We want Blackpool to be the northern Edinburgh Fringe say Blackpool Comedy Festival act Black Liver
Take a look at our exclusive chat with one of the talented comedy acts taking part in the Blackpool Comedy Festival this year.
This week, the official launch of Blackpool Comedy Festival was held at the Comedy Station Comedy Club in the town centre, ahead of the festival’s arrival at the end of the month.
Performing at the launch was comedy duo Black Liver - so called because it consists of Rith Cockburn from Blackpool and her partner Keith Carter from Liverpool.
After the duo performed a few musical comical numbers for the crowd, they sat down for a chat with us to talk about the Blackpool Comedy Festival, including their part in it and what they hope it will mean for the future of comedy in the town...
Can you describe what event we’ve been at today?
Ruth: “Well, today we've been in the Blackpool Comedy Station venue, which is a comedy club that I actually opened, I was one of the first people on this stage.”
Keith: “Really?!”
Ruth: “Anyway, today we've been talking about all the different things that are going to be happening at Blackpool Comedy Festival, which is starting on the 24th of May, right through till the 1st of June.
“We're doing some stuff down at South Shore at the beginning of the festival and then we're closing the festival with our show, Black Liver’s Game Show Show at the Grand Theatre in the studio.”
Can you explain what that show is for people who don’t know?
Ruth: “This show has been commissioned by Showtown.”
Keith: “Yes. Go on.”
Ruth: “And what is it? What's the show?”
Keith: “Well, you might as well carry on. You were on one.”
Ruth: “I was on one, right. It was commissioned by Showtown Museum, and it was a Funny Bones residency.”
Keith: “See, I would never have said any of that.
Ruth: “And it's a game show where...”
Keith: “I would have said that bit.
Ruth: “You learn about Blackpool and Liverpool and some other parts of the country.”
Keith: “But is it the strange, strange things that you learn through the questions. Strange little facts that a lot of people don't know about their own town. Things based on mysticism, gossip, and strange stories all mixed in and we're going to have guest stars in it.I don't want to drop any hints but it could be a certain lead singer of Frankie Goes to Hollywood. He could be turning up, you never know. He could be turning up in puppet form and then we've also got- who else have we got?
Ruth: “We've got ‘yoohoo’”
Keith: “Oh, yeah, we've also got a certain man, Timothee Chalamet. He might be turning up, again, maybe in puppet form but they're there.”
Ruth: “And also, people get the chance to be contestants in this game show.”
Keith: “Well, they're actually going to be team members for Ruth and team members for me and so we're going to compete against each other-”
Ruth: “-to win the show-off trophy. So the show was on last year. It was on at the Winter Garden last year and this year, we're bringing it to the Grand.”
Keith: “So we've got loads of songs, sketches in the middle of it and all that. I will be playing my wine glasses, of course, due to popular demand, I will be bringing back my wine glass forte.”
Ruth: “It brings a tear to my eye, it really does.”
Keith: “And to the mouth.”
Ruth: “And also, find us on social media and you will get the chance to be a contestant in that show.”
The start of the festival is just under a month away now so how are you feeling?
Ruth: “Oh, excited! It's going to be great fun.”
Keith: “Yeah. I usually can't contain my excitement. Ever.”
Ruth: "Right now, you're managing?
Keith: “No, I'm still quite excited. When I'm not excited, I’m asleep”
Ruth: “That's true, yeah.
Keith: And even then I'm dreaming of exciting dreams.”
Ruth: Yeah, it's going to be a good fun time.
Ruth, you're from Blackpool so how does it feel to have such a huge comedy festival in your hometown?
Ruth: “Oh, it's essential. We've got to build this festival to great heights because I saw, I learned about comedy in Blackpool, I was a child watching the summer season shows. Working at the Grand Theatre was one of my first ever jobs… tearing tickets as a volunteer when I was like 14/15. It's really nice to have that kind of.. cyclical nature of life, coming back and doing shows there now, being part of the summer season.”
Ruth then stops to laugh as she notices Keith is ‘asleep’.
Keith: “Sorry, I've stopped being excited. I wasn't bored of what you're saying. I was just sort of…”
Ruth: “The cyclical nature of your energy?”
Keith: “Yeah, well, I get excited and then get tired.I got over-excited about doing the launch today and now I think I need a nap because I'm getting cross.I need something to eat… snd then I'll have a little nap.”
I don't want to get you too excited, but are are you particularly excited to see any of the other performers at the festival?
Kieth: “We know most of them.”
Ruth: “Yeah, the comedy world is quite a small circuit and it's really nice to get to see people. Hayley Ellis, who's compering the Winter Gardens show, she's brilliant and I'm so chuffed to see her.”
Keith: “Yeah, she's very nice. I like Hayley.”
Why should people get tickets to see your show at the festival?
Ruth: “Because it's the best.
Keith: “Well, actually - my stomach just made a noise then.Did you hear that? That's because, right, I was excited, I couldn't eat anything this morning, and now, I'm getting the stomach rumbles which means I'm going to get angry. You can actually watch that! Come and pay tickets and I'll deliberately not eat before the show som I get angry halfway through, cause problems, probably punch someone - usually myself because I'm into just hurting myself, really, I'm quite self-destructive.”
Ruth: “No, you're not.”
Keith: “All right, I'm not. Come to see the show because it's quite unique, actually because if people say ‘am I just going to sit there and watch people answer questions’, no. you're not because you're going to be part of the show as well. Everybody's part of the show, even though you might not be the contestants on the stage being humiliated and enjoying ourself, you can be in the audience and still be a member of the team and win some fabulous, fabulous prizes.
Ruth: “Oh yeah, there's prizes to be won.”
Keith: “So, you're not really paying for a ticket, you're actually going to get a free gift.”
Ruth: “And every show is unique because we work and play with the audience.
Keith: “Yeah.there's a lot of out of ad-libbing,there's a lot of messing about. Don't think you have to be part of the show.You can come and enjoy yourself because I hate being involved. Everybody goes ‘hey, where do you come from?’, ‘I just want to -’, ‘hey, what do you do for a living?’, ‘oh, I' run my own business, mind your own business.’ You know what I mean? So, you can just sit there and enjoy yourself.”
Ruth: “Whereas I like being involved , I like it to be about me.”
Finally, is there anything you want to say to the people of Lancashire ahead of the festival?
Ruth: “I want to say that it is a privilege to be part of such a great festival and we are both very proud to be from the Northwest.”
Keith: “Yeah, we want Blackpool Festival to be the start of something that really, when people go to Edinburgh, for example, when a lot of comics go to Edinburgh, they get to do their shows, their previews and stuff like that and there's nowhere in the north, really, that gives them a chance. Hopefully, the Blackpool Festival will get bigger, we get more comics coming in to preview the shows before they go to Edinburgh, rather than having to travel all the way down to the South. They take it to the Leicester Comedy Festival, which is a brilliant festival, but it did the same thing , it was a grassroots festival that's now the place you have to go to preview your shows before Edinburgh. A lot of northern comics or even Midlands-based comics can't get to Leicester. Let's get them to Blackpool.”
Ruth: “Let’s builds the empire!
Keith: “Yeah, you've got loads of great venues here, brilliant audiences, just try your stuff out and also, you can do it on the way up from London, get to Blackpool, do your show, get on to Edinburgh. Further north you go, the funnier it becomes- there you go, there's a statement.”
You can buy tickets to the Black Liver’s Game Show Show here.