The Brisbane Comedy Festival returns for another year of laughs, giggles and guffaws, kicking off with some of Australia's best comedians, including Triple J's Gen Fricker, taking to the stage for an all-in battle of the funny bones.
'Sunday Showdown' is the second part of the festival's opening weekend where Gen and her comic colleagues: Nazeem Hussain, Aunty Donna, Harley Breen, Sam Campbell, Damien Power and Cam Knight give audiences a taste of what their own festival shows will be like. “It's comics from the festival all jumping up: it's a nice sampler,” Gen says.
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“If you're not sure about what to see at the festival, you can get a taste of everyone and figure out whose solo shows you want to see. I might do a mix of stuff from the new show and then stuff from other shows, kind of keep people guessing.”
While 'Sunday Showdown' is designed as a friendly sampler of what's on offer at the BCF, Gen says she is well-prepared to ditch the kid gloves in the case it devolves into a full-blown comedy brawl. “I could roast everyone,” she quips.
“I'm the only girl on, I think, so I think I could really zing some people. I think I could peg most of the guys who are on, I know all their weaknesses: Nazeem's too nice, that's his weakness. He'd never admit it but he's the sweetest dude.
"Aunty Donna, they're all very hungry all the time. Whenever we hang out we've always got to eat somewhere and they eat a lot, so I could maybe distract them with food.”
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But wait, there's more. “Harley Breen didn't realise he had a broken arm for two months; he'd been walking around with a broken arm for two months, so physically I feel there's a weakness he hasn't figured out yet.
“Sam Campbell is a good mate of mine but I think he's a little bit terrified of me. Damien Power is a nice man, so he'll just let me win. And Cam Knight's probably where the trouble is, he's going to be difficult to take down in this Showdown, which was a comedy show, but is now an all-in fight.”
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Gen will also be performing her first ever solo show at the festival this year, entitled 'Yeah? Yeah!'. “This season will be my first time doing a solo show… it doesn't really have a narrative thread, it's kind of a hodgepodge of stories and songs.”
Since making her debut on Triple J's Raw Comedy in 2011, Gen has become a regular on the station hosting 'Weekend Arvos'. Despite her experience in the public sphere, Gen admits she still gets nervous before shows, which has made for some awkward moments on-stage. “There's been a lot of near-pukings.
"Sometimes it's just food poisoning, or if I'm particularly anxious about a show I'll get a migraine and then from that I'll get nausea. A lot of the time I'm surprised I haven't thrown up on stage but there's been a lot of near-misses.
“I've often thought as a back-up plan, 'if this happens, how do I make it funny?' Take a bow and be like: 'That's the show, thanks. Try the chicken.'”
Gen Fricker stars in 'Sunday Showdown' at Brisbane City Hall as part of the Brisbane Comedy Festival 28 February.
Gen Fricker Tour Dates
16 Feb - Sit Down Stand Up Comedy @ University of Newcastle23 Feb - UNSW (Sydney)
25 Feb - Giant Dwarf (Sydney)
7 Mar - Cafe Lounge (Sydney)
15-20 Mar - Brisbane Comedy Festival @ Brisbane Powerhouse
24-31 Mar - Melbourne International Comedy Festival @ Greek Centre
