Comedy might be the job, but music is the fuel. Ahead of the launch of Brisbane Comedy Cellar – a venue where live music and comedy share the stage – three of Australia’s biggest comedians reveal the artists, albums and tracks they’re listening to right now.
HARLEY BREEN
‘Killing in the Name’ - Rage Against the Machine
Quite simply, has there ever been a better time to have this revolution anthem on repeat? Feel the rage. Fight the machine! Rise Proletariat!
‘Survive (Feat. MK-1)’ - L-Fresh The Lion
Not normally my go-to genre, I'm more a banjo and fiddle kind of guy. However, I heard a great long-form interview with Sukhdeep, AKA L-Fresh The Lion, on Radio National (I'm old). After which, I was compelled to hunt him down. I haven't been disappointed!
Ultimate pre-show / walk-on song: ‘I'm Shipping Up To Boston’ - Dropkick Murphys
My Irish family arrived here via Boston, so this song fires up my Irish blood. I've used it as a walk-on track from kids’ shows to solos.
TING LIM
‘The Thief in Marrakesh’ – Arc De Soleil
Found it by accident, which is how I find most good things in my life - like free flowers at the Botanic Gardens. I play it on the drive home after a gig. It takes my mind off the gig and puts me in a good mood.
‘Supermassive Black Hole’ – Muse
Discovered during a share house era with several European gap-year students. I listen to it when I want to feel young again.
Ultimate pre-show / walk-on song: ‘I Wanna Be Your Slave’ – Måneskin
Love this as a pre-show track. This is what I use when my body is tired, but my wallet needs money. If I’m going to enter a stage and request attention from strangers, we should be honest about the power dynamic.
DUSTY RICH
‘Nothing Else Matters’ - Metallica
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I’m currently listening to Nothing Else Matters by Metallica on repeat as it’s the only song my 1-year-old will fall asleep to. I would listen to 6000 screaming goats with kazoo’s in the end of their digestive systems connected directly into my ears and nose simultaneously if it got my kid to sleep.
Gabby’s Dollhouse The Movie Soundtrack - Gabby’s Dollhouse
I also have a four-year-old child who has created a juxtaposition in my life that I'm never going to be comfortable with. I can scream the lyrics of every deathcore metal band this side of the 70s, and I also know the songs to a movie about imaginary cat friends that inhabit a dollhouse and are able to make rainbows appear at any given moment. One of them is a kitten/cupcake hybrid that is good at baking.
Ultimate pre-show / walk-on song: ‘Violent Pornography’ - System Of A Down
This is an incredible track to get ready for stand-up comedy, as it’s a commentary on media, entertainment and the ultimate truth that everyone is the same in the best and worst ways. Except me, I’m different, like everyone else.
JEMMA BAYLEY
Well, I’m listening to Sabrina Carpenter and Taylor Swift and other pop sugar cereal nonsense. I have them for dancing around my apartment. It’s a good way to keep the brain happy. But three songs I like….
‘Horse Outside’ - The Rubberbandits
Cause it’s a killer bop, and no one knows about it.
‘Man I Need’ - Olivia Dean
Cause I’m only a girl.
Ultimate pre-show / walk-on song: ‘Seven Nation Army’ - The White Stripes
To get me in the stand-up mood.
CHRIS MARTIN
‘Frontier Psychiatrist’ - The Avalanches
My walking song. The lyrics are so silly, and that beat is next level. I love this song. The horse neighing throughout is da best!
‘Opalite’ - Taylor Swift
I did a comedy show recently, and this song came up in a discussion with an audience member. I had no idea what the hell they were talking about, so when I went home, I listened to it, and it slaps. This song is so catchy, and I often just hum it to myself. I added it to my playlist, and I belt it out in the car. It’s sick!
Ultimate pre-show / walk-on song: ‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap’ - ACDC
Great pump-up song for stand-up. Good instrumental that makes it impossible not to move to and get in the zone. Plus great chorus.
The Brisbane Comedy Cellar Launch Gala will take place underneath the Raven Hotel in West End on Saturday, 28 February. Featuring Matt Okine, Harley Breen, Dusty Rich, Ting Lim, plus special guests Chris Martin, Jemma Bayley, Jack Knight, Jaimeson Gilders and Suraj Kolarkar, tickets can be found here.
