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Lauren Pattison

Quarantine Questions: Lauren Pattison

April 22, 2020 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment
© Andy Hollingworth

Over four weeks into a minimum six week lockdown in the UK due to the Covid-19 pandemic, now is a time where we need comedy more than ever. Unsurprisingly, it’s also a time where it’s perhaps hardest to find something that’s actually damn funny. MoodyComedy is trying to remedy this.

Lauren Pattison chats to MoodyComedy about her love of reality TV, and her efforts to give herself a break…

What is the first thing you plan on doing once the lockdown is fully lifted?

I want to see my niece and nephew – I’m not sure if they’ll give two shits about seeing me but I miss the daft idiots so much. Weirdly I have no interest in going to the pub – I think they’re gonna be rammed and it’s gonna turn feral very quickly, y’know like the weekend before Christmas when there’s both excitement and the potential for violence buzzing in the air? So I want to continue my journey into the fifteen-year-old I’ve regressed into during this lockdown by going to have a drink outside somewhere with some mates. To clarify, these two things are separate events and I won’t be taking my underage niece and nephew to get hammered in a field.

What’s your current lockdown binge watch?

I’ve been binging Friday Night Dinner from the beginning; it has absolutely been time well spent. I also watched Too Hot To Handle arguably too quickly. Loads of people sneer at reality TV and I’m like, okay Einstein, sorry this is too low brow for you, enjoy reading your encyclopaedia or whatever you’re doing instead.

Has anything made you laugh recently?

Mark Nelson’s videos of homeschooling his son have really been cracking me up. He’s also done an amazing job hosting The Stand’s online gigs. Aunty Donna’s Instagram feed has been making me laugh on a daily basis, without fail. Laura Lexx’s Twitter feed is hilarious regardless of whether we’re in a pandemic or not, but she’s been a much needed source of laughter during this. Also Rob Mulholland is putting out lockdown chats with groups of comics and the feeling of just chatting with my mates again was like being back in a greenroom which is what I’ve missed almost as much as the gigs; we had a right laugh and they’re well worth checking out. Oh, and I got sent a great video of my niece eating a lemon, top stuff.

How are you trying to keep sane at the moment?

I guess I’m trying not to put too much pressure on myself. There’s this worry that I bet I’m not the only creative person has, that if you’re not putting loads of new stuff out online to entertain, then others will think you’re not adapting and you’ll look like a failure. The truth is – this is a weird as fuck time, everyone’s circumstances are gonna be slightly different and you shouldn’t feel bad if you’re not in a position where you can or want to make anything creative. Absolute fair play to those who are, it’s amazing seeing the kind of things people are coming out with but I’m also trying my best to not feel bad if I’m not doing it on the regular. I’m trying to keep doing some of what I was doing before in the sense of being funny and making people laugh on Twitter, in the hope I can keep building a little audience that way and raise a few smiles. Also not every creative thing you do has to be stuff that goes out straight away, I’ve tried to focus on getting a few bits of writing done, things that have been bubbling for a while but I hadn’t had the time to put on a page. I’m really just trying to do what’s best for me, arguably something I should have been doing for ages. Sorry this wasn’t a very funny answer was it, I should have said wanking or something.

What past, current or future projects of yours would you like to draw our attention to?

I have a podcast called Conversations Against Living Miserably. It’s a mental health podcast where we try and tackle everything with as much laughter as possible. I think it’s such an important time for people to be keeping their mental wellbeing in check, and an even more important time to keep smiling and laughing and finding light in the dark, so hopefully this is literally the ideal podcast. It’s the thing I’m most proud of and hopefully I can make more if it gets loads of lovely listens and feedback, no pressure to you all there. I also have my debut show Lady Muck available on NextUp, there’s so much great stuff on there to keep you occupied and the NextUp team are working their arses off to help comics during this. As for the future – I urge you to support your favourite comics after this, come see them live, spread the word, take chances on people who you may not have heard of. I also think when the dust settles after this, it’s a time more than ever to champion the voices of working class performers.

