Page 39 - 368649 LP250851 NE Volume Magazine (170mm x 245mm 52pp) November 2022

MARK THOMAS
NEXT NE GIG
Tuesday 29th November
VENUE
The Stand, Newcastle
Comedian and activist Mark Thomas brings his new show ‘Black and White’ to The Stand in Newcastle on Tuesday 29th November. Emma Chesworth spoke to him ahead of his North East date on the topics of politics, books and his love for Newcastle.
Does the current political situation provide ‘inspiration’ for you as a stand-up comedian?
All governments provide inspiration for stand- up comedians. It doesn’t matter who is in power - they are all going to fuck up. And the fact is that they are in power and you are not. I have to say there is a certain delight to be had in the fact that the Tories are endlessly stupid:
they manage to be mundane and stupid at the same time. Currently, whatever was at the bottom of thebarrel,ifyoulookbetween
Do you enjoy writing and performing both theatrical shows and pure stand-up?
I love both. I’m currently working on two theatre shows but I’m ever the jealous performer. If I’m doing stand-up, I think I could be doing a theatre show and vice versa.
Has covid and not being able to perform live for two years renewed your love for stand-up? Without a doubt. Every gig is just a joy and I love it. Each night there are bits that fall out, bits that get put in and improvised parts. It’s a sort of mutating show - and I love it. It’s all about fun but also how we need to have some sort
their toes, that is what you
have currently got. We
have Suella Braverman
wanting to introduce the
‘push back’ scheme in the
Channel to stop asylum
seekers – although the
Royal Navy have said that
cannot be done and it’s
illegal - but Braverman says we
are going to do it and there will
be zero dinghies. It’s not a game of fucking hook-a-duck.
What can people expect from ‘Black and White’?
It is one of those shows that sees me writing new material every day. I have done quite a lot of theatrical shows in my time, and I guess this is me just saying ‘let’s fuck this and let’s have a hoot’. In part, it is because of Covid and not being able to be together. This is very much like we are back in the room and mucking about together: we’re singing songs, having a laugh and being vicious about those people who say they rule us. So, you can expect a laugh, a song and, potentially, an insurrection.
of uprising. I have been doing this for 38 years and doing stand-up again, it’s like ‘I love this. It is really thrilling’. I did a lot of stuff online during covid and I now run a book club online - that came out of lockdown. I tweeted out I was enjoying reading again and from that, I decided to form a book club on Twitter. It’s great and it pushes you in directions you wouldn’t normally go. On the road, I read a lot and feel a bit lonely if I don’t have a book. You are never alone if you
have a good book.
Do you enjoy coming to Newcastle to perform?
I love Newcastle. It is a city that endlessly gives - you endlessly discover new things. It really is a beautiful place. For me, there are certain places you go to where you have to do well and those include Sheffield, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and Newcastle. They are special places with special audiences and if you don’t do well, you should just stop.
Mark Thomas heads to The Stand, Newcastle on Tuesday 29th November. Tickets, priced from £10.00, are available from thestand.co.uk.
“All governments provide inspiration for stand-up comedians“
Bri Focals I N T E R V I E W // N E V O L U M E M A G A Z I N E // 3 9