‘Representation is key’: Eva Bindeman on the ‘booster shot’ for female-focused comedy in Bristol

Eva Bindeman is a comedian from the North East, based in Bristol. While making regular appearances on the stand-up circuit and taking her 2023 show Semi Killer up to the Edinburgh Fringe, she is continuing to run two monthly comedy nights in her adopted home city. Both have gained a cult following in the two years since they were set up, characterised for being “radical, culturally aware, responsive and fun”.

On the last Thursday of the month, Sheden (co-run with fellow comic Chelsea Birkby) at Gloucester Road’s Sidney and Eden bar platforms female-identifying and non-binary acts, with one paid spot for a token male ‘hunk of the month’ – “who is expecting to be objectified”. And fighting against the idea that comedy needs to be a luxury or a big night out, Scrambled Comedy takes place at The Crafty Egg in Fishponds on the first Monday of the month, with tickets capped at £5 (or £3 for early birds).

Bindeman is passionate about helping to boost local talent by curating lineups that mix established national names with new and emerging acts. With that in mind, at both her venues, she is running an introduction to comedy course in January. “If you don’t gig with better acts, you don’t improve,” she reflects. “We want Bristol comedy to be the best in Britain.”

Scrambled Comedy night at The Crafty Egg – photo: courtesy of Eva Bindeman

Bristol24/7 asked her to share some insights about the shifting nature of female representation in comedy:

To what extent is greater female representation responsible for an uptick in women going into comedy?

“Representation is KEY. I know many women that struggle with imposter syndrome in so many areas of their lives, so to be able to see other people doing what we aspire to be doing helps tackle that feeling. I’ve found this to be magnified in anything that is essentially demanding attention from others, and in comedy, we are saying “look at what I’m doing”.

“This can make us feel very vulnerable, but if we aren’t alone doing it, that can disperse some of the pressure. It also shows that there is a path for success here, and that we don’t have to be perfect in order to follow that path.”

How do audiences respond to all-female lineups, with a token male?

“Audiences have been fully on board with all female lineups. We sell out every month and see a lot of the same faces coming back each time. It is quite a strong femme presenting audience, but we also get straight men making up the numbers. Everyone is welcome because ultimately, female-focused comedy is just comedy that everyone can enjoy.”

Eva Bindeman – photo: Esme Buxton

How far do nights like Sheden change or enhance the experience of gigging?

“Chelsea Birkby and I started Sheden as a way of exposing our local scenes to female identifying acts that are killing it in comedy. You get better as a comic by gigging with people better than you – so the idea was like a booster shot to the Bristol comedy scene. Also, we wanted to show audiences that ‘female’ isn’t a genre of comedy!

“You can have a lineup with all women (except our hunk of the month) and still have a diversity of voices. Sheden also removes that need to spend the first part of your set overcoming any perceived gender bias. So I have found it very freeing and hope our acts feel the same.”

What are the challenges of a stand-up landscape like for a female identifying comic, and is it changing?

“That is a big question, but a valid one. In many ways, the comedy scene mirrors a lot of the challenges within larger society and those challenges are more immediate for female identifying acts or minority acts.

“On stage – the image many people have of a comedian remains as a straight, white man/boy and so acts that don’t fit into that mould often have to prove their worth to an audience. This can be a hurdle for many new acts, and draining for those of us who have been doing it for years. It’s infuriating!

“That said, I have noticed a shift, with more representation filtering down. Audiences still might have a bias towards acts they expect to see but more and more they are not unwelcoming to other types of act or material.

“On a more practical level, you are gigging at night, in clubs and pubs all over the country and often travelling alone. It’s an environment that can be intimidating but also occasionally unsafe. As an act that is female, I rely strongly on word of mouth from other trusted comics about who and where to avoid. With more online communities this information is now easier to share, meaning that newer acts can be informed and lights can be shone into some dark places to scare out the creeps. It does feel like it’s changing (thanks to the hard work of a lot of comics) but also it’s so disappointing when yet another comic is outed as a danger and we see all the people who looked the other way. It’s two steps forward, one step back.”

Eva Bindeman – photo: Esme Buxton

Who were your own inspirations when deciding to pursue stand-up?

“I have so many inspirations, which I think made it hard at first because I struggled to figure out what was my own style. Dawn French and Victoria Wood are my main memories of full belly laughing at women on stage.

“Outside of comedy, I think my family are the funniest people I know. My mum will always be part of my routines and my siblings make me laugh all the time.”

What are your hopes for the future of Sheden, and other nights like it?

“In many ways I hope there is no need for nights like Sheden in the future because that would mean the scene and the society it reflects has undergone a huge shift and equally values/promotes/invests in voices of all genders. However, that would take a large scale dismantling of patriarchy and I suspect we have a wee while before that is achieved.

“So for the foreseeable, we are hoping to keep the momentum up with Sheden, and work closely with the venue to do so. We’d like to take a version of it up to Edinburgh to give a platform for female-identifying/NB acts to showcase their own shows in the future, too.

“In Bristol there have been a few nights like this, but each with their own spin. Pravanya Pillay co-ran the fabulous PARTY which also really brought in alternative acts and challenged the scene to work harder to bring more dynamic line ups. And there is a new night called Honey Pot Comedy at The Room Above, run by Bristol’s Millie Malone. Both these women are exciting voices who see no gap between comedy and activism and that is how it absolutely should be.”

For news and upcoming gigs, follow Eva Bindeman, Scrambled and Sheden at @evabcomedy, @scrambledcomedy and @thebristolcomedyden.  

Main photo: courtesy of Eva Bindeman

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