THE QUARANTINE QUESTIONS

Posted in: Interviews, Quarantine Questions Tagged: Conversations Against Living Miserably, Interview, Lady Muck, Lauren Pattison, NextUp, Quarantine Questions

Is Comedy a Londoner’s Game?

September 18, 2018 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

Anyone who knows me knows that I love comedy. I’ve been to countless stand-up shows in Birmingham over the years and a fair few in Cardiff too since starting my degree. But one thing I have never done is see any form of live comedy at a venue in our country’s capital: London. No tour shows, no club nights, no previews in the back of a pub. Zilch. I could give you a whole bunch of reasons, from money considerations to the fact it’s just easier to wait for the comedians to come to me than to scout them out in London. I’ve always intended, one day, to go and experience London’s comedy scene first-hand. But why do I have this intention? What is it that makes the London comedy scene so unlike Birmingham, or Cardiff, and why do I feel like I need to go and experience it?

Suppose it’s a Friday night. You want to see some live comedy in central London, but where to go and who to see? A quick internet search provides a whole host of interesting events. On the night I’m looking at, Stewart Lee is performing his Content Provider show at the Leicester Square Theatre, and Geordie comedian Lauren Pattison is performing Lady Muck at the Soho Theatre (a show which saw her nominated for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards in 2017). Both shows have completely sold out. There are also comedy club nights happening all over this part of the city, from the Comedy Store in Soho, to the 99 Club in Covent Garden. Some comics’ names are even appearing two or three times, as they perform a set at one club, then move straight on to the next (and sometimes the next). There are also shows that start as late as 10-11pm; closer to the finishing time of most comedy gigs across the country than the start.

Lauren Pattison © Andy Hollingworth

There’s clearly a lot of comedy to cram in over the weekend, and certainly high demand for it too. London has a population of almost 9 million people, whereas Birmingham (my home city) comes in lower at around 1.1 million. Cardiff, at the other end of the scale, is home to just under 500,000. So we might assume that the demand for comedy is much lower in Cardiff than in London, but is this all there is to it? Are these comedians flocking in their hundreds just to perform to bigger, more frequent audiences? It may be true that other cities in the UK just don’t have the same demand for stand-up comedy, but I’m curious to find out if this is the main attraction for stand-up comics, or whether there are other factors that make this city such an appealing place to work.

Now, I’ve made it pretty clear that my knowledge of London’s comedy scene is limited. However, I have interviewed countless comedians about their theatre runs, new material nights and club nights in the city. And, after all, writing an article about stand-up comedians working in London, without speaking to any stand-up comedians who have worked in London, is about as useful as writing a dissertation on the social behaviours of ants but spending the whole time only speaking to toddlers about their verdicts on such ant behaviours. I need to ask some comedians first-hand about why they feel drawn to London’s comedy scene, because surely it can’t just be the size of the crowds.

Lauren Pattison moved to London in September 2016. She confided in me at the time: ‘I’m worried moving to London was the wrong thing to do; I’m worried that I’m never going to be in a position financially to leave my day job and just be a comedian.’ (See: ‘Seven Questions With Lauren Pattison’). But since this conversation, Lauren has skyrocketed into the public consciousness. She regularly performs as tour support for the quick-witted Katherine Ryan, and is currently touring her acclaimed show Lady Muck across Australia and New Zealand. It hasn’t been an easy ride, with financial worries understandably playing a big part in the comedian’s struggles to properly settle in London, but her success appears to be increasing by the day. I’m intrigued to know how Lauren is managing to make her move to London financially and creatively viable, so I started by asking her why she moved to London in the first place.

‘I moved to London because I felt a bit stuck in Newcastle,’ Lauren tells me, ‘I was doing alright for myself up North but felt like I didn’t really play anywhere down South – partly because I wasn’t known and partly because the expense of travelling and staying down there for a gig was so high that it would cost a week’s wage for me to go and do an unpaid gig. I had nothing to lose by moving to London (aside from my hopes and dreams).’ It seems that moving somewhere more central, like London, is a way of opening up other parts of the country for Britain’s commuting comics. ‘A lot of places seem to be a bit easier to get to from down here! Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Birmingham are all relatively easy to get to via train and being based down here means it’s much easier and cheaper to get to gigs down South.’

