GIVEN the current political climate, with a general election looming and an economic and social crisis, it might seem there isn’t much to laugh about.
However, political comedian Nish Kumar begs to differ as his new show Nish, Don’t Kill My Vibe will tackle everything from income inequality to the climate collapse.
“I’m pathologically incapable of talking about anything else,” he admits.
“Part of the reason the show got its name and part of the driving force behind it is this man saw me in the street in London and then tweeted me and it said, ‘I saw @MrNishKumar in the street in London today’ – and what he’d seen me do was scream about the Conservative government whilst on the phone to my brother.
“He said, ‘it turns out it’s not a character’ – which I think is very funny. There’s very little persona with me, I’m sorry to say it is just this all the time.”
But being himself seems to have worked out pretty well for Nish as he has become one of the biggest draws on the comedy circuit.
“My career is just a hobby that got out of hand,” he jokes.
With two Edinburgh Comedy Award nominations to his name and countless appearances on TV comedy panel shows such as 8 Out of 10 Cats, QI, Have I Got News For You and hosting BBC’s satirical news show The Mash Report from 2017-2021, Nish has established himself as a popular political comedian.
I did the Ulster Hall last time and somebody told me it’s the first place Led Zeppelin played Stairway to Heaven, which is quite funny and specific
— Nish Kumar
“I’ve always had an interest in politics, and I thought it would be nice to be able to do comedy about it because I grew up on the Jon Stewart Daily Show, Chris Morris and all these kinds of people.
“So, I think it was always the sort of stand up I wanted to do because it’s the kind of stand up that I grew up enjoying.”
However, as is the case for many comics, it can be difficult to straddle the line between humour and offence, particularly when it comes to politics.
“I’ve had all sorts of things happen to me,” he confesses.
“A guy actually unplugged my microphone at one point because he was so angry about my set. He went to the tech booth and worked out which lead was plugged into my microphone and unplugged it.
“I was surprised he knew which was the right one but maybe I just upset a very technically savvy man.”
However, for the most part Nish’s comedy appears to unite his audiences rather than divide them.
“The whole thing is supposed to feel cathartic for me and the audience, because I’m talking about things that the people who come to see me are thinking about all the time anyway.
“You hope that the function it serves is like a moment’s relief for everybody where you can talk about these things in a way that’s funny but doesn’t necessarily undermine the seriousness of them. Which hopefully gives everyone a bit of a break...”
One of the things that I’ve found doing gigs, particularly in Dublin in the last few years, is that Irish people are finding what’s going on in Westminster very funny – and they are correct to do so
— Nish Kumar
While Nish doesn’t tend to adapt his show for different cities, he is aware that a few tweaks may be necessary when it comes to his Belfast and Dublin shows.
“If you’re a British political comedian doing a gig in Ireland you have to engage with the idea that these are not British people governed by Westminster so some awareness of what’s going on in Irish politics is always useful,” he explains.
“One of the things that I’ve found doing gigs, particularly in Dublin in the last few years, is that Irish people are finding what’s going on in Westminster very funny – and they are correct to do so.
“You have historically earned the right to find the slow decline of the British government and Conservative party in particular, deeply funny.”
“Gigging in Belfast is weird because in Dublin they find it hilarious but in Belfast, where it’s more directly affected by the mania of Westminster, there’s a slight sense of, ‘Well, this is funny but we are sort of being dragged into the quagmire.’”
Nish also expresses his excitement to be back performing in Belfast’s Ulster Hall.
@netflix nish kumar's making monopoly a bit more realistic 😂 #nishkumar #netflix
♬ original sound - Netflix
“I did the Ulster Hall last time and somebody told me it’s the first place Led Zeppelin played Stairway to Heaven, which is quite funny and specific,” he says.
“For me it’s the idea that people have come to see me and Led Zeppelin in the same room – these could not be two more different forms of entertainment.”
However, this is not strictly true; on Taskmaster in 2017 Nish, along with fellow comedian Mark Watson, formed ‘The Diverse Stripes’ as part of a task to write a song for a stranger, in this case a lady called Rosalind.
Their catchy tune I’m Always Seeing You (Do Cool Stuff) won them the task and has so far racked up over 650,000 views on YouTube.
“It’s very odd but also very gratifying how often that comes up,” laughs Nish.
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“I think Rosalind was such a key element to the whole thing because she was so unimpressed. She was really good at just sitting stoically through it.
“With Taskmaster a lot of the tasks are things you did without thinking about them and that was seven years ago, so the fact people still want to talk about it is amazing.
“I have no plans to form a band but still always thrilled to talk about it.”
Although Nish doesn’t fancy himself as a musician, he has recently been back dabbling in the world of journalism as he and comedian Josh Widdicombe return to the newsroom for a second series of their show Hold the Front Page.
“We did a great episode in Northern Ireland where we worked for Farming Life, which the editor runs from her house, which was amazing,” he says.
“We also spent a day with the mummers in Fermanagh which was absolutely fascinating - it was real Wicker Man/Midsommar vibes - we had great time.”
However, he ultimately believes comedy is the best fit, career-wise.
“The one thing that can be said for me is I don’t make comedy look easy - I make it look like very hard work. So you would have to agree that effort has been expended. Even if you don’t find the new show funny, you have to agree that I was trying my best.”
