MoodyComedy

Rosie Jones: The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

June 28, 2019 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment
© Jiksaw
Who? Rosie Jones
What? Backward
Where? Pleasance Courtyard – Baby Grand (Venue 33)
When? 19:00

What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?

Excitement! This will be my second full hour, so I feel like I now know what I’m getting myself into. And it’s also great to work on something new; I think this year’s show will be a lot more honest than I was last year, which is fun.

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

If last year’s premise was, ‘how I see the world’, this year’s premise is, ‘how the world sees me’. It’s called Backward and in the show I try to answer the question, ‘am I backwards, or are they?’ and the hilarities which come with being the world’s only Northern, gay, disabled comedian!

What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

It’s been a bit tricky to write a show that works for people who saw last year’s show, and, at the same time, works for people who have never seen me before. I still have to ‘address the disabled elephant in the room’, but a lot quicker, and more succinct than I probably have done in previous years.

Has your attitude towards the Fringe changed at all in recent years?

I think I take it a lot more seriously now. I used to drink every day, and function on two hours sleep – Edinburgh was my party month. But now I make sure that my priority is my show; lots of naps, water and cod liver oil!

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

Yes! Plenty, gosh I don’t know where to start! Helen Bauer, Suzi Ruffell, Jess Fostekew, Jen Brister, Sara Barron, Flo & Joan, Chris Washington, Jordan Brookes… I could go on! All proper funny people.

Where would you like to be in a year’s time?

Honestly? Right here, same place, preparing for another Edinburgh show; I love it! It gives my year routine, and it’s such a fun month. Ooo, it’s almost here!

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR ROSIE JONES: ‘BACKWARD’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2019

Posted in: Comedians, Edinburgh, Interviews Tagged: Backward, Edinburgh Festival, Rosie Jones, The Edinburgh Interviews, The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

Marlon Davis: The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

June 27, 2019 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment
© TBC
Who? Marlon Davis
What? Emotional Black Male
Where? Underbelly, Bristo Square – Dexter (Venue 33)
When? 18:50

What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?

Two words! Excitement and dread. This is the time when there’s a lot of sleepless nights, imagining this thing I thought was funny, turns out to be wrong… but I guess that’s the gamble.

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

Taking a difficult subject and trying to make it funny. In 2016 I was in a coma after trying to get home from a gig. I talk about what happened and also the world I came to back to.

What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

Writing it. Following my accident my cognitive skills aren’t as it was. My brain takes a lot longer to organise or communicate my ideas more clearly. But I’m not a quitter, I’ve dug deeper and I’m hopeful that I’ve done myself justice.

Has your attitude towards the Fringe changed at all in recent years?

Nope – I’ll still take each day as it comes and try to enjoy it more this year.

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

Too many to mention, there’s so many wonderful acts taking shows up to the Fringe this year. I like stumbling and discovering brilliant new or exciting acts I’ve never heard of before. That’s what Edinburgh is all about.

Where would you like to be in a year’s time?

In 2020.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR MARLON DAVIS: ‘EMOTIONAL BLACK MALE’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2019

Posted in: Comedians, Edinburgh, Interviews Tagged: Marlon Davis, The Edinburgh Festival, The Edinburgh Interviews, The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

Kelly Convey: The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

June 27, 2019 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment
© Ursula Aitchison
Who? Kelly Convey
What? Telephone Voice
Where? Pleasance Courtyard – Bunker One (Venue 33)
When? 19:15

What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?

I can’t bloody wait to get my show out there and have my Greatest Showman moment of “This is me!” Sure, I’m nervous about reviews and getting audiences in (please come!) but that’s natural and just shows I care.

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

My show is my coming out moment (I’m straight btw) – my time to have a proper platform to tell everyone who I am and how I came to be here. My show starts with my errant teenage years as one of the original chavs from Chatham, to my twenties as (unbelievably) a high-flying TV Exec to the life-changing decision to become a comedian in my thirties. POW!

