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Harriet Kemsley

Seven Questions With… Harriet Kemsley

September 30, 2015 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment
Harriet Kemsley is a delightful stand up comedian with an undeniably sinister edge. With her endearing, almost-childlike delivery of material that expertly blends the silly with cutting, bitter and sarcastic elements, Harriet is rapidly crafting a distinctive comedy persona. She has recently been supporting the likes of Katherine Ryan and Stewart Francis on their UK tours as well as appearing on The One Show Edinburgh Showcase in August.
To learn more about Harriet, I asked her these seven questions…

1) Are you at all similar to your parents?

I have inherited the best of both worlds. I got my Mum’s overwhelming anxieties and my Dad’s massive head.

2) Do you write your material down?

Yes. Because otherwise I would forget. I have to write everything in my life down or I won’t remember. I write very basic things I have to do on my hand and then I wake up with them smeared to my forehead and I go about my day.

harriet-kemsley-edinburgh-fringe

3) What did you most enjoy about university?

I really really enjoyed the last day. I found Uni unnecessarily stressful, but I did enjoy having my rent paid for by my student loan.

4) What kind of people do you like making friends with?

I particularly like fun people. They are my absolute favourite. Big idiots that can laugh at themselves. If I was to go on friend Tinder I would swipe right for big fun honest idiots.

5) Do you pay much attention to detail?

Awlays. I am completely paranoid about everything so I have to read an email about 3000 times before I send it just to check I haven’t subconsciously written something like YOU’REABIGIDIOT in the middle. It’s the same with everything. It took me ages to wrap presents last Christmas as I became paranoid I was going to wrap dirty knickers up with them.

6) Which comedians inspire you most?

I am in love with Amy Schumer and Maria Bamford and Sarah Silverman and Katherine Ryan. They are all just perfect and I want to marry them.

7) Do you know what you want?

I think so. I really like doing comedy and I really want to get great at it. I would really like a proper home as I live in squalor with disgusting boys and one day I would really like to wake up to the sound of birds singing and not someone masturbating in the shower. And I would also like a little dog.

HARRIET KEMSLEY IS SOON TO BE PERFORMING HER DEBUT SHOW ‘PUPPY FAT’ AT VARIOUS VENUES ACROSS THE COUNTRY

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH…

Posted in: Comedians, Seven Questions With... Tagged: British Comedy, Comedy, Harriet Kemsley, Interview, Seven Questions With

A Guide To Edinburgh 2015

August 7, 2015 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment
That time of year is upon us once more; thousands of performers, reviewers and audience members are preparing to visit the holy grail of comedy that is the Edinburgh Festival. Here is a quick run through of everything MoodyComedy would be attending if only I could get there this year. Do get in touch if you attend any of these shows, or see something else that you think should be featured. You can also catch up with the past week’s exclusive MoodyComedy interviews.

Stuff That’s Gold

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Katherine Ryan

Katherine Ryan is performing her latest show, Kathbum, currently riding high on her phenomenal rise to fame in recent years and showing no signs of stopping any time soon. With every new show, Katherine only increases in her wisdom, experience and cutting sass, similar to that of Irish charmer Aisling Bea who brings her second show, Plan Bea, to the festival. Another name to watch out for is that of Luisa Omielan, who will perform a very limited run of her second show Am I Right Ladies?!. Omielan is a performer that cares about her audience to an extent I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed before: her show is empowering, lively and not to be missed.

James Acaster presents another whacky hour of surreal yet surprisingly dramatic story-telling stand up in his show Represent and Joe Lycett returns, with possibly the best show title of the year: That’s The Way, A-Ha A-Ha, Joe Lycett. And it would frankly be a mistake to miss out on seeing Bridget Christie‘s latest show, A Book For Her, which sees the launch of her debut novel, and showcases her trademark blend of feminism and spectacular comedy.

Stuff That’s Odd

Tony Law, the king of surreal comedy, is performing his new show Frillemorphesis where he explores ideas such as shouting, moving and talking, absolutely standard. A live show from the Tone Zone is an opportunity not to be missed, or forgotten in a hurry, and his being in this category is by no means a suggestion that this show will not also be Gold.

Shouty extraordinaire Bobby Mair brings another dark and bitterly funny show off the back of his recent television successes, entitled Filthy Immigrant; Tom Allen performs Both Worlds with his signature sinister calm and endearing flamboyance and Harriet Kemsley, who spent the first part of this year supporting Katherine Ryan on tour, also performs her debut hour, Puppy Fat, which has got the critics excited. If you like a bit of audience interaction, Jonny Awsum’s show Everything Is Awsum will be another unforgettable experience, as will Patrick Monahan’s seventies-inspired show The Disco Years.

Stuff That’s Free

Now any Edinburgh Festival-goer will be able to tell you that ticket price does not necessarily dictate quality; free shows are on the rise as they are a great way of ensuring the trip is more affordable for comedians and fans alike. There are some real gems performing shows this year that rely on kind donations alone.

lou

Lou Sanders

Rob Auton has prepared another delightfully off-kilter, poetical concept show entitled The Water Show where he considers everything surrounding the theme of water, much like his previous shows which have centred around themes such as Yellow, Sky and Face. Elf Lyons‘ Being Barbarella is a high-octane adventure, discussing science fiction, liberation and sharks. This lady is a true one-off, who’s surreal form of comedy is often likened to The Mighty Boosh. And Lou Sanders, being the wonderful shambles of a performer that she is, brings her insane show about her efforts to get accepted into Eton College For Boys, of course entitled: Excuse Me, You’re Sitting On My Penis Again.

Stuart Goldsmith will also be recording episodes of The Comedian’s Comedian Podcast where he interviews everyone that is anyone in the world of comedy, delving deep into the psyche of the performer and having many laughs in the process. The line up for this year is stellar and although the recordings are free to attend and non-ticketed, the venue will undoubtedly fill up quickly on the night so plan ahead.

You can purchase tickets for all shows mentioned on the Edinburgh Festival website.

READ EDINBURGH PREVIEWS HERE

Posted in: Comedians, Edinburgh, News Tagged: Aisling Bea, Bobby Mair, Bridget Christie, Edinburgh Festival, Elf Lyons, Harriet Kemsley, James Acaster, Joe Lycett, Jonny Awsum, Katherine Ryan, Lou Sanders, Luisa Omielan, Patrick Monahan, Rob Auton, Stuart Goldsmith, Tom Allen, Tony Law

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