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