Stephen Bailey © Comedy Central

Stephen Bailey (a stand-up comedian from Manchester who also regularly supports Katherine Ryan on tour, it seems she has good taste) lives and works in London too: ‘I was living in London anyway because of my day job. Then, when I was in a position to leave the office, I kind of just stayed. For me, just breaking into TV, I feel like I need to be here for the meetings, the auditions, the showcases – as it would cost an arm and a leg for me to go back and forth to Manchester as a non-driver.’

Both Stephen and Lauren agree that London is a great place to develop yourself as a comic and potentially get noticed by important industry people. ‘The good thing,’ Stephen tells me, ‘is that you can perform several times, every night of the week, which can arguably help you get better. On the flip side, it’s so oversaturated… you could just be playing to other comics if you don’t know where to look.’ Lauren’s comments back this up: ‘Comics can literally do something every night of the week without having to leave London. It helps you hone your act and you can notch up a lot of gigs in a short space of time, but I think what made me the comic I am is by not just gigging in one place but gigging in different rooms, in different cities with different audiences.’ But just because there might be more opportunities in our capital for hopeful stand-ups, you can’t just move there and expect a career handed to you on a plate. The sheer number of comedians working in London goes to show how much effort needs to be put in to make sure you stand out from the crowd. Not only do you need a clear, original and genuine comic voice, but you need to be savvy about where and when you perform, otherwise you can find yourself out of pocket and performing to smaller crowds than you’d like.

Lauren confirms my suspicions: ‘People tell you, “you can gig every night of the week!”. You soon find out that you can, but none of those gigs are paid and you’re on with twenty other comics and there’s no progression and you’re lucky to have an audience. For me it was about not just saying yes to everything (which is what I usually do) but sussing out which gigs were worth my time and effort. Focusing my energy on the gigs I knew would get me places or swing a tenner my way so I could cover my tube fare soon made me much happier.’

Money is, and I expect always will be, a massive obstacle for comedians working in London. Starting out in comedy is an expensive game anyway, with many continuing to work different jobs in the day and gigging during the evening. The financial aspect was an issue for Lauren (she continued to work as a waitress when she first moved to London), and I suspect she is just one of countless creatives who struggle to make living and working in London financially possible for themselves. ‘I was burning the candle at both ends, working a day job and going straight to a gig after. Yet at the end of the month I was still broke. All my wages were being pumped into affording travel to gigs and trying to cobble together rent.’

And it doesn’t help that some comedy clubs seem to be in no rush to pay comedians for their work. Lauren fills me in: ‘I’ve had nightmares before where I’ve had to chase promoters for months for £50 and you’ve got bills to pay and food to buy and travel to cover to get to another gig. If any other job didn’t pay on time you’d be straight to HR but there isn’t really an HR department in comedy and it’s not unusual to wait nearly two months to be paid.’ Stephen tells a similar story: ‘Good acts that are working the circuit have to quit because they can’t get their payments off promoters. You have to be good at budgeting as most places just pay you as and when they feel like it. I am owed money from December, I’m always chasing payments. The longest I ever had to wait was a year. Jongleurs didn’t pay for ages, kept booking in more gigs then went bust so most comics lost dollar for work done. Not cool.’

Jongleurs announced on the 17th of October 2017 that they were closing down. In a statement, the company said: ‘Every possible effort has been made to keep the company viable, including cash injections of over £200,000 from the director and shareholders since late 2014. Unfortunately there are now no more funds available to inject into the company.’ The closure left many comedians unpaid; some had even racked up a whole year’s worth of gigs that they hadn’t been paid for.

