Could you first introduce yourself to the reader?
Hi, I’m Sian Davies! I’m a queer, working class stand up comedian from Liverpool.
How would you describe your show?
Band of Gold is a show about owning your mistakes, about finding peace in the shame you might hold over a bad decision. It covers everything from bad tattoos to bad relationships and features some lovely stories about a dog who lives in my house and a cat who lives in my head.
What is your favourite part of your show?
I love interacting with the audience, finding out their stories within the context of the show. I’m compiling an album of pictures of bad tattoos from my audiences as an extra bit of fun. I’m also really enjoying talking about serious, hard hitting political issues like hay fever.
If your show had a theme song, what would it be and why?
My show is named after a song, so it would have to be Freda Payne, Band of Gold. It’s a song about the breakdown of a marriage, most people will have danced to it at a wedding disco. Which to me is absolute perfection.
Are there any particular themes or messages you hope the audience takes away from your performance?
Make peace with your mistakes, it changes everything.
Why do you want to perform at Edinburgh Festival Fringe? What differentiates it from other festivals?
Edinburgh is the biggest arts festival in the world, it’s a magical place full of joy and wonder. I’ve been performing there since 2018, but I still feel excited by it. So much creativity in one place, so many people who have the power to change the world with their art crammed into one city for a month. I love it.
How does performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe compare to other festivals or venues you've experienced?
Other festivals tend to be just one or two shows, Edinburgh is the full month. It’s a bootcamp for your show and your skills, but it is also a test of endurance.
How has your experience at past Fringes influenced or changed your approach to this year's performance?
I’ve spent a lot of money the last couple of years using Big 4 venues and with expensive production companies. This year I’m scaling things back, I’m using a Free Fringe venue and self producing my show. It just isn’t sustainable to operate at a loss year after year at the fringe and I’m happy I’ve made the choice to do things differently this year.
What is your favourite thing to do in Edinburgh when you're not performing? How do you relax and look after your mental health?
Full Scottish Breakfast at City Café is always a winner. I also make sure I’m checking in with my friends and family who aren’t at the fringe. When you’re up there it’s such a bubble, having a daily phone call with someone who couldn’t care less about reviews or audience numbers is very grounding. It helps me to keep things in perspective and see the bigger picture.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to someone thinking about taking a show up to Edinburgh?
Try being born into a family with independent wealth.
What is one thing you would change about the Edinburgh Festival Fringe?
The people making the money are rarely the artists. We need the people who are profiting to realise that without us there is no festival. We aren’t just a commodity to be exploited. And a free Scottish breakfast for everyone.
How has your background, upbringing and education had an impact on your artistic career?
When I was at school I enjoyed drama but I never saw it as a career option. Being creative and making art was never sold to me as a way for someone like me to earn a living. After school I just got regular jobs and didn’t come back to the arts world until I was in my thirties. By then I could look at things with a bit more wisdom and life experience. It was obvious to me how few working class people are in the arts due to the systemic inequalities within our society. From education to housing and health, the game is rigged. My artistic career has been about exposing that and empowering other working class people to access the arts.
Also growing up in a large matriarchal working class family has given me a wealth of characters and material to mine for use on stage!
Can you describe your creative process and how you develop your ideas into a full-fledged performance?
It usually starts with a song or a documentary that sparks a seed of something, somewhere. It marinades for a long time before it comes through as a formed idea. It exists as abstract themes and pictures rather than words and jokes. Eventually I’ll write something long form, then I’ll edit it down to short lines. I usually try bits of new material at open mic nights, then see how things might slot together. I put sections on post-it notes and move them around until I’m happy. I record myself and watch it back, I keep editing all the time. Sometimes the perfect call back, or topper comes through months after you’ve first performed a bit. It’s never a finished process.
What is your favourite thing about performing for a live audience?
The energy in a room during a live performance is unmatched anywhere else. I think we all got used to consuming entertainment on our devices, particularly during the pandemic. It made people forget the magic that can happen in the live audience environment. There is a beauty in each live show existing only in the here and now. Audiences are watching something first and not through the lens of an edit, that will always be special.
Who are some of your artistic influences, and how have they shaped your work?
I was always a fan of Caroline Aherne and Victoria Wood. Both amazingly talented northern women with such a huge body of work. I watched them both obsessively when I was younger. I had always had the idea of being a comedian in the back of my mind, but there was always something more important that needed to be done first. When Caroline and Victoria both died in 2016, it hit me that it really was now or never. If I wanted to achieve even a shadow of what either of them did, I needed to get cracking. I applied for a new act competition and never looked back.
Is there a show you’re excited to see when you’re up there?
I’m really looking forward to seeing Hannah Platt and John Meagher. Both are Best in Class alumni and doing their debut hours this year.
When and where can people see your show?
16:15 City Café 1-25th August
And where can people find you online?
0 Comments