What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

Doing it justice and really getting my message across – I want this show to be a celebration of my working class roots – they are the reason I have to pinch myself so often. This isn’t a story of struggle, it’s a story of pride.

Has your attitude towards the Fringe changed at all in recent years?

I see the Fringe as an opportunity, a business one, a spring board. I came to the Fringe for the first time 3 years ago, I’d been going about 5 months and was in the final of SYTYF. Being in the final put me in front of agents at a really early stage in my career. The following year I came up to do spots to get a feel for it. Last year, I did my first full month doing 40 minutes, which put hairs on my chest. Now, this year, I’m back, I’ve waxed my chest and ready for the “Big Debut”!

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

Rosie Jones, she’s my bae and a knock-out comic (her show is at the same time as mine – that’s how much I love her!). Helen Bauer is also debuting and her whirlwind style is definitely a must-see!

Where would you like to be in a year’s time?

Well, I know I’ll be writing another bloody show! By this time next year, I would like to have built my fanbase more and for people to be buying tickets, not because I’m a newcomer they don’t know, but because they remember me and can’t wait to see me again.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR KELLY CONVEY: ‘TELEPHONE VOICE’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2019

Posted in: Comedians, Edinburgh, Interviews Tagged: Kelly Convey, Telephone Voice, The Edinburgh Festival, The Edinburgh Interviews, The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

Dominic Frisby: The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

June 26, 2019 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment
© Steve Best
Who? Dominic Frisby
What? Libertarian Love Songs
Where? PBH’s Free Fringe @ Banshee Labyrinth – Cinema Room (Venue 156)
When? 17:00

What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?

I am very nervous. I have two months to go, but am trying a very different, very political show this year.

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

I was having ukulele lessons and I kept having these ideas for songs. I am a libertarian in my politics. We are fairly few and far between, but I could tell that my uke teacher was pretty sympathetic to this world view because he kept laughing at my song ideas and adding to them and making them way better. Gradually these uke lessons became song writing sessions. I then tried out a couple of the songs at free speech comedy night, Comedy Unleashed in London, and they went down so well, I thought, I’m onto some thing here. I thought it might be funny to juxtapose the traditions of the socialist protest song, only make it the political polar opposite – i.e. libertarian protest songs. So that’s how it started. And it gradually morphed into Libertarian Love Songs.

What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

My inability to play the ukulele.

Has your attitude towards the Fringe changed at all in recent years?

The Edinburgh Fringe seems to get better every year. There is so much competition and the result is that the shows get better and better. Comedy is the great winner – standards rise, which is for the benefit of everyone who likes comedy.

The biggest problem this year is the cost of accommodation, which as arisen as a result of some idiot left-wing ruling designed to protect people but in actual fact just making life more expensive and more difficult for everyone. There is an example if you needed it of yet another idiotic government intervention, and that is why I encourage you to VOTE LIBERTARIAN LOVE SONG.

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

Yes. My lecture on Adam Smith and the economics of the Edinburgh Festival. And a free show called The ShadowPunk revolution

Where would you like to be in a year’s time?

Number One in the album charts

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR DOMINIC FRISBY: ‘LIBERTARIAN LOVE SONGS’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2019

Posted in: Comedians, Edinburgh, Interviews Tagged: Dominic Frisby, Edinburgh Festival, Libertarian Love Songs, The Edinburgh Interviews, The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

Laura Lexx: The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

June 26, 2019 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment
© Karla Gowlett
Who? Laura Lexx
What? Knee Jerk
Where? Gilded Balloon Teviot – Turret (Venue 14)
When? 17:15

What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?

Excited. I had a really good time last year and it’s given me so much energy to race back in with a really tight show full of punchy ideas and things I’m excited to share with an audience.

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

I’m looking at fear this year… my own big fears, but also how fear seems to charge people up to behave in certain ways. I’m using the techniques I assembled during my own mental health therapy to try to get to the bottom of some of the root fears that are fuelling the way people react to certain things within society.

