Comedy Tent

[cambyman]

From official website

Is there anything that you can tell us about this year’s comedy line up or is it all going to be a surprise?

 

We have 2 ‘Scottish Comedian of the Year’ winners, we have a few comics returning from last year that seemed to have been a hit and have been praised on the Festivals forums. We have a lot more new Scottish acts and also Scotlands ‘God Father of Comedy’ Stu Who! The big names are still waiting to be confirmed.

Who do we think it is then?

[Paul ™]

Full interview with Brett, who is in charge of booking the comedy

RockNess prides itself on bringing an eclectic line up to the festival, and after the huge success of Kevin Bridges and the comedy line up in 2010 we welcome back Brett to bring some more laughter to RockNess 2011! We caught up with him to see how things are shaping up.....

What is your job role at RockNess?

I’m booking the comedy tent

Why do you think it is so important to have other elements to a festival apart from the music?

Like comedy, music is subjective so you may LOVE dance music but you may HATE Folk-Emo for example, so it is really important to have other elements at a festival so you have the opportunity and variety to do and see things you would not normally do.

What did you think of Kevin Bridges performance last year when he packed the arena to the rafters?

Kevin is a good friend and when I booked him for RockNess last year I knew he was blowing up in Scotland but even that didn’t prepare me for the 8000-9000 people hanging on his every word at last year’s festival! He is a fantastic bloke and born star. Good on him – he deserves everything he gets!

What do you think is the hardest thing about booking comedy on a festival and is it different booking a comedy festival line up than that of a venue?

A lot of the bigger comedians hate camping, travelling, rain, mud, putting up tents, festivals basically. So it is really difficult to get the ‘Big Name’ act you want without paying an arm and a leg. Also so many new acts want to play the festivals but a festival crowd is a lot tougher than a comedy club crowd as people have paid to come see music not comedy so you have to be at the top of your game to keep the punters amused and not get heckled off!

What do you think comedy brings to the festival?

Comedy is one of the best ways to relax at a festival – it’s not strenuous, you can lay back and just listen, no dancing, no hangover, And who doesn’t like a laugh?

Is there anything that you can tell us about this year’s comedy line up or is it all going to be a surprise?

We have 2 ‘Scottish Comedian of the Year’ winners, we have a few comics returning from last year that seemed to have been a hit and have been praised on the Festivals forums. We have a lot more new Scottish acts and also Scotlands ‘God Father of Comedy’ Stu Who! The big names are still waiting to be confirmed.

What advice would you give to the RockNess festival punters?

Make sure you come and find me behind the comedy tent and bring me weed. I will be flying up so will have no way to bring any with me. I’m happy to pay. (JOKE)

How did you get into your job?

My Brother Andre is a comedian and will be hosting one of the days this year at RockNess – You can blame him. I was a DJ before I gave it all up and went into comedy. I used to DJ all the big parties at the Edinburgh festival and have been a fan of stand-up comedy since I was 15 but I was 21 when I first got paid to produce, book or promote shows. That seems so long ago now.

What advice would you give to anyone who wants to work in the comedy industry behind the scenes?

Make sure you keep going back to the Edinburgh festival year after year. I started off on an awful salary, I worked all the hours god sent and had the passion to stay in the game and take the rubbish wages at first and work at it – go and see as much comedy as you can and make as many friends as you can.

What makes RockNess so special?

The chance for people to get messy with Nessy!

*RockNess does in no way condone drug taking in any form. The opinions above are that of the person who has written it.

[Kowalski]

Scotlands ‘God Father of Comedy’ Stu Who!

[lividihard]

stu who http://www.comedycv.co.uk/stuwho/index.htm