Russell Kane’s effervescent persona has offered him safe passage to more than 10 years in stand-up. He’s now a regular fixture on our screens, too, so we know just what to expect from the happy Essex comedian: he gets up on stage, bounces around for a bit and people laugh. It’s a solid setup and he does it very well.
That’s why no one was more surprised than he was when a Scottish audience member hurled her drink at him recently.
“It was one of the most unusual gigs,” Russell recounted, with a chuckle of disbelief.
The venue was Perth Concert Hall, and the offending subject matter was totally innocuous – hence the 33-year-old’s bemusement.
“The routine was about how cute a baby can be and how you can’t almost bear to pick it up. Now, there’s hardly anything you can object to in that, is there,” he asked.
“But suddenly, this woman shouted: ‘It’s not an it – it’s a he or a she.’ So I said: ‘OK, cool. I can give the hypothetical baby a gender.’ And the audience laughed. I wasn’t trying to be horrible or anything, because she was obviously quite drunk. But she just lost it, threw her drink and ran out. When the wine hit the stage, I said: ‘Her water must’ve broken.'”
Luckily, Russell’s punchline wasn’t heard by the woman. If she had been in earshot, she might have thrown herself on stage next.
“But now, this is the most Scottish bit about the whole thing,” he added. “I then asked her husband if he wanted to go see her because she had been crying. But he just shouted back: ‘No, I want to watch the show.’ Then everybody clapped and we had a great rest of the show.”
While he was pretty shocked by the woman’s adverse reaction, Russell admitted that there’s always a wildcard element to his shows. For a start, he never writes down his routines verbatim as he prefers to think on the hoof. In his latest live tour, Smallness, which visits Aberdeen’s Music Hall next Wednesday, April 30, Russell has created an outline for his gags, but what happens on the night is always a bit fluid.
“It’s all about the introverted nature of the Brits,” he explained of the tour’s theme. “It’s about our need to be self-effacing, to play ourselves down and not be too wild. Whatever it is, every culture of this island seems to have its own version of it. We seem to respect being small rather than big. So I use that as my jumping-off point to explore life, love, sex, politics and so on.”
Out of the whole tour experience it’s the constant driving between cities which Russell finds the most tiring – although his onstage persona can be pretty knackering, too.
“It’s slightly unfortunate that my particular style is so high-energy. It’s 80 to 90 minutes long with no interval, and it’s high-intensity stuff. And a lot is improvised, which uses a different part of your brain. I’m always thinking and adjusting,” he said.
The energy he gives to his shows is all the more impressive when you consider what his off-stage persona is like. As we chatted, it was clear this wasn’t the ebullient version we see in the likes of BBC3’s Live at the Electric, or his chat show, Staying In. In Russell’s own words, he’s a far quieter person behind the scenes. He enjoys his own company and would actually be quite happy living a life as a full-time writer.
“This thing of going out in front of thousands of people each night doesn’t come naturally. I love it when I do it, but to get up there is the most uncomfortable feeling. I have a very complex relationship with it, I suppose,” he said.
If it’s so daunting, then why do it, I asked.
“The buzz I get makes it worthwhile. It’s like the pain of the needle going in your arm. Yes it’s painful. But the buzz is addictive. That feeling, of having smashed it on stage, is amazing.”
With the recent announcement of the axe falling on BBC3, Russell might get his wish for a quieter life. He’s not overly worried, though, as now might be the right time to enter the next stage in his career.
“I’m thinking about growing up,” he said. “I don’t want to be like one of those tragic grandads on BBC3 who are too old to be on it. I’ve already taken the eyeliner off, and my hair’s now in a side parting. I’ve got a neater look, so I might take my CV and get a taxi to BBC2. I really love ITV2 as well. Eventually, I really just want to work on Family Fortunes, so I’m biding my time for that.”
And while a nerve-shredding experience at times, he’s always got stand-up to fall back on. His list of observations about the people of Britain alone could provide safe haven to a further 10 years in the business. For instance, he can now add “people might throw drinks in protest” to his list of observations about Perth.
And having performed in Aberdeen before, he’s already prepared for what may be a wild night.
“Aberdeen is the city that’s the most different by night from how it is by day,” he said, before switching to a surprisingly decent attempt at a north-east drawl.
“Because, during the day, Aberdeen’s people are really polite. But then, as soon as it passes 10pm, the whole city kicks off. It’s like Aberdeen people are social werewolves.”
Russell Kane will be at the Music Hall, Aberdeen, on Wednesday, April 30, at 8pm. Tickets are available from www.aberdeen performingarts.com or by calling 01224 641122.