What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

Nerves about getting it wrong. I think I worry a lot about being complicit through silence on things I don’t agree with, but then I am constantly scared too about trying to be vocal in case I’m not the most informed person on the planet. Hopefully with this show I’ve found a way to speak up and be supportive of things that are important to me.

Has your attitude towards the Fringe changed at all in recent years?

Yes, hugely. I’ve seen through some of the more ridiculous, energy sapping aspects of it and started to see it for what it is: a fun, colourful wonderful playground that only has to feel competitive if you succumb to that pressure. It’s hard to go in focusing forward but you really have to put your blinkers on and go in looking for the highs.

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

Jess Fostekew’s show ‘Hench’ and Paul F Taylor’s show ‘Odd Paul’. I saw previews of both of them at Machynlleth Festival and I’m SO excited to see them again once all the fine-tuning is done – they were so good.

Where would you like to be in a year’s time?

I don’t mind as long as I feel calm there.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR LAURA LEXX: ‘KNEE JERK’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2019

Posted in: Comedians, Edinburgh, Interviews Tagged: Edinburgh Festival, Knee Jerk, Laura Lexx, The Edinburgh Interviews, The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

Joe Bor: The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

June 25, 2019 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment
Who? Joe Bor
What? The Story of Walter and Herbert
Where? Laughing Horse @ Espionage – Carnival (Venue185)
When? 15:45

What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?

Excited (as haven’t been for 5 years and keen to share my show with people).

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

It’s about the friendship of my grandad (world renowned town planner Walter Bor) and his best friend (world famous actor Herbert Lom) and their journey from Nazi-occupied Prague.

What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

It required a lot of research, filming and a lot of actual work. As a comedian, I am not used to this!

Has your attitude towards the Fringe changed at all in recent years?

Yes, since being a dad, it has been more of a challenge and commitment, but I feel like I have a show this year that is really worth it.

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

I am looking forward to seeing James McNicholas, Arnab Chanda, Tom Parry, Ian Smith and Luke McQueen.

Where would you like to be in a year’s time?

On a beach/Hollywood.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR JOE BOR: ‘THE STORY OF WALTER AND HERBERT’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2019

Posted in: Comedians, Edinburgh, Interviews Tagged: Edinburgh Festival, Joe Bor, The Edinburgh Interviews, The Edinburgh Interviews 2019, The Story of Walter and Herbert

Double Denim: The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

June 25, 2019 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment
© Gianna Rizzo
Who? Double Denim
What? Adventure Show
Where? Underbelly Cowgate – Belly Dancer (Venue 61)
When? 20:40

What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?

I’m really excited to be coming back to the Fringe because I haven’t performed in the UK for a while and since then, I think the culture of being a female comedian has shifted slightly but significantly. In Australia it’s been a really exciting time so it’s going to be nice to see in Edinburgh.

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

It’s a safari party that starts on a cruise ship. The show explores female friendship in a non-traditional and absurd way.

What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

Re-imagining the show for an international audience without losing our Australian-ness.

Has your attitude towards the Fringe changed at all in recent years?

I’ve always loved the Fringe. It is pretty magical to be near a castle. We don’t have those in Aus. I think as the Fringe grows it obviously becomes harder to make ends meet for everyone but I’ve been pretty privileged and lucky in the past. Hopefully we can find a way to keep the Fringe accessible to younger artists. It made a huge difference for me when I was first starting out. I’d hate to see up and coming people priced out.

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

I directed Demi Lardner’s Ditch Witch 800 so I’d love you to see that! I’m also really in love with Snort, an improv group from New Zealand. Zach and Viggo are always a treat, so is Stamptown and Late Night Lip Service.

Where would you like to be in a year’s time?

I’d love to keep working on the TV show i’m working on and maybe be able to bring my dog to set. That’s the dream.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR DOUBLE DENIM: ‘ADVENTURE SHOW’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2019

Posted in: Comedians, Edinburgh, Interviews Tagged: Adventure Show, Double Denim, Edinburgh Festival, Michelle Brasier, The Edinburgh Interviews, The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

Abbie Murphy: The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

June 24, 2019 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment
© Idil Sukan
Who? Abbie Murphy
What? Eat Sleep Shit Shag
Where? Gilded Balloon at Old Tolbooth Market – Top (Venue 98)
When? 13:00

What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?

