I’m bricking it, but game for a laugh
Comedian Gary goes from Burnbank social club to selling out Town House
Hamilton Town House is set to host one of the country’s most promising comedians next week.
Tickets for Gary Faulds Live! at the venue on Saturday, February 9, sold out so quickly that the show became the fastest-selling at the Town House in a decade.
The internet sensation has gone from performing in small bars and clubs to selling out theatres across the UK.
And it’s a shift that has been mirrored in Hamilton, with Glaswegian Gary’s last trip to the town being for a gig at a social club in Burnbank.
This time the Facebook star – who has a monthly online audience of around two million – will take to the stage in front of a packed audience of 750.
The Advertiser met Gary (31) for a look around the impressive Town House theatre ahead of the show and he said: “I’m blown away. This place looks massive, and I’m actually really nervous now. The response to the show has been overwhelming.
“I wasn’t expecting it to be anywhere near selling out, but my agent reckons we could have sold out another date or two.”
Gary thrives on “a bit of banter” with his audiences, and says he makes a point of being “the first one at a show, and the last one to leave”.
He continued: “I’ve performed in Hamilton a few times before, the last time was at the Greenfield Social Club in Burnbank, it was wild. The heckling and banter with the crowd was just relentless but I loved it.
“One guy kept on at me all night and I eventually asked his name. He replied dryly, ‘The Butcher’. I behaved after that!
“I’ve also done a few charity gigs for Blameless, they do some fantastic work. I even worked in Hamilton years ago, for a drainage company. I’d be called out to unblock pipes and would find all sorts – car keys, phones and actually, a lot of knives...”
Before carving out a career in comedy, Gary served in the Army and had a series of jobs, including driving HGVS and taxis.
He puts his success down to being able to relate to working class audiences, adding: “When I started comedy, I was driving HGVS and taxis, and giving out tickets to shows on the street.
“My agent has told me to give up working to concentrate on comedy full-time, and it’s nice my wife doesn’t need to work now. But we still live in the same scheme in Springburn and wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Gary’s forthcoming Hamilton date comes after a series of gigs in Lanarkshire, including at Lanark Memorial Hall and the East Kilbride Arts Centre.
He said: “I’m excited to perform at the Town House – but bricking it at the same time! It’ll be my biggest gig to date, with 750 people there. A lot of my dates were booked a year ago so I’ve been going between bigger venues like the Town House and pubs that hold 50. But the support no matter where I’ve been, has been incredible.
“I’ve even had a lot of folk from Lanarkshire at recent gigs in the likes of Edinburgh and Kilmarnock coming up and saying to me that they tried to get tickets for Hamilton but it was sold out, so they’ve travelled.
“The Lanarkshire crowds are always brilliant and I’m hoping to get more dates lined up. My agent is looking at the Civic Centre in Motherwell next year, maybe February or March.
“But I’m focused on my performance at the Town House. It’s going to be a great night.”
Charlie Ingham, venues manager at South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture, said: “We’ve been looking forward to his show here for months and it promises to be a really special night. It is talent like Gary’s that keeps theatres like ours open.”