So maybe working in London as a stand-up comic isn’t a plausible reality for many comedians working today. But while working in London can help get you noticed by industry professionals and punters, and will thus inevitably help you to establish yourself as a comedian, it surely isn’t the be all and end all. There are other big cities with a large variety of people making up their comedy audiences. I asked Lauren what she thinks about this prospect, and she felt a similar way: ‘I don’t think London is necessarily the best place to be working as a stand-up comedian for everyone. I think it’s not necessary to move – for example, if I lived Manchester or Birmingham and could drive, I wouldn’t move. Everything would be more accessible via car and living costs would be lower.’ If you want to access areas aside from London, then any city that is relatively central could be a good place to set up camp, opening up cities in the North and the South, whilst avoiding the living costs of the capital.

© Birmingham Glee Club

You may have noticed whilst reading this article that Birmingham is where my heart lies. It’s where I’m from, where I spend the majority of my time, and my favourite city to go and see live comedy in. One quick search of comedy events next Friday night flags up lots of results. Though admittedly not as many as my search of London venues, I still find that Patrick Monahan is performing his show Rewind Selector 90s at Birmingham Glee Club, there’s a Machynlleth Comedy Festival Showcase at the MAC (Midlands Arts Centre), and Dane Baptiste is performing G.O.D. (Gold. Oil. Drugs.) not too far outside of Birmingham at the Leamington Spa Royal Spa Centre, plus more. 

If you want to take advantage of the vast range of opportunities that working as a stand-up in London can bring, are prepared for the potential financial struggles and willing to put the work in, then I’m sure that London can be a wonderful, vibrant place to live and work. One final thing that Lauren says sticks with me, and proves to me once and for all why she has found such great success in recent years: ‘I am beyond pleased I gritted my teeth, kept my head down and ploughed on. Yeah, it can feel harder for sure if you’re less privileged, but rather than sulk about it I’ve always tried to find a way to still make it happen – even if it takes a bit longer and I have to eat noodles for weeks.’ This sums everything up for me: you can make your way in comedy, wherever you’re working, if you have passion and grit (and perhaps a day job on the side). Yes, being based in London can help you to reach more audiences in a shorter time frame, but if you’re not financially able to live in the capital, that’s not the end of your chances of making it big time. London is a place where comedians can gig as much as they like and develop their material and comic voice, but, at the end of the day, there are audiences in every town and city if you’re prepared to root them out. Comedians, the world is your oyster.

This article was originally published in Issue #167 of Quench Magazine, in March 2018.

Posted in: Comedians Tagged: British Comedy, Comedy, Katherine Ryan, Lauren Pattison, London, Stand Up, Stephen Bailey

Lauren Pattison: The Edinburgh Interviews 2018

June 26, 2018 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

© Andy Hollingworth

Who? Lauren Pattison
What? Peachy
Where? Pleasance Courtyard (venue 33)
When? 19:00

Are you prepared for what this year’s Edinburgh Fringe has in store for you?

In a way there’s less pressure because the debut is done, the first one is out the way and now I know more what to expect. But then flip side there’s more pressure to deliver to the same standard as you did last time! I feel like once my show is in a shape I’m happy with, I’ll be able to plough through the month… it’s just getting to that stage that’s the hard part!

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

It very loosely follows on from last year, but it’s in no way a sequel. It’s about my life in the last year, how things took a turn for the better and it’s definitely a more upbeat, positive show. It’s about pushing through and push ups.

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

This year, it’s been the fact I don’t actually want to go back to Edinburgh. The financial strain it puts on an act, and the fact you have to scrimp and save all year to be able to pay for it is just obscene and causes a lot of stress and anxiety. But because of the great run I had last year, I totally get that people WANT me to go back and of course from an audience that’s a huge compliment. I’m flattered that audiences are excited to see more of me, but at the same time at the back of my mind there’s this constant niggle, this worry about money and about not being good enough and letting people down.

Who would most enjoy your show?

Anyone with a sense of humour, who’s not too easily offended, doesn’t mind a few swearsies and is up for a good time. This is also my Tinder bio.

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

YES! Two double acts are on top of my list – Raymond and Mr Timpkins who I’m genuinely excited about and also Harry & Chris who are just joyous. I’m looking forward to debuts from Heidi Regan & Sindhu Vee. Returning shows from last year’s debutantes Tom Houghton and Kwame Asante.

