniest stand-ups I have ever seen.
Tom Stade - 26/12/2004
Thoughout my career I've had so many different friends from so many different cultures and the only thing I've ever done was try to bring people closer together. I'm not one to say that people aren't allowed to have their say because they are, but please make sure you know the person before you say what you have said because they're just travel stories that help people understand other cultures in a fun way. Whether it crossing the Pakistan/India border to buying a house in a drug ridden part of Newcastle or taking my driver's test in Lagos. I think it just brings us closer together when we can have a laugh at ourselves. Actions will always speak louder than words and my actions are telling the world no matter where you go people are the same going throught the same things.
Lucy - 15/12/2004
I was also at the gig in Dudley and I marvel at the idiocy of someone who could not appreciate the incredible wit of this fantastic comedian. Not only that, but to flat out lie on here about what he said is unbelievable. He is not racist. He did not at any point say anything derogatory or bigoted and how you can take his wonderfully incisive material and say that it was 'dodgy' therefore totally missing the subtleties of this superb act is beyond me. I don t believe anyone was uncomfortable, I saw nothing but happy hysterical people round the room. You are the problem sir not Tom Stade - he was busy being perceptive and extremely funny while you were looking for 'persecutions' that weren't ever there. Learn to laugh - the world will be a better place.
Geoff Taylor - 10/12/2004
Very, very funny.
David - 08/12/2004
This guy is outstanding.
Patrick Rolink - 24/11/2004
If you are looking for a night to remember, go and see this guy - supreme comedy material and very very well delivered.I thought he was super
Juzzy C - 21/11/2004
He is the best comedian I have seen. His dark and true take on life is spot on.
Adam Hopkinson - 06/09/2004
Genius! Great performance, great gags, and great put down to the idiot heckling.
Ben - 01/09/2004
Saw Tom at the Reading Festival a couple of days ago and can safely say that he is one of the funniest guys on the planet. Absolutely amazing
Jim Bob - 05/08/2004
Saw Tom at the HiFi Club in Leeds this weekend and I can't stop talking about it. He is the best comedian I have ever seen. People were crying with laughter. Feel like I was watching a megastar being born. Incredible. Can't wait to see him again,if you see this guy advertised in your town, drop everything and get there, brilliant!
Rich Dudley - 07/05/2004
Saw Tom at the Glee Club in Birmingham and he was first class. A fantastic range of material covering everything from the experience of the pound shop to failed relationships to political satire, he hit the spot every time. Top notch stuff.
Matt B - 25/03/2004
The funniest dude on the circuit he adds a little tweak to his routine every time I see him. A great guy who happens to be very funny too
Adam James Seth Burnett - 19/02/2004
Of the literally hundreds of comedians I have seen Tom Stade is far and away the funniest - I've seen him perform now at least a dozen times and he's yet to lose any of his original zing. This guy could read the ingredients off a burito wrapper and he could have you in stitches - a must see
Northstar - 16/02/2004
I have seen Tom Stade three times now and the guy is so funny I thought I'd have an aneurysm! He's not just funny though, he is that rare thing, a truly natural comedian. Gifted beyond belief and destined for greatness... everybody else should just..suck it!