20 Young Australian Comedians You Should Know About
The local comedy season's getting started, and the lol-worthy talent is endless.
JOKES LOL! It’s comedy festival time in Australia again — which means you’re about to face a barrage of big-name comics plugging their shows on TV and radio and in streetpress lift-outs, with their faces plastered across taxis, bus stops and on the sides of buses.
But there’s a whole other crop of comedians who you should be paying attention to: these are the one’s who’ll actually be inside the buses, walking up and down the aisles handing out flyers, and pleading with you to see them instead. These are the ones you should spend your money on: they’re just as good as the big names but they’re not famous yet, so they’re cheaper. They’re in smaller venues, so you won’t be trying to pick up nuances from seat 68 in row W.
And they would love your support. Breaking into comedy is really, really tough. Young comics often put their lives on hold and their livelihoods on the line to perform at the comedy festivals, and most of the time for not much money, if any. It’s clearly not a World Vision situation — but if you’re going to see some laffs this year anyway, why not support the up-and-comers?
Here is a (non-exhaustive, and in no particular order) list of twenty locals you should see this festival season — before they get famous.
–
Note: When Perth is announced, we’ll drop those deets in too.
–
David Quirk: Career, Suicide
From: Melbourne
David confronts the darkest parts of his life (and ours, too) with remarkable honesty, and humour. He’ll make you laugh about the time he cheated on his lovely girlfriend, what it’s like being in considerable debt, and paedophilia… He’ll also make you laugh about towels.
You might recognise David from Sam Simmons’s Problems on the ABC. If you like your comedy with a bit of a think, this is for you.
Adelaide Fringe: until March 16 — tickets here
Melbourne Comedy Festival: March 27-April 20 — tickets here
Sydney Comedy Festival: April 29-May 4 — tickets here
–
Anne Edmonds: It’s Eddo!
From: Melbourne
When I was growing up, my Mum had a friend she would always run into at the corner shop or the hairdresser, who would say things I wasn’t meant to hear and make mum laugh and laugh and laugh.
That’s Eddo. She pulls off the impressive feat of being both warm and filthy all at once.
Melbourne Comedy Festival: March 27-April 20 — tickets here
Sydney Comedy Festival: April 30, May 2 & 4 — tickets here
–
Luke Heggie: Bush Week
From: Sydney
If last year’s Best Newcomer-nominated show is anything to go by, Bush Week will be 50 minutes of unrelenting quick-fire short jokes and clever wordplay about the characters and culture that we see each day, but tend to ignore.
Luke Heggie is deadpan. Extremely dry. Very funny.
Canberra Comedy Festival: March 7 & 8 — tickets here
Melbourne Comedy Festival: March 27-April 20 — tickets here
Sydney Comedy Festival: May 13-17 — tickets here
–
Michael Hing: Bildungsroman At 28
From: Sydney
Michael Hing is struggling to figure out the world around him. Trying, desperately, to make sense of it all. It’s manic, but you get lost in it, and ride the wave of highs and lows with him.
Calling his new show a ‘Bildungsroman’ suggests he’s learning about life at 28 instead of 16. On this occasion, he’s learning about love.
Brisbane Comedy Festival: until March 9 — tickets here
Melbourne Comedy Festival: March 27-April 20 — tickets here
Sydney Comedy Festival: May 14-17 — tickets here
–
Zoe Coombs Marr: Dave
From: Sydney
Zoe’s character Dave is something I cannot wait to see this year. Dave parodies everything that is wrong with the worst of Australian comedy. The show had a short run last year at a venue in Northcote in Melbourne, and it picked up brilliant reviews and a whole lot of buzz. This year she’s doing 11 shows at The Tuxedo Cat in Melbourne, and there’s just no way I’m missing it again.
Melbourne Comedy Festival: April 10-20 — tickets here
–
Nick Cody: Here’s Trouble
From: Melbourne
If you are a friend of reason and logic, you’ll love Nick. Actually, his show is also for fans of budgies and cage fighting. He will tell you an out-of-this-world story about entertaining the troops in Afghanistan, or about his trip to Vegas with his dad, or about a run in with a bear — and he’ll reason with you until everything seems to make sense.
Brisbane Comedy Festival: until March 9 — tickets here
Melbourne Comedy Festival: March 27-April 20 — tickets here
Sydney Comedy Festival: May 8-11 — tickets here
–
Steen Raskopoulos: I’m Wearing Two Suits Because I Mean Business
From: Sydney
There seems to be a never-ending supply of people standing on stage with a microphone and a stool; Steen’s show is a refreshing alternative. His character creations range from an adorable schoolboy missing his dad to a Greek Orthodox priest singing film reviews, somehow woven together into a show that never feels disconnected.
But don’t take my word for it: last year he was nominated for the prize of Best Newcomer in Melbourne, and won it in Sydney.
Melbourne Comedy Festival: March 27-April 20 — tickets here
Sydney Comedy Festival: May 13-18 — tickets here
–
Tommy Dassalo: Dreamboat
From: Melbourne
Tommy is a fantastic storyteller with a massive heart. He mines his personal history for the fuck-ups, misfortunes and occasional good news to put together shows about life never quite going right.
On top of that, his poster features him almost naked in a sailors hat, sucking his finger. So, it’s a must see.
Brisbane Comedy Festival: until March 9 — tickets here
Melbourne Comedy Festival: March 27-April 20 — tickets here
Sydney Comedy Festival: May 10 & 11 — tickets here
–
Veronica Milsom: Do Not Irony
From: Sydney
You may have seen Veronica on Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell. Or you might have heard her on triple j, if you were awake before 10am on weekends last year. She’s left that job now (full disclosure: to me) to spend more time on comedy, and put together her debut one-woman show of outlandish characters and surreal humour.