What is your favourite thing about Edinburgh as a city?

Macaroni pies.

What are your plans for after the festival?

I’d like to take some time off as I’ve had an incredibly full on year. Maybe a few days just to chill out, read some books, do sweet fuck all. Oh, and I really REALLY need to learn to drive.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR LAUREN PATTISON: ‘PEACHY’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2018

Posted in: Comedians, Edinburgh, Interviews Tagged: Edinburgh Festival, Lauren Pattison, Peachy, The Edinburgh Interviews, The Edinburgh Interviews 2018

The Edinburgh Interviews 2017: Lauren Pattison

July 22, 2017 by Becca Moody 1 Comment
Lauren Pattison is a stand up comedian from Newcastle and, despite having already supported Katherine Ryan on tour, it is clear that Pattison is on her way to high places. Lauren is confident, humble and extremely likeable and will be performing her debut show Lady Muck at the Pleasance Courtyard throughout August.

1) What excites you most about the Edinburgh Festival?

© Andy Hollingworth

Mainly the fact I can get hammered on gin everyday for a month and nobody even raises an eyebrow because IT’S EDINBURGH. And also that all my friends are, for once, in the same place at the same time. When you’re a comic and your mates are all comics it can sometimes be hard to find time to hang out cause you’re both gigging all the time but in Edinburgh it’s like summer camp and everyone’s there ready to play out.

2) What is your first Edinburgh show about?

My first Edinburgh show is called Lady Muck (I’m debuting this year!) and it’s kind of about breaking up, breaking it down, and piecing together who you are. Basically it’s the story of me moving hundreds of miles from home and getting ghosted from a relationship where I was head over heels, finding myself all alone and realising how much I depend on other people to feel good about myself. So in a quest to become more comfortable in my own skin, I try to work out what I did wrong and embrace my flaws and insecurities in the process. I also try to track him down and hear his side but you’ll have to come to the show to find out how that panned out.

3) Does your comedy attract a certain type of audience?

I’d like to think my comedy is quite inclusive and relatable, so it appeals to a wider range of people, but I think because of my age I do automatically appeal to a younger crowd – but that’s fine by me! Especially young women, I think they seem to like my comedy but again, I am totally cool with that and developing some kind of girl squad following would be great cause I don’t really have many girl mates so maybe I can lure them in with my comedy and force them to be my friends.

4) What is the worst experience you’ve had with Edinburgh accommodation?

Last year I got accommodation for £750 which sounds crazy but that’s actually quite cheap considering it was only about a 20 minute walk into the centre. I normally stay around that area and have paid so much more than that in the past so was thinking wow this is too good to be true! Correct. No internet, no freezer, no microwave, all little things that make your stay JUST A BIT EASIER. The electricity was on the metre which he didn’t tell us and we found out late one evening when we were randomly plunged into darkness. Also had a mouse. AND I accidentally left a make up bag and I messaged the landlord 3 times and he never got back to me. Hope you enjoyed your stolen mascara Declan you knobhead.

5) What is your most treasured memory of your comedy career so far?

Oooh, I think it would be getting to support Katherine Ryan in my hometown at the Tyne Theatre in Newcastle. It was pretty much sold out so there was like 1000+ people in there and it’s a really nice theatre where I’ve seen so much comedy myself and it was one of those ‘pinch me’ moments for definite! It was that moment where I felt like hard work was paying off and where I felt just so excited for the future and to see where all this takes me. I’ll proper treasure that gig forever, no matter what happens with comedy!

6) What show will you definitely be seeing at the festival this year?

Gein’s Family Giftshop! I’ve never been a huge sketch fan but I went to see them in 2015 and they made me hurt from laughing so much; they definitely converted me! Also Colin Cloud who’s like a mentalist, I love all that kind of thing and his shows are consistently amazing so I’ll deffo be there for that. And Shit Faced Shakespeare because any show that condones getting that hammered is right up my street.

7) What do you hope to gain from the Edinburgh Festival this year?

