Rob Brydon - Interview Songs and Stories
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Comedian Rob Brydon performed a secret try-out of his new show in the intimate London club Crazy Coqs last week, with audience members treated to some of his favourite songs, as well as hilarious stories about encounters with Ruth Jones, Tom Jones, Steve Coogan, and Dustin Hoffman.

He even took song requests, including Madonna’s Like A Virgin, Elvis’ Always On My Mind and a sing-a-long version of the Tom Jones hit Delilah!

performing his brand new show, Rob Brydon - Songs and Stories
performing his brand new show, Rob Brydon – Songs and Stories

Rob said: “What a thrill to perform the show for the first time – it’s called Songs and Stories. It’s a collection of songs that have meant a lot to me and the funny stories of how they came into my life. It was wonderful to perform a stripped -down, basic version of the show to the tiny audience at Crazy Coqs in London but now I’m looking forward to bringing the full-size, bells and whistles, eight-piece band of world-class musicians with me on the road and playing to people across the country when we tour next year”.

Together with his eight-piece band and musical director Paul Herbert, Brydon will take to the road with the show next year. Tickets across the UK tour are on general sale at www.robbrydon.live.

Sometimes you stand on stage thinking, ‘Good God, these people have all gone to the trouble of paying a babysitter and chosen to come and watch my show.’

This extensive new tour begins in February 2020 and will travel to almost 30 venues across the country beginning in Colchester on 26 February 2020 and going on to Bexhill-on-Sea, the Alexandra Palace in London, High Wycombe, Weymouth, Swansea, Aberystwyth, Folkestone, Salisbury, Stevenage, Guildford, Warrington, Hull, Huddersfield, Aylesbury, Woking, Watford, Cheltenham, St Albans, Worthing, Buxton, Rhyl, Inverness, Perth, and finishing in Aberdeen on 30 April.

Rob Brydon interview

Rob Brydon - Songs and Stories
Rob Brydon

It turned out that for all his success on TV, Rob has been yearning for a return to his live roots. He articulates why. “Live comedy is just such a buzz. People come just to see you. Sometimes you stand on stage thinking, ‘Good God, these people have all gone to the trouble of paying a babysitter and chosen to come and watch my show.’ That’s a very special feeling.”

The comedian goes on to explain in more depth why he is so drawn to live perform. “It feels very natural to me. Sometimes people say, ‘I can’t imagine getting up on stage and performing. It would be so terrifying.’ But you don’t choose that life–it’s almost a calling, something you just have to do.”You feel very comfortable on stage, and that grows over time. The more you get used to it, the more it becomes your norm. I like to entertain people and make them laugh. It’s a real privilege. As with a lot of things, you appreciate that more as you get older. You stand there on stage and think, ‘Wow, this is great!'”

Since appearing in a school production of Guys and Dolls,Rob has always loved singing. Rob is conscious that performing “Songs & Stories” might be regarded as a risky business. But, he asserts, “It’s a deliberate risk. I have got to the stage of my career where shows I’m in like Would I Lie To You? and The Trip and stand-up tours return.”

“It will take some people by surprise. There are so many media outlets nowadays that some people might only know me from Gavin and Stacey or Would I Lie To You?. Those people often say to me, ‘I didn’t know you could sing’, and yet I have sung a lot. I hope this show is a very pleasant surprise for audiences.” It certainly will be.

Rob adds. “My musical taste was never considered cool. I never set much store by stuff being fashionable. I loved David Bowie and The Police, but also Shakin’ Stevens and CliffRichard, which not many boys of my age did. Well, not the ones sitting at the back of the bus!” Yes they were, i think to myself.

Rob identifies another major problem for him during those unhappy teenage years. “I didn’t drink. My friends would all drink on a Friday and Saturday, and on a Tuesday and Wednesday, too, just for good measure. That meant they lost their fear of rejection. Unfortunately, I never lost that fear. I knew that I was funny and could make girls laugh. They would want to spend time with me.

Had I had the nerve to close the deal with a kiss, I’m sure they would have responded, but I was too frightened. “I would see neanderthals from my class with their arm around a girl at the school disco and think, ‘How did he manage that? He can’t string a sentence together and now it looks as if they’re setting up home together’. I talk a lot about my bemusement that girls were going out with those boys. At the time, Joe Jackson’s song, ‘Is She Really Going Out with Him?’ was a big hit, and I sing a bit of that by way of illustration.”Rob wraps up by expressing what he hopes audiences will take away from “Songs & Stories”. “I hope people will come out happier than when they went in because they’ve had such a great time. I hope they will have forgotten about the world for two hours.

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Editor in Chief of Ikon London Magazine, journalist, film producer and founder of The DAFTA Film Awards (The DAFTAs).