Top things to do in London: week of 27 April

Edinburgh preview season is in full swing which means London is unusually loaded with hour-long comedy. Comics are testing the show they will take up in August, which means you can pay £12 instead of £18 to see something that will be charging £18 in two months. Take the deal.

Monday — book your week

Mondays are for booking. The good Tuesday and Friday gigs sell out by midweek, especially when the previews are running. Spend twenty minutes on a couple of comedy sites and on the London this-week page and lock the week in. The rest is admin.

For dinner: Brawn in Bethnal Green is open on Mondays, the wine list is excellent and the staff actually know what they are pouring.

Tuesday — Soho Theatre, of course

New material night. £18. Four acts. I will keep recommending this until I die. The line up this week leans toward people gearing up for an Edinburgh hour, which means the new material is more polished than usual.

If the room is sold out, the Bill Murray on Tuesday is a perfectly fine plan B. Smaller, scrappier, ten quid cheaper.

Wednesday — sketch and play

Sketch night at Soho Upstairs on Wednesday is hit and miss. This week's lineup leans toward the people I trust, so I am going. Backup: Bush Theatre studio has a play in its second week, which is when most plays settle into their best form.

Or, if you fancy a low-effort evening: Ronnie Scotts has a vocal trio in this Wednesday and the late set is quiet enough that you can actually hear the thing.

Thursday — Edinburgh preview night

Soho Theatre runs Edinburgh previews on Thursdays now in addition to Sundays. £12, hour-long shows, comics testing the structure of their fringe show. Some are rough, some are basically already finished. You will laugh, you will see somebody have a small mid-show breakdown about the second act, you will leave saying "that was the most interesting twelve quid of the month" and mean it.

Comedy alternative: the Backyard in Bethnal Green has alt-comedy on Thursdays. Bring cash.

Friday — XOYO

XOYO Friday lineup is heavy this week. £20-ish, doors 11. If clubs are not your bag, the Roundhouse has a band on, fabric is fabric, the Shacklewell has a gig. There is also a warehouse thing in Hackney Wick that I keep getting WhatsApped invites to from a friend who is, frankly, a bit too old to still be doing warehouse things, but the lineup is genuinely decent. Tickets via Resident Advisor, dont turn up speculative.

For food: Smoking Goat for late dinner, or Dishoom if you want a queue with friends.

Saturday — daytime, then quiet

Park, lunch, walk, nap. Saturday night I am increasingly at home or eating with friends. If you want to be out, fabric is doing a big-room night, the Roundhouse studio has a thing, Phonox has a lineup.

For something different: Sadler's Wells has a contemporary dance run on this week that is meant to be properly good. I went last year to a similar show and surprised myself.

Sunday — Edinburgh previews, all day

Soho Theatre Sunday previews are the move. £10–£12 per slot, comics doing the thing, you pick two and make an afternoon of it. Coffee at Maison Bertaux between shows, then a slow Sunday roast somewhere — the Marksman in Hackney if you booked, the Crown if you did not.

The Bill Murray also runs Sunday previews now and they are usually a fiver cheaper. Pick whichever has the lineup you fancy.

That is the week. Edinburgh prep season is the best comedy season London has — get out and see something rough.