An audience! This is my debut hour so I think it’s a real chance to show who I am and what I can do, and hopefully have my show seen by a whole bunch of people who maybe haven’t seen or heard of me before, but after seeing the show, want to see me again. It’s a bit like my show is one big first date and all I want is for everyone to be dying for a second one the moment they leave. That’s such a good metaphor, god I’m so artsy.

8) What do you imagine your last ever show will be about?

I keep writing stuff about real people, obviously I mix truth and lies and embellish things to try create a version of that person rather than just presenting the real thing, but I think one day I’ll write about someone who doesn’t take it as well as all the others and I’ll get murdered and then I’ll end up featured on a 10-part Netflix series where they explore my tragic death and look through the list of hundreds of suspects as to who it could be.

BOOK TICKETS FOR LAUREN PATTISON: LADY MUCK AT THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2017

Posted in: Comedians, Edinburgh, Interviews Tagged: British Comedy, Comedy, Edinburgh Festival, Interview, Lauren Pattison, The Edinburgh Interviews, The Edinburgh Interviews 2017

Seven Questions With… Lauren Pattison

October 26, 2016 by Becca Moody 1 Comment

lauren-pattison__1451471568_90-193-141-242

© Andy Hollingworth

Lauren Pattison is one of the youngest comedians to have been featured on MoodyComedy, having being named September’s Comedian of the Month, though watching her perform does not leave an impression of inexperience or immaturity. Lauren is a bright and exciting performer who grows in popularity with each passing year, becoming associated with bigger names in the world of comedy as she does so.
I asked Lauren these seven questions to find out more about her…

1) What lead you to stand up comedy at such a young age?

I don’t know, it’s really weird. I wasn’t even an attention seeker or anything, I was dead shy! I just got a bit obsessed with making people laugh. I’ve always enjoyed making people laugh and it’s an addictive little habit to fall into. Less addictive than crack but just as moreish. I think it helps I’ve been brought up on good comedy by my dad! One of my earliest memories is being off sick from school and we watched the Jolly Boys Outing episode of Only Fools & Horses together. So blame him if you don’t like my style, it is all his fault and nothing at all to do with me. I had my first go of stand up when I was 15 because the Youth Theatre I went to every week for drama lessons ran a comedy course for us. I bloody loved it. It was just a bit of a fun but I knew I’d found something I absolutely adored. I felt too young to really do anything else with it other than a couple of performances at my drama group, cause I was too young to get into any clubs or pubs so I decided I’d do something about it when I turned 18. I spent the next couple of years just absolutely devouring comedy, while most girls my age were spending their money on make up and cider I was spending mine on tickets to see comedy. And cider. Sure enough when I turned 18, I tried to get into it, just as a hobby and it’s safe to say it snowballed just a tad.

2) What are you grateful for?

The Boots Meal Deal is a saviour and I am grateful to the Gods that it exists.

But seriously, I’m grateful for having lots of lovely supportive and understanding people around me! For my mam and dad who didn’t kick off when their youngest offspring was like ‘HIYA I WANT TO EMBARK ON A VERY FINANCIALLY UNSTABLE CAREER CHOICE AND I’M ALSO GONNA DROP THE C BOMB IN FRONT OF LOTS OF STRANGERS ON A REGULAR BASIS’ and who come see loads of my gigs and don’t tell me off for swearing and still laugh even though they’ve heard it a million times before and it’s almost definitely not funny anymore.

And to my comedian friends who get messages from me at like stupid o clock in the early hours of the morning like ‘hello I am not good at comedy aren’t I tell me the truth am I wasting my time’ and every time they tell me I am being a nugget and try their best to talk some sense into their favourite little mess of a human. Corry Shaw, Matt Reed, Adam Rowe, Si Beckwith are always good at cheering me up and Sam Gore and Rob Mulholland were my favourite alcohol angels in Edinburgh that kept my spirits metaphorically and literally (aka gin) topped up at all times.

