Category: Interviews

“Common People is a good festival to launch yourself into” – An interview with Rob da Bank

Ahead of Common People’s return to Southampton, we chat to the man behind it all.

Originally published in The Edge

This weekend sees the second run of Common People, the first taste of 2016’s summer festival action for The Edge’s hometown. Over the past few weeks, we’ve looked at our picks from the lineup and set the scene for the Bank Holiday weekend’s festivities in our full preview. Now, with stages going up and excitement building; I spoke to curator, founder, and Hampshire local Rob da Bank about life organising festivals from Southampton to Toronto, local musical talent appearing on the Common, and bouncy castles. Continue reading ““Common People is a good festival to launch yourself into” – An interview with Rob da Bank”

“I’m writing a song about angry fruit flies” – An interview with Helen Arney from Festival of the Spoken Nerd

Arney talks fax machines and life on the road ahead of her comedy troupe’s sold-out Southampton debut.

Originally published in The Edge

Festival of the Spoken Nerd, the acclaimed science-centric comedy trio of Matt Parker, Steve Mould, and Helen Arney, is currently undertaking a third nationwide tour with their latest show Just For Graphs after a successful 25-show run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Ahead of their sold-out debut in Southampton at the Nuffield Theatre on November 15th, I spoke with Helen about PhD students doing comedy skits, how the trio got together, and the world of fax machines in 2015. Continue reading ““I’m writing a song about angry fruit flies” – An interview with Helen Arney from Festival of the Spoken Nerd”