The UK’s first permanent LGBTQ+ comedy club opened its doors in Archway, London, this May.
The Queer Comedy Club will give queer audiences and their friends the chance to enjoy stand-up comedy, knowing they’ll be hearing relevant, relatable, and most importantly of all, rib-ticklingly funny comedy that reflects their own lives. It will also be a safe and supportive space where queer comics can cut their comedy teeth.
The Queer Comedy Club is the brainchild of three queer comedians – David Ian, Jeremy Topp, and Kate Dale and is born out of their experiences on the stand-up circuit. They started running their own comedy night but felt establishing a permanent venue was important, a signal to the queer community and their allies that stand-up was for them too.
“We were uncomfortable inviting our queer friends to come and watch us perform because we were taking them into what was essentially a very straight and macho environment, with no guarantee about the type of material they’d hear” says David. “It’s just not the sort of place we’d usually socialise in. It made us realise there was a gap in the market – and our community – for a stand-up comedy club that would feel like their space.
So much of gay culture revolves around bars, clubs and drag – and we love all that – but it’s important to be able to offer something in addition. Seeing our own lives and experiences held up for delighted, joyous, celebratory ridicule can be incredibly cathartic, bonding and hilarious. We wanted to bring that to the LGBTQ+ community at the same time as giving new and established queer comedians a chance to perform to their own people.”
For Kate, performing at QCC nights has played an important role in her coming out. “Talking about your sex life on stage is one way of telling your friends and family,” she says, “but being able to make jokes about all aspects of our lives to an audience you know will understand has helped me process it all. And it’s fun!”
Jeremy completed the trio shortly after a chance meeting. “I love all comedians, however queer performers have a brutal honesty, and life stories I can resonate with. Helping newer acts feel welcomed into the scene has been a passion of mine for years. After meeting Kate and David at a gig, we clicked immediately and discussed the gap we had all felt in the comedy circuit. I immediately knew their goal of establishing a permanent queer comedy space was something I had to be involved with.”
The Big Thursday Show every week will feature established comedians as well as the best emerging talent, with comedians such as Jessica Fostekew, Stephen Bailey, Jen Ives and James Barr already booked to appear. Mondays and Tuesdays see new acts and new material nights with QCC Raw for queer comedians, and Not Totally QCC which features allies and friends too. The club is also hosting a number of one-off events, previews and works in progress.
About the Founders
David Ian: David is a standup comedian who has headlined Milton Keynes Pride and Ludlow Pride and is taking his debut solo show (Just a) Perfect Gay to the Edinburgh Fringe this August having toured it’s work in progress version, Mediocre Gay, around fringes and festivals throughout the UK. He’s featured on BBC Radio and Boyz Magazine described him as ‘Totally engaging… full of character’. He was a semi-finalist in Leicester Square Theatre New Comedian of The Year 2022.
Jeremy Topp: Jeremy has been performing stand up for five years, and is a regular host of various comedy nights across London. After successfully running comedy nights he met two like-minded acts, Kate and David, and joined forces to push the Queer Comedy Club to the next level. Sharp, observant and playful, Jeremy’s nostalgic take on his queer past has secured him gigs at Pride events across the UK. He is a regular on the improv comedy scene and will debut his solo WIP show, Mr Body, later this year.
Kate Dale: Kate came to both stand-up comedy and bisexuality later in life but is now making up for lost time. She is a regular on the London circuit and at venues and festivals across the UK. She debuted the work in progress version of her one-woman show Up To Scratch at the Leicester Comedy Festival and will be taking it to Edinburgh this August. Her work has been described as hilarious, honest and clever (Lost In Theatreland) as well as charming and insightful (Boyz magazine).
The club officially launched on Thursday 11 May with a star-studded show featuring an incredible line-up of queer comedians: Dee Allum (nominated BBC New Comedian of the year 2021), Ben Pollard (finalist LGBTQ+ New Comedian of the Year 2022, Finalist So You think You’re Funny 2022), Kathy Maniura (winner of sketch off, finalist in So You think you’re Funny 2021 & Funny Women ‘One to Watch’ 2020), and Josh Jones (nominated Best New Comer in Dave’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2022, BBC New Comedy Award finalist, appeared on 8 out of 10 cats, Jonathan Ross’ Comedy club, Late Night Mash, The Jonathan Ross Show, and hosts BBC’s Fast Food Face Off.)
Image credit: Edward Moore
