GRACE Campbell has been making waves in the comedy world with her candid, playful material and insightful, straight-talking approach.
Now she is bringing her latest show, Grace Campbell is On Heat, to Reading as part of a UK stand-up solo tour.
It comes hot on the heels of previews at Edinburgh, as well as the launch of her podcast, Late to the Party.
Grace explains that the new show is more mature, both in its approach and in its subject matter.
“When I started doing stand-up a lot of the press around my stand-up often said that I just talked about sex and that I was abrasive, which I definitely was.
“That’s still true to an extent, but like any artist, the show reflects that I’m 30 now, and have grown up some since then.”
However it is terms like these which she feels aren’t always levelled at her male counterparts.
“You never hear men being described like that– those kinds of adjectives, abrasive or bawdy– are often used to minimise what women are saying.
“And so many women have experienced it just through the course of normal life, in their workplaces– so why is it that when they have an opinion on that they’re seen as bossy?
“I talk about stuff that happens to me; men often feel like that’s an attack and can take that personally, so I do feel there can be undertones of misogyny.
But she says that candour has always been an aspect of her personality: “I’ve always been very playful, very opinionated, and very interested– especially if I’m in a good mood– it’s just who I am.
“So when I started stand-up, that wasn’t a conscious choice, and I didn’t feel like I wanted to be known for that; it’s just what I found funny.
“But if you’re new, sometimes you really have to keep saying the same things when you’re becoming established so that when people hear you they come to know you.
“Then if they like it they start coming to live shows.”
But now, she explains: “It runs a bit deeper; I’ve worked harder on this show than any previous, so deeper aspects of my personality come through as I shift the kinds of jokes I want to tell as a comedian.
“I also feel I know a bit more about comedy now.”
Despite this, Grace is still labelled as “sex-positive” as a result of her candour– not a label often applied, she argues, to her male counterparts.
“It’s been put upon me, really– so many men talk about sex in their comedy, but that doesn’t make them niche, so I feel that’s easier for men.
“Now we’re seeing so many women daring to be multi-faceted, I’ve stopped talking about sex a bit.
“And I have felt a bit nervous, actually, about coming out of that box I’ve been in somewhat comfortably.”
But Grace has an intelligence which is evident in so much of her work: “Sometimes I like to just write silly stuff, which doesn’t have a lot of meaning.
“There is a big part of me which is just very silly, but I need to feel like I’m not doing it all for nothing.
“So people feel like I’m always trying to make a point, especially with my stand-up.”
It stems from a particularly engaged home life, she explains– but not because of her father, Alistair Campbell’s life in politics, as might be assumed.
“It comes more from my mum [journalist and campaigner Fiona Millar], to be honest– she has campaigned tirelessly throughout her life on education and on women’s issues, so I feel if you have a platform, you need to use it in some way.
“Everybody in the world has to have the answer to everything, and I don’t agree with that; It gets people into situations where they just don’t know what they’re talking about.
“But I think its worth informing yourself and thinking about how you can use your platform.”
The new show tackles Grace’s experiences with having an abortion, she explains: “It was not a great experience for me, so I’ve found that aspect of it very cathartic.
“So this show has come from that, but I’ve found that uplifting and positive, as it actually deals with female friendships and how we grow up in ways I didn’t expect to get an insight on.
“In a way, it’s made me weirdly grateful, as painful as it was to get over, because I learned so much, and I get to tell this kind of story in a way that I don’t think people do enough.”
Despite the subject matter, Grace confirms that the outgoing charm and showmanship is still fully present.
“I close the show with a song, which I’ve never done before– I was cursed with no musicality whatsoever, but I wrote this song with one of my friends who’s a musician.
“So while the show can feel heavy because of the feelings I have about it, knowing every day that I get to end with a song is so exciting.”
Grace Campbell is On Heat comes to Reading’s Concert Hall on Thursday, October 17.
Full details and tickets are available via: whatsonreading.com
Full tour details are available via: disgracecampbell.com
Her podcast, Late to the Party, is also available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music