Really looking forward to this year’s Festival. I always learn so much from doing Ed Fringe, that I am excited to see where another one under my belt can take me. There really is nothing like it, a comedy bootcamp if you will… I am taking two shows up this year; one stand up, one sketch, so I do need to remind myself of the fun that is to be had, because right now I am in the thick of gigging and previewing two shows, so it’s quite intense at the moment.

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

Eat Sleep Shit Shag is anecdotal of my ex career as a showgirl, working on cruise ships, and of my time working in India as a Bollywood dancer! I tell tales of my youth in Essex, and how it came about that I even became a professional dancer, and what made me leave that behind for a career in Comedy.

What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

My first couple of Fringes I was performing character comedy. Girl On Fire & Have A Word saw my love child Stephanie Vange hold court telling tales of her Essex failings. After a couple of years off, I came back with my first hour of straight stand up as ME. That was the biggest obstacle, getting out of my own way, and realising that I could just be up there with a mic and my stories and that would be enough. I just about believed it by the end of last year’s Fringe, so I am back this year to cement in what I learned, and build on that new confidence.

Has your attitude towards the Fringe changed at all in recent years?

In some ways yes, I used to think the Edinburgh Fringe was open to all, even if you didn’t have huge financial support behind you, if you were prepared to work hard – which I did, holding down a job 6 days a week to be able to afford to do the festival! I felt I had proved wherever there was a will there was a way. I am now on my 4th festival, still fully self funded, and tbh it is taking it’s toll! Now I realise in that way the festival is privileged, because without a tonne of gumption (and cash) you can take part, but you will struggle to be consistently do so – Hence the couple of years off I had in the middle. SO, yes the financial side of Ed Fringe I have now seen and experienced, is suffocating new and or developing talent.

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

Can I say my own Sketch Show? (Just did) LOL Beg Borrow & Bitch Ridiculously silly, British camp, mixed with retro 80s nostalgia – Think Dynasty on steroids! We are on every night 22:30 at Old Tolbooth Market Bothy Bar! I am also looking forward to seeing Maddie Campion’s solo hour Truly Maddie Deeply, I have seen her gigging the London Circuit and think she is very good. Also I am a big fan of Olga Koch, looking forward to catching her show If/Then during the run! Ooo and Joz Norris, he’s up to something good and different this year! His show is at Heroes of the Hive Joz Norris Is Dead. Long Live Mr Fruit Salad – I mean, what is not to like about that title!

Where would you like to be in a year’s time?

This time next year? Shooting the sitcom I have penned – that would be nice… especially as it is set somewhere sunny! But honestly, as long as I am still dabbling and progressing as a stand up, actor and as a writer of all things comedy, I don’t mind, it’s what makes me happiest. Life! It’s a right laugh ain’t it…

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR ABBIE MURPHY: ‘EAT SLEEP SHIT SHAG’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2019

Posted in: Comedians, Edinburgh, Interviews Tagged: Abbie Murphy, Eat Sleep Shit Shag, Edinburgh Festival, The Edinburgh Interviews, The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

Top 5 Moments… Gavin & Stacey

June 23, 2019 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

With the recent shock announcement that Gavin & Stacey is to be returning this Christmas with a one-off special episode, MoodyComedy is taking a look back at the top five moments of Gavin & Stacey history…

5) Christmas present time

It’s Christmas day at the Shipmans’ and after everyone has finished eating dinner, they share out the presents. Bryn picks up a suspiciously small package with a label that reads from ‘Nessa, David and Neil’, and Nessa tells the family that they might as well all open theirs together. It turns out everyone has been given one chocolate from a box of Celebrations, intricately wrapped in a little box. This disappointment mingled with the competition for who got the best chocolate perfectly sums up family Christmas.

