Outspoken Australian comedy legend Steve Hughes is returning to Ireland with his first full length show in six years. A world class comedy performer and former thrash metal drummer, Steve is known the globe over for his hard hitting, take no prisoners stand up. Having lived here back in 1999 Steve is no stranger to Ireland or indeed Galway, where some of his Roisin Dubh appearances achieved heights other comedians can only dream of.
Yearning for a career where women want you and men want to be you, Steve spent his formative years in Australia as a heavy metal drummer. A chain smoking, beer swilling, plain talking Australian, somehow, he is now widely regarded as one of the most esteemed and exciting stand ups in the world. While comfortable operating in the realms of such familiar subjects as drugs and sex his real passion is the topical, political and intellectual – delivered in a frequently provocative manner. Operating on many levels, Steve's eloquently argued points are always passionate and delivered with blistering conviction.
Internationally renowned as a comedy powerhouse, Steve has spent the past five years confronting his demons, recovering from a crippling breakdown and severe depression. He is lucky to be alive, let alone funny. But when your life turns to hell there has to be a few laughs in there somewhere. Having been to the abyss, he now returns better – and more lucid than ever before.
Anyone who is a fan of Hughes knows that his music and comedy are inextricably linked. He coined the phrase ‘Heavy Metal Comedy’ and his humour is deeply rooted in metal lyrics. He frequently riffs on tyranny, oppression, globalism and may well make you re-examine everything you have ever thought about conspiracy theories. His recent debut solo EP ‘Alone but for the breath of beasts’ features striking artwork showing Hughes with a demonic hand on his shoulder. He explains the concept. “It’s holding up that mirror to society and to ourselves. The idea comes from my mental breakdown and realising that the false self has been in charge for too long. Pandering to what people what from me, from us. You might think you’re in control but it’s the ego, the demon, that’s steering the ship and you have to take control back, otherwise you’re just headed for disaster.”
Steve’s new show ‘Are You Serious?’ showcases him at his free-thinking, intelligent, opinionated best. He continues to make the uncomfortable acceptable and the horrifying hilarious. Steve spoke to Forte magazine in Australia recently about the process of writing his new show. "I’m going to approach it from all those angles: feminism and the LGBT’s and political correctness and people running around thinking they can close everybody down for talking because you don’t agree with them.
"I mean, we had the militant vegans chaining themselves to trams yesterday in Melbourne. They’ve turned vegans into vigilantes. Jesus Christ, these people were sitting around drinking spirulina and eating tofu and now they’ve all gone militant. Hippies might have always been outliers, but they certainly didn’t form vigilante groups when I was growing up. They just sat in the bush and played bongos and ate salad… and took a lot of drugs. They’ve turned everybody into a victim group, haven’t they? They’ve armed them with the flaming torch of vengeance against the evil white man. So, I’m like, well, we can’t have this, this is ridiculous.
"Funny thing is, I’ve always been a kind of lefty my whole life. I never cared if you were gay or from another race. But now people have gone mental. So, they have to have some jokes written about them because I know they get very upset about jokes… Which really, they shouldn’t be. So yeah, we’ll be tackling that lot."
He brings laid-back, effortless charm and caustic anti-establishment humour from a truly unique viewpoint. This is the best chance to catch a masterful, erudite and provocative performer as he makes his highly-anticipated return to the stage.
Catch Steve Hughes’ full show : Are You serious? at Roisin Dubh on Sunday October 24. He also headlines a mixed bill show along with Glenn Wool, Enya Martin, Leo Kearse and Danny O’Brien in The Black Box Theatre on Saturday October 23. Tickets from www.galwaycomedyfestival.ie and the Ticket Desk at OMG Shop Street
Galmont Galas - Ed Byrne and Colin Murphy just added
This October Bank Holiday weekend sees the Galmont Hotel hosting some of the biggest gigs of the Galway Comedy Festival. Over three nights from Friday 22 to Sunday 24, some of the finest minds in comedy will bring their best material to the city centre hotel ballroom. The lineups are as usual for this festival staggeringly good and with the just announced addition of Colin Murphy to Friday’s bill and Ed Byrne to Saturday, these shows have gone from highly desirable to simply unmissable. Loveable Northern rogue, Colin Murphy is as close as you can get to a sure fire festival banker. An experienced, reliable comic with a fluid, mesmerising style and a sizeable bank of anecdotes and observations that never fail.
Another keen observer of the foibles of human nature is Ed Byrne. A relatively rare visitor to these shores having found major success in the UK, Ed is a regular panellist on shows like Mock the Week and Have I Got News for You and has made several hugely memorable appearances on the Graham Norton Show. His solo show at this year’s festival is already sold out (at 60 per cent cap - so watch out for restrictions lifting and extra tickets being added ) so this may be your only chance to catch a glimpse of his masterclass in observational comedy.
High flying Sky TV star Deirdre O’ Kane headlines Sunday evening’s gig alongside UK comedy legend Bobby Davro. The appearance of Davro is a real scoop for the festival. He is a one man joke machine and effortless entertainer who should not be missed. They will be joined over the three nights by comedy legends such as Andrew Maxwell, Shaparak Khorsandi, Glenn Wool and Barry Murphy.
With tickets selling very quickly for this year’s somewhat understandably more compact festival, it would be wise to book now for what will surely be three of the standout gigs of the week.
Tickets and information from www.galwaycomedyfestival.ie and the ticket desk at OMG Shop Street
Stack back by popular demand
Playboy of the Wild Atlantic Way – The Stack is Back in Galway’s West End.
The self-styled Playboy of the Wild Atlantic Way, Aindrias De Staic is back. After two years without a gig in Galway it appears that audiences cannot get enough of this local legend. With his Friday night show and Saturday bus tour now fully sold out, an extra show has been added on Sunday night in the Crane bar.
Aindrias Stack is the eclectic elusive small-town seanchaí who, armed with his fiddle and foot tapping rhythm fuses traditional storytelling with his own contemporary tales. Expect stories, music, myth and magic with a blast of Wild Atlantic Wit.
This is not the first time that Aindrias, a traditional Irish storyteller, has made a dent at an International festival, he has won awards at Edinburgh Festivals and his spoken word piece “the Man from Moogaga” won The Best Radio Comedy at the Celtic Media Awards in 2018.
He has worked all over the world including a role in a musical on London's West End – but now he is back in the real West End of Galway city with an extra show added for the Crane on Sunday night to celebrate his return to the stage.
Hear tall tales and short sceals of a hidden Ireland and of course, the latest and greatest misadventures of Galway’s favourite Bard. Aindrias has won and been nominated for multiple awards throughout his freewheeling vagabond journey.
"The performance is half seanchaí, half shaman, half Fiddler of Dooney with a wallop of Flann O’Brien thrown into the mix." - Phillip Dunne, State.ie Aindraic De Staic : Stack By Popular Demand is at the Crane Bar on Friday October 22 (sold out ) and Sunday October 24. Tickets and information from www.galwaycomedyfestival.ie and the ticket desk at OMG Shop Street.
