This week's new comedy

Elis James: Daytripper, Cardiff & London Just one of a phalanx of exciting young comic talent coming through from Wales, Carmarthen-born Elis James is rapidly building a reputation for himself on both sides of the border. Formerly a member of much-talked-about but short-lived sketch outfit Superclump, he's attracting equally good notices for his low-key but pleasantly quirky stand-up. This solo show collects a number of his hugely appealing tales of smalltown life, and focuses on his abiding love for a bunch of fellow Carmarthenites, faintly obscure 90s indie band Gorky's Zygotic Mynci. Some stand-ups might use this as a prompt for a detailed contemplation of national identity, but James's account is a dafter, more personal story of awkward encounters and frequent embarrassments when in close proximity to his idols. An intensely likable performer, he manages to get the audience to share in the heat of his unlikely passion, and you'll be rooting for him throughout his various misadventures. Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, Sat; Soho Theatre, W1, Thu to 19 Mar Phil Nichol: The Simple Hour, Glasgow Phil Nichol's a contradictory sort of comedian. There's a part of him that's rather serious, and enthusiastic about pushing the stand-up envelope to do original, unconventional and utterly compelling things. His Edinburgh show last year saw him adopting the guise of 50s beat poet Bobby Spade, and delivering a deeply scatological performance that was wholly unlike anything else on the fringe. But there's another side to Nichol's nature that's all about pure entertainment. This week's show promises a no-frills distillation of Nichol's simpler side, but what it lacks in elevated aspirations it should more than make up for in near-agonising hilarity. This is a comic who doesn't deal in half measures, so expect a huge amount of manic energy, intermittent audience baiting, and all manner of musical and non-musical silliness. Oh, and be warned: if it goes really well, he'll probably get his cock out. The Stand, Fri Wil Hodgson: Punkanory, Glasgow It's nice to think that somewhere there's a parallel universe where Wil Hodgson is acclaimed as one of the greatest British stand-ups of his age; one where aspiring comics model their look on his characteristic pink hair and leopard-print combo, and where DVDs of his stories about the dysfunctional residents of his native Chippenham outsell Peter Kay. His style certainly takes some getting used to. For one thing, he doesn't engage in banter or even in eye contact; instead he rasps out his brilliantly written, phenomenally well-observed stories in an undifferentiated monotone while staring a couple of feet above the audience's heads. This latest show revolves around his various bizarre collections – Hodgson's an obsessive fan of My Little Ponies, Rainbow Brite dolls and Spice Girls memorabilia – and is one of the highlights of the first few days of this year's Glasgow comedy festival. Tron Theatre, Fri