We're coming to save the world... with our comedy superpowers
Russell Howard show regulars, musical funnymen Harry and Chris tell MARION McMULLEN about their new UK tour
How did you get into performing?
CHRIS: It’s always been music for me, all the way back to writing silly songs and performing at school. (Laughs) My mum told me she went to a Christian rally concert before I was born and I started kicking along to the music in the womb. I was fortunate to come across musicians who don’t take themselves seriously like Tom Lehrer, Bill Bailey, Flight Of The Conchords and old Monty Python stuff as well.
HARRY: I applied to study medicine, but took a year out and came back and studied maths ... but I was always writing songs and poetry. I’m quite a quiet, thoughtful individual, but being on stage I always felt like I was in control. I just love performing.
When did you first meet?
HARRY: We went to the same primary school and became proper friends at secondary school. Chris got me a job doing the same paper round as him, getting up at 6am when I was 12.
He gave me a great tip to give out Christmas cards early December onwards to the houses so I’d get a nice tip. He did it better than me though. He gave out handwritten cards so I think he did better than me.
CHRIS: We started gigging about the same time. We were about 14 or 15 when we did out first gig at high school with Harry rapping and me playing the guitar. (Laughs) Harry went on to become a World Poetry Slam Champ and I became an unsuccessful jazz musician, which is arguably the best to be.
No-one likes a successful jazz musician. Then three years ago we started working together.
How would you describe what you do?
HARRY: We’ve narrowed it down to comedy, rap, jazz.
CHRIS: We’ve performed songs from the point of view of giant pandas and Sir Killalot from Robot Wars. Now we want to save the world with our comedy superpowers.
On tour we will be playing some of our old music and the second half of the show will be new material.
You’ve been regulars on the Russell Howard Hour on Sky TV. Has that brought you comedy to a wider audience?
HARRY: People are excited to hear the songs that they know from the TV shows and there is a lot on YouTube as well. It’s great when they come along to see the live shows and try out the new stuff as well.
How does the writing partnership work?
HARRY: We make each other laugh and write songs about things that make us both laugh. We are not characters on stage. It’s heightened versions of our own personalities.
We’ve written a lot of the songs side by side on a Google document. It can be hard to remember who came up with which line.
CHRIS: The most fun is just curling up on the sofa with the Google doc.
What’s your favourite part of the live shows?
HARRY: When we invite audiences to come up with suggestions for songs. My favourite part is when they try to catch us out and we have to think what rhymes you can come up with. (Laughs)
If it’s tricky I’ll pass it out to Chris. Someone once shouted out ‘shiatsu massage’ and Chris got mixed up with those little Shih Tzu dogs and started singing about tiny dog massage. I was just crying with laughter.
The Harry & Chris Save The World Show is at he Old Rep, Birmingham, on October 2, the Y Theatre, Leicester, on October 5.