DON’T MAKE ME LAUGH: COMEDY at PUKKELPOP!

Why not have a good time AND a good laugh at Pukkelpop?
This year, as in previous years, the Wablief?! tent starts its daily programme with two hours of comedy. Freddy De Vadder, Thomas Smith, Glenn Wool, Gili, Jamie Kilstein, Henk Rijckaert, Bert Gabriëls and others will try to make you laugh till your sides split (or maybe just chuckle and smile).

On Thursday 19 August MC David Galle, winner of the Comedy Casino Cup 2009, presents three top comedy acts from home and abroad. This summer Ter Bescherming van de Jeugd will make another appearance at Pukkelpop. The duo studied psychology together. Against this background they turn ordinary everyday events into nonsensical situations full of absurdities and contradictions. The Canadian stand-up comedian Glenn Wool travels the world looking like Jack Black, cursing and swearing like a trooper, a soldier, a sailor, a truck driver, a construction worker, a French chef, … a Canadian. (Feel free to complete the list; we don’t want to offend any particular group). He has already played at Glastonbury and other UK festivals. The show is rounded off by Han solo and Hakims of Comedy, under the motto “opposites attract”. Han solo is the extreme right-wing alter ego of Han Coucke, who is constantly confronted with the Arab answers of the Hakims – the wise men. The Hakims prefer to play on the street because that’s the only place where they feel at ease. At Wablief? they will have to face a entirely different audience!

On Friday 20 August MC Bart Cannaerts will host the show. Bart Cannaerts became world-famous in Flanders when he kicked Philippe Geubels out of the quiz show ‘De Slimste Mens ter Wereld’. Unfortunately, his newly-won reputation was tarnished by the embarrassing kissing scene with Showbizz Bart in ‘Mag ik u kussen?’ (May I kiss you now?). At Pukkelpop he will present himself as a more distinguished individual than Freddy De Vadder, the ex-street fighter with a “je m’en fou” attitude that fulminates against the ills of modern society. A bit later the other half of the ‘Zonde van de zendtijd’-duo, Henk Rijckaert, will try to pull us into the maze of his bizarre reality. Comedian-Mentalist Gili will close Friday’s show with an hilarious blend of amazing absurdities, psycho-stunts and visual comedy.

On Saturday 21 August the show host will be rising star Steven Mahieu. He will introduce Bert Gabriëls, the rather headstrong co-presenter of ‘Zonde van de zendtijd’. Jamie Kilstein, sometimes called the 21st-century Bill Hicks, will fly over from the USA. Kilstein relentlessly puts the gospel truths of politically correct thinking through the grinder. Thomas Smith – at Pukkelpop for the second time – will close the show with hilarious observations on our daily routine.

Thursday 19/8
MC DAVID GALLE
TER BESCHERMING VAN DE JEUGD
GLENN WOOL
HAN SOLO EN HAKIMS – Arbi, William Boeva & Latif – OF COMEDY

Friday 20/8
MC BART CANNAERTS
FREDDY DE VADDER
HENK RIJCKAERT
GILI

Saturday 21/8
MC STEVEN MAHIEU
BERT GABRIËLS
JAMIE KILSTEIN
THOMAS SMITH