‘There’s more that unites us than divides us’

British-Kurdish standup and writer Kae Kurd – ‘soon to be a household name’ (Evening Standard) – has been steadily building a loyal fanbase across multiple platforms in recent years, with regular TV appearances including Live at the Apollo (BBC Two) and The Tez O’clock Show (Channel 4) to his name.

A child refugee from Iraqi Kurdistan whose parents fought in the resistance against Saddam Hussein and fled to seek asylum in the UK, Kurd moved to London as a baby.

As a comic, he is known for exploring weighty political issues with a lightness of touch, and is adept at harnessing the power of comedy to unify diverse audiences.

Now on tour around the UK with his show The Spoken Kurd, he is appearing at The Hen & Chicken Studio on Friday, November 12. He gave Bristol 24/7 an insight into what audiences can expect from coming along.

How is the tour going?

“It’s been incredible. Everyone’s been enjoying it and I’ve had some amazing feedback.”

What can audiences expect from Spoken Kurd?

“You’ll have a great time. It’s just me being funny and I’ve brought my funny friend Eshaan Akbar along on the ride as well. You’ll have a laugh.”

Photo: David Geli

Your rise to fame has been a rapid one. At what point did you know you had found your voice on stage?

“I wouldn’t say it’s been rapid! There’s a lot of work that goes into being comfortable with yourself on stage. A lot of it is experience and unlearning a lot of what people tell you comedy should be; I think I’m lucky I’ve got a great team that believes in me and the things I want to do. It’s about going where you’re loved and not trying to fit into a box others want to put you in.”

What subjects are you drawn to talking about? Would you shy away from anything because it didn’t suit your comedic persona?

“I try and make anything funny. I’ll usually think of something funny in conversation with friends. Sometimes it’ll be something relating to a topic in the news and I try and make it as easy to understand as possible. I think in this day and age a lot of people, especially when on stage, want to be seen as having the right opinion. I just want to be funny.”

Is it possible to straddle the divide between mainstream and political comedy?

“Yes it is. My favourite comedians are the ones where you don’t really know their political beliefs from their comedy. They take the mick out of everyone and everything equally. Everyone does silly things and no one is correct all the time so why not highlight that?”

To what extent do you want your material to be relatable to your audience?

“All the time. I like it when I get messages later about certain jokes resonating with people. I think relatability has a lot to do with what’s funny, because we have a lot of shared experiences, and there’s more that unites us as people than divides us. I love looking out into my audience and seeing a bunch of girls in hijabs next to a middle-aged white couple or a group of black guys next to some geezers and I think that’s because I’ve been able to find that shared experience.”

What is your relationship to social media, and is it changing?

“It’s helped me massively to find my own audience. I uploaded my special onto YouTube and I upload clips to social media and film short sketches and TikToks and stuff. It’s helped me garner an audience and a following so I’m grateful for it. On the other hand it’s probably not the best thing for your mental health if you spend too much time on it. As with anything, moderation is key.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CV4xaPjohxq/

What are the most exciting elements of your professional life, currently? Do you have any plans to take any new directions in future?

“The tour has been exciting. I think in future I’d like to help direct shows too. I’ve done writing work before for TV and for other people, and it made me realise just how much I like creating, so if I can help other talented people to make things, that would be great.”

Who else is doing interesting stuff in comedy at the moment?

“Adam Rowe and Dan Nightingale have a great podcast called Have A Word which is incredibly popular and I’ve seen them build it up from scratch. And in standup, Eshaan Akbar, Michael Odewale, Babatunde Aleshe are all very good comedians that deserve to be out there a lot more.”

Kae Kurd is at the Hen & Chicken Studio on Friday, November 12, as part of The Spoken Kurd tour. For tickets, go to www.thecomedybox.co.uk.

Main photo: David Geli

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