© BBC

4) Dawn and Pete renew their vows

Dawn and Pete are a fiery couple. Though not particularly passionate about each other, they are certainly passionate about one thing: despising one another. So when the Sutcliffe’s (yes, most of our characters are named after notorious serial killers) decide to renew their vows for their 26th wedding anniversary, it is an undeniably tense affair. But the pair have a surprise up their sleeves; Pete gives a spoken rendition of Fix You by Coldplay as his vows, and Dawn, Michael Jackson’s Ben. Despite the loving words, Dawn’s disparaging looks at Pete do not go unnoticed…

3) Pam becomes a vegetarian

In the epitome of an overthinking frenzy, Pam convinces herself that upon meeting and catering for Stacey’s family for the first time, one of them is bound to spring the bombshell that they are a vegetarian. But this is a last minute realisation as the Wests are on their way. In the frenzy, Pam somehow comes to the conclusion that she must tell the Wests that she herself is a vegetarian. What ensues is months of snaffling slices of ham out of the packet when nobody is looking; it’s ridiculous but hilarious.

© BBC

2) Ness is pregnant…

As the family gather round the table at Capriccio’s to celebrate Gavin and Stacey returning from their honeymoon, a commotion arises in the ladies toilets. One by one the dinner guests enter the toilets to be greeted with the exclamation: ‘Nessa’s pregnant… and Smithy’s the father!’. The only person who doesn’t know now, however, is Smithy…

1) When Doris was not in the mood to make a salad.

People don’t want to eat a salad at Neil’s christening buffet (‘People don’t want it Gwen, they want filling up!’) and Doris certainly doesn’t want to make it. But we soon learn that that’s not the only reason for Doris’ hostility. Doris and Nessa have history and Doris tired of being made a fool of. So… there’s your salad.

TOP 5 MOMENTS…

Posted in: Television Shows, Top 5 Moments Tagged: British Comedy, Comedy, Gavin & Stacey, Top 5 Moments

Review: Angela Barnes, Rose-Tinted

May 30, 2019 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment
© Matt Crockett

Angela Barnes is becoming a bigger comedy name with each passing month. She is a regular on television panel shows such as Mock the Week and has also appeared on 8 out of 10 Cats and Live at the Apollo. She is currently touring the UK with her latest stand-up show, Rose-Tinted, supported by Phil Jerrod.

Barnes is a powerful speaker. Her ideas are projected forward with strength and her delivery is relaxed. Within seconds her audience feels assured that they are in safe hands for the next hour, and they are.

Rose-Tinted is a show concerned with trying to find positives in a world that seems rather dismal and often quite terrifying. Barnes confesses that she is no ray of sunshine, generally speaking, but it is only natural to assume that most of us aren’t. Angela’s mission, however, is to find the silver linings in the day to day dreariness of UK living. She reflects on the political landscape, along with the #MeToo movement and the state of the NHS, but this is no depressing, political rally because the main focus is Angela’s own personal experiences throughout her teenage, and more recent, years.

In fact, Barnes’ show is remarkably up-lifting. This is largely down to the predominant focus being on day-to-day silver linings, from Barnes’ happy relationship to her recently completing the Couch to 5K. Effortlessly amiable, Angela has her audience rooting for her. This likability comes from her directness and the fact she never feels the need to pander to her audience. As a comic this shows a great amount of creative confidence. Not only this, but her down-to-earth demeanour means that we, perhaps predominantly her female audience, begin to see a part of Angela in ourselves.

Barnes is very open about her faults and is clearly incredibly self-aware, recognising that change needs to come from inside of us and work its way out into the world we live in. The contrast of personal anecdotes and political comment gives the show a freshness, although there is certainly more room for the comic to delve deeper into her own personal narrative, when the time comes.

Rose-Tinted is an honest, uplifting recognition of the important role we each play in our own happiness, regardless of what is going on in the world around us. It’s fast-paced, honest and packed with solid jokes; a highly enjoyable piece of comedy.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR ANGELA BARNES: ‘ROSE-TINTED’ HERE

Posted in: Comedians, Live Comedy Tagged: Angela Barnes, Rose Tinted
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