I can’t wait.
Melbourne Comedy Festival: March 27, April 3, 9-11 and 16-20 — tickets here
Sydney Comedy Festival: May 6, 8 & 10 — tickets here
–
Cam Knight: 100 Percenter
From: Sydney
Cam Knight has puppy dog-levels of energy; you’ll walk out of this show wondering where the time went. His stories are fast and bright and high paced and full of laughs — and he seems to have really hit a stride that people are loving.
Melbourne Comedy Festival: March 27-April 20 — tickets here
Sydney Comedy Festival: May 1-3 — tickets here
–
Karl Chandler: Karl Chandler’s Got Talent!
From: Melbourne
Karl Chandler is a joke craftsman. He works behind the scenes on shows like Spicks and Specks and This Week Live to make them funnier, and usually during festival season, he puts together an hour of the best one liners he’s got.
This year is different, though: he has a story to tell you. Karl went on Australia’s Got Talent, and as he puts it, “It didn’t go well. It’s a pretty funny story, though.”
Melbourne Comedy Festival: March 27-April 20 — tickets here
Sydney Comedy Festival: May 10 & 11 — tickets here
–
Bart Freebairn: Double Happiness
From: Melbourne
Some people find the LOLs in the stuff around them, the things we are all thinking. Freebairn is not one of those people. He’ll have you in fits because of something you have never even thought of before. He’ll start talking about public transport and suddenly be onto rainbow sky kittens or something. I love the escape into absurdity.
Melbourne Comedy Festival: March 26-April 20 — tickets here
–
Demi Lardner: Limbless Cagefighter / The Comedy Zone
From: Adelaide
Lardner won Raw Comedy last year, for her mix of awkward story telling and absurd twists. She’s performing her own show in her hometown of Adelaide, and she’s also part of The Comedy Zone in Melbourne — which is like a halfway house for young and emerging comics on their way to big things.
Adelaide Fringe: until March 16 — tickets here
Melbourne Comedy Festival: March 27-April 20 — tickets here
–
Aaron Chen: Break Out Comedy / The Comedy Zone
From: Sydney
Chen is brand new on the comedy circuit, but already well on his way to mastering the skill. He has well-crafted jokes that come at you in total deadpan. It is truly amazing how well he is doing for someone still in school — which I imagine he is sick of hearing, but it’s true.
Brisbane Comedy Festival: March 18-23 — tickets here
Melbourne Comedy Festival: March 27-April 20 — tickets here
–
Harley Breen: The Secret To Being Awesome
From: Melbourne
“How did my life choices lead me to this?” If that is your mantra, then Breen is for you. His stories are about the shit hitting the fan, and then him being there to clean it all up. He is your classic Aussie gentleman: kind and fair-minded, but also filthy. If you want to see the joy in life, if you don’t like assholes, if you love a good beard: go see Harley.
Brisbane Comedy Festival: March 11-16 — tickets here
Melbourne Comedy Festival: March 27-April 20 — tickets here
–
Rhys Nicholson: Eurgh
From: Sydney
First, I must declare an interest in Rhys Nicholson. I am very interested in fact, because he is my boyfriend. But if you’re a fan of acid-tongued filth, then this is for you. It’s edgy and classy and you should see it, because it means he can buy me presents.
Brisbane Comedy Festival: until March 9 — tickets here
Melbourne Comedy Festival: March 27-April 20 — tickets here
Sydney Comedy Festival: May 6, 8-10 & 14-17 — tickets here
–
Genevieve Fricker: The Pineapple
From: Sydney
Fricker mixes stand-up with abrupt and filthy storytelling and off beat songs on her electric guitar. She can be so sweet and adorable, and then sing you a song about murdering an ex or tell you about the time her mother became her very own bikini wax, er… “technician”. You won’t see it coming, and you’ll love it.
Melbourne Comedy Festival: March 26-April 7 — tickets here
Sydney Comedy Festival: May 13-17 — tickets here
–
Damien Power: Keit
From: Brisbane
Nominated for Best Newcomer in the Melbourne Comedy Festival last year, Damien’s trying to understand the injustices of the world, the powerful and the rich, and somehow find his place in that. If you like politically-charged comedy, you’ll love Damien.
Brisbane Comedy Festival: March 18-23 — tickets here
Melbourne Comedy Festival: March 27-April 20 — tickets here
Sydney Comedy Festival: May 6-11 — tickets here
–
Tien Tran: If You Don’t Know, Now You Know
From: Perth
I don’t know what it is about Perth, but it keeps throwing up new and impressive talent in music and comedy year-in and year-out. Tien’s so relaxed on stage; you feel like nothing can go wrong while he’s on the mic. He’s been kicking around in comedy clubs for a few years, and now he’s stepping it up with a full show of his own.
Melbourne Comedy Festival: March 27-April 20 — tickets here
Sydney Comedy Festival: May 6-9 — tickets here
–
Jack Druce: Adventure Peach
From: Melbourne
If you like classic stand-up comedy, then Druce has what you’re after. He’s a young gun in a long line of storytellers. He gets incredulous at things you might not have thought about, and argues against the status quo.
Adelaide Fringe: until March 11 — tickets here
Melbourne Comedy Festival: March 31, April 7-20 — tickets here
Sydney Comedy Festival: May 15 & 17 — tickets here
–
Kyran Wheatley was born in Perth and moved to Sydney. His other achievements include being a presenter for triple j, hosting numerous podcasts of varying success, and having a Twitter account that is his actual name.