The new rock and roll
I am backstage at Leeds where I yelled my way through a quite acceptable 45 minutes of comedy. It wasn’t as good as my Latitude set because the audience were marginally less into me and I didn’t get to scamper around the tent like a escaped lunatic, but it was still pretty fun. Only a few years ago doing stand-up at a festival was an unenviable task; most people would roll up almost by chance and you would have a few minutes to impress them before they drifted away to see Razorlight. And all the time you would be competing against a backbeat of drum and bass and people yelling and all the other noise that makes a festival atmosphere so intoxicating, but rather awkward for one person shouting jokes. In my student days, when I went to festivals every summer, a comedy tent would have been virtually an afterthought if it existed at all.
Nowadays people come specifically to see certain comedians or at the very least have a taste for the whole thing. I’ve often bemoaned the way that shows like Mock The Week have affected my confidence and done a disservice to certain aspects of stand-up, but it would be hard to dispute the fact that MtW and similar programmes have contributed to the gratifying fact that comedy is now hugely popular and unites large groups of people as music always has done. As I speak, my constant counterpart and slight cause of paranoia Russell Kane is drawing massive howls of laughter out of about 2,500 people. This is probably the highest recorded level of popularity live comedy has had in this country, at least since the days of Medieval jesters, and a lot of it is down to panel shows. So I really ought to eat my words about TV, at least some of them, and be grateful to be working in an era when people happen to value what I do.
As you know, I personally am such a music fan that it’s hard for me (even as a professional comic) to understand how stand-up can have the same sort of hold on an individual’s emotions. But it certainly does with some people, and at festivals like this, that becomes quite a miraculous thing to behold. Almost twenty years after journalists (wrongly) started saying it, comedy is at last somewhere near being the new rock-and-roll. There are a lot of reasons to be wary of that, but there are reasons to be pretty happy with it, too. Those are my Backstage At Leeds Thoughts.
In a few hours I will watch Pulp and the Strokes standing in a field, and feel just like the 18-year-old me again, except the Strokes hadn’t been invented in those days. And I’ll ponder the fact that at that time I would never seen things panning out quite this well. On that note, by the way, thanks for all the TYSIC comments. I can get back to collating them soon because Edinburgh is over. Perhaps it’s simply that end-of-term feeling that is making me so positive. It’s not really my style, is it?
Posted by Dawn on September 8, 2011
Had great fun watching you at Leeds – that kangaroo, eh? ‘Twas interesting to see the mix of punters for the alternative tent – at least you had good weather on your day so you had the (minor) ego boost that any attendees weren’t just sheltering from the rain
Posted by Laura on September 6, 2011
I was at both Latitude and Leeds, I missed you at the former, but specifically went to see you at Leeds. I admit that I was one of the ones that left halfway through your set (although not until after your wonderfully executed kangaroo joke). I felt bad for leaving at the time and I now feel even worse because you have actually documented that people left. I did make a mental note to go see one of your shows live, and am now trying to convince my friend to go see you when you come to Chester. Also, I searched on youtube for you chasing the child around a theatre (just to check if you were telling the truth) and it turns out it was in Bradford which is my hometown!
Pulp were absolutely amazing. I’m still lost for words.
Posted by Madeleine on August 30, 2011
I always feel bad for not going to more non-music stuff at festivals, but I’m usually racing from tent to tent trying to stick to my “MUST SEE!!!” schedual. It sounds like heaps of fun though, I’m sure you were great!
I think panel shows are great for some comedians who do well with that kind of quick quips, thinking on your feet style of comedy. But for those the format doesn’t suit, one bad/not hilarious preformance on a high rating one can really damage people’s opinion of them, when they might have liked them in a different setting.
I know it’s over but I hope you enjoyed Pulp and The Strokes!!! I saw Jarvis came on with the Strokes and Covered The Cars! What and experience!
Posted by Rachael on August 29, 2011
I was thinking about how popular comedy has gotten the other day too, but I wasn’t sure if I just hadn’t noticed it so much back then. It’s nice to know I haven’t gone mad. I’m glad though because there are some really great comedians around now, and some not so great ones but i’m sure there are people who think they are great anyway.
Posted by Lydia on August 29, 2011
I think panel shows have helped introduce more people to comedy. It was that way for me, because panel shows are constantly on on Friday and Saturday (i.e. babysitting) nights. It was after I started recognising people that I started dragging my friends to shows with me.
I think it makes sense that comedy has the same effect on people as music because it’s the same kind of connection. I think for a lot of people the first thing that they find they have in common is what makes them laugh, so it’s that but on a grander scale. That same sort of all absorbing atmosphere is there. I’m going to stop stating the obvious in a confusing way now, I think.
I like this positivity.
Posted by Misha on August 29, 2011
Knox? Humph has already done telly….
Comedy isn’t so much the “new rock and roll” to my mind, as merelly now on a par. But I am drunk. And exhausted.
Posted by knox on August 28, 2011
Funnily, a friend mentioned today the winner of this year’s best newcomer award, and said he’ll probably be on loads of tv shows now. And my first thought at that was ‘well that’s a shame’ ie that he has to do that to get well-known. I hope the live gig starts to have this sort of power for comedy.
I do very much like the positivity of this blog – as my dad used to say, ‘keep it up’!
Posted by Jen on August 28, 2011
I like this positive vibe…probably because I’ve just got home from a weekend of full on live Beatles tribute music so I’m abit hyped at the min (although I may not be able to hear anything for the next few days..I always end up next to the amps!!!)
I’ve got to agree with you though,I do feel TV panel shows have helped to popularise comedy…although some of the formats do not suit or enable some comedians to show their true skill……like music,however,comedy is always better live!Jx