I’m also so grateful for some of the opportunities I’ve had through comedy, literally couldn’t have even dreamed I’d get to do some of the things I’ve done! This all started as just a hobby, a bit of fun, I never would have expected to be on stage in front of 2500 people at Latitude or a theatre full of people doing tour support for Katherine Ryan. I’ll never take anything I get for granted, I’ll always feel so grateful for every cool thing I get to do cause I know how lucky I am to be able to do that for a night instead of working a 12 hour shift on minimum wage!

3) Who would you most like to see right now?

My nephew! He’s ace. I love him to bits. He’s only 5 but I think we are right on each other’s wave length. He tells me I am ‘the best joker’ and that is the highest praise I could want from the only critic who’s opinion I truly care about. He got really upset when I told him I was moving to London and went upstairs to pack a bag then got even more upset and told me he only had ‘3 moneys’ for the train and would someone be able to lend him ‘just 2 more moneys’ so he could come on the train with me and my little heart just BROKE INTO A MILLION TINY PIECES. I miss him loads. And I miss having a little human to take to the cinema to see kids films and eat his sweets when he’s not looking. Now I have to go on my own and look weird and steal other kids sweets.

4) What keeps you awake at night?

EVERYTHING! Mainly worry and comedy and worrying about comedy. I’ve had a lot of sleepless nights since I moved to London! Most people know I’m a massive worrier and I don’t have a whole load of self confidence (if anyone knows where I can get me some of that please email me) and my brain tends to really like to remind me of these things just as I’m snuggly in bed ready to go to sleep.

Recently I haven’t been able to sleep cause – I’m worried moving to London was the wrong thing to do, I’m worried that I’m never going to be able to be in a position financially to leave my day job and just be a comedian, I’m worried I’m going to sleep in, I’m worried that I’m not good enough to be a comic, I’m worried I worry too much, I’m worried where I’m going to get the money from to pay the rent, I’m worried I don’t eat enough vegetables and won’t grow big and strong, I’m worried that I haven’t got enough gigs booked in and I’m going to have to move back home or up my day job hours to full time, I’m worried that I’ll have to give up on my dreams, I’m worried that me with comedy is like when you watch someone really bad audition for X Factor and you wonder who on earth told them they were any good, and everyone is like ‘oh god why is Lauren even bothering to chase comedy when she’s shit at it, that’s so embarrassing.’ My brain is really kind to me at 1am as you can see.

© BBC

© BBC

5) What would you like to do tomorrow?

Sleep! And watch trashy telly. I’m so tired. I think I’ve been burning the candle at both ends since I moved to London, working a day job, gigging almost every night, finishing my Masters, travelling here, there and everywhere and then over the weekend I just got hit like a bus by this illness which has completely taken it out of me, just in time for to go back up North for a busy week of gigs. Good timing Lauren’s immune system, thanks for that. I don’t feel like I’ve had a full day to myself to do nothing in ages so I’d love nothing more than to just wrap myself in my duvet like a little burrito and watch RuPaul’s Drag Race all day with a mountain of snacks. And have a proper princess bath with loads of Snow Fairy from Lush in it so I can smell like candy floss

6) Which comedians inspire you if you ever feel like you’re beginning to lose your love for comedy?

I really look up to Katherine Ryan. I should have included her in the grateful answer – she took a huge chance on me letting me do her tour support. She saw me do 5 minutes in the Funny Women Final and about 7 months later sent me a message like ‘dude how much material you got, wanna open for me in Middlesbrough and Kendal?’ I’d never done a set that long, or anything in front of that many people and it was the best experience. I must have done OK cause she asked me back for some stuff on her next tour too! I feel like things started going good for me from then, so I probably owe a lot to Katherine. If she’s reading this ‘THANK YOU you are incredible and I have the utmost love and respect for you bae.’ She inspires me a lot, like just look at her career! She’s worked hard, she’s a bloody grafter and she’s reaped the rewards. I remember reading in an interview somewhere she was faced with either going back to work full time, or going for comedy and making sure it worked. It was either be poor and hungry or become successful and I think we know which one happened! I can very much resonate with that at the minute, I am definitely poorer and hungrier than I was when I was a bloody student so I have no choice but to become successful or I will probably become a street urchin.

