Fresh from hosting the Comedy Arena at Electric Picnic, Adam Burke arrives in Galway having been at the heart of the comedy scene in Ireland for over 15 years. The mastermind behind Bray Comedy Festival, host for hugely successful Bingo Loco and the man behind Hardy Har comedy club at the Harbour Bar, Adam has graced stages like the 3Arena, Vicar Street, Cork Opera House and The Royal Theatre. He's also performed at the likes of Electric Picnic, All Together Now and At The Manor.
In his latest solo show ‘Prison, Pirates and The World’s Most Dangerous Man’, Adam demonstrates his knack for landing himself in hot water with everyone from world famous cage fighters to Dryrobe-clad, sea-swimming vegans... God help us, they're everywhere.
We sat down for a chat with the man himself ahead of his solo show on Sunday, 30th October at the Roisin Dubh.
Hey there Adam! So firstly... tell us a little bit about your upcoming show.
This is my fifth solo show. I'm a regular at the Galway Comedy Festival - for me, it's one of the highlights of the comedy calendar every year! So I'm very happy to be back. It's actually my second time performing a solo show at the festival. The show - Prison, Pirates and the World's Most Dangerous Man - is centered around moments where I've found myself in a spot of bother or a sticky situation... and how I've managed to get out of it. It's been going down well so far and I'm really excited to perform it for a Galway audience!
As well as my solo show on Sunday, I'm also lucky enough to be hosting a show with Deirdre O'Kane and Kevin Gildea on Thursday night (which is sold out ). Galway is one of my favourite places to perform, and I've been involved in some brilliant lineups here over the years. Galway is my home away from home, so this is as much a holiday for me as it is work!
How have you found being back on the gig scene after the dreaded Covid years?
It's been an absolute pleasure being back gigging after the Covid years! I'm a regular host at Bingo Loco, I hosted the Comedy Arena at EP this year, and then the comedy tent at All Together Now as well. I also run my own comedy club, which was one of the first ones back on the scene after Covid calmed down.
During the lockdowns, I did find the down time great as I was able to just be with my family and take a break from thinking about gigs at all. As soon as it was possible again though, I was right back up on stage - firstly during that socially distanced period, and then to the other extreme - hosting Bingo Loco events, which as you can imagine are jampacked every weekend! As a performer, it's so hard not to be able to connect with people in that special way, so I have found it very enjoyable being able to gig again.
Have you had any stand-out comedy moments over the last year?
Absolutely. One big high for me over the last year was playing Vicar St when I supported Enya Martin on her tour. It's one of the most important stages for Irish and international comedy, so it really was an honour to perform there. More recently, I also got to play the 3Arena in Dublin for Bingo Loco's biggest XXL show.
Smaller gigs over the last year have also been so much fun. I recently supported Reginald D. Hunter for the first time, and it was such an incredible show. A lot of my own Hardy Har's have been great fun, and so have the Tigh He-He nights at the Roisin Dubh. It's not always about the size or prestige of the stage - it's more about the people you're sharing the room with, and that's what the Galway Comedy Festival will be about as well. I'm conscious that as a lesser known act, there might less people in my room than for the bigger names, but that's okay - you can still create a great atmosphere in a small room with the right people.
Get your tickets here: www.galwaycomedyfestival.ie