And Chris Ramsey too. I went to see him about 6 years ago in a tiny theatre in Newcastle, the one where I did my drama lessons at. I’d never seen or heard of him before, I was actually there to see Alun Cochrane (soz Chris!) and he totally blew me away, I came out of the gig telling everyone he was gonna be massive. Should have put money on it! I’ve watched him play bigger and bigger venues and really break through and I think cause I’ve watched his career progress he’s a good person for me to look at for inspiration if I’m feeling a bit shitty about comedy cause I’ve watched him work hard and climb the ranks. He’s someone who always just looks like he’s having so much fun and thoroughly enjoying what he’s doing and I find that really lovely and motivating and other nice words that I can’t think of right now cause I’ve just sneezed 6 times in a row and am worried I am about to combust.

7) Do you have any set goals for your future?

I desperately want to go full time with comedy. I’m finding having a day job harder and harder, both for juggling and managing my time, and also just cause the more progress I make with comedy and the cooler gigs I get to do, the harder it is to go back to serving burgers the following day. Customers at my day job never laugh at my jokes as much as they should and that both frustrates and upsets me. I did a lovely gig in London the other week and it went so well and I felt all lovely and tingly which could have been the response from the crowd or the 3 large glasses of rosé I had but either way I felt like a champ, then I got home and set an alarm for the morning to get up and go to normal person work and I could have cried. Again, could have been the burning desperation of wanting to be a comedian and nothing else, or it could have been the 3 large glasses of rosé. I’d love to do that by next summer, ideally before Edinburgh and I think that’s realistic enough!

FOLLOW LAUREN PATTISON ON TWITTER FOR THE LATEST NEWS REGARDING LIVE GIGS

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH…

Posted in: Comedians, Seven Questions With... Tagged: British Comedy, Chris Ramsey, Comedy, Interview, Katherine Ryan, Lauren Pattison, Seven Questions With

September: Comedian Of The Month #32, Lauren Pattison

October 6, 2016 by Becca Moody 2 Comments
Each Comedian of the Month on MoodyComedy is a comic who has never previously featured on the website. Reasons for selection can include various current projects the comedian is involved with, or perhaps recent appearances on television programmes or podcasts. There is no strict criteria however, as Comedian of the Month simply stands as a collection of recommendations, highlighting interesting and original aspects of certain comedians and their work.

Lauren Pattison is a stand up comic and actress from Newcastle who, having began performing at the age of eighteen, is still only in her early twenties yet has made the finals of the Chortle Student award as well as being runner up in 2014’s Funny Women Awards.

With an interest for improv and drama, Pattison is natural in front of an audience in a way that is not overbearing. Perhaps I like her comedy because I feel like her voice represents my own, what with us both being young, female and having a similar founding interest in comedy from a young age; it feels as though we are at similar stages in our lives and one indicator of good comedy is comedy that is relatable but still innovative and surprising.

laurenpattison-1

Lauren Pattison

In the most endearing of ways, this comedian gives the impression that she doesn’t really give a damn. It feels genuine because although there may be nerves involved with live performance, Pattison seems genuinely comfortable in who she is and what she stands for, which is why her comedy seems to be so authentic. She speaks confidently, as though older and with far more years of experience under her belt than she actually has, and in this way Lauren is able to entice an audience in with ease. Her disastrous tales of relationship and university mishaps are unique, yet still relatable; Pattison is easy to listen to and easy to like.

This comic’s writing is of consistently high quality, no surprise perhaps, as she has worked with Katherine Ryan in recent years, supporting her nationwide tours. Down to earth, humble and open about her ambitions and influences, Lauren Pattison has all the tricks of the trade to prepare her for the nationwide success that I have no doubt will unfold over the coming years.

For more information, follow Lauren Pattison on Twitter.

AUGUST COMEDIAN OF THE MONTH
Posted in: Comedian Of The Month, Comedians Tagged: British Comedy, Comedian Of The Month, Comedy, Lauren Pattison
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