With a show that includes stand-up, Fleetwood Mac covers, and the destruction of a Gary Glitter cardboard cut-out, Stephanie Aird is certainly giving audiences a lot of bang for their buck.
The Hartlepool comedian and business owner, whose observational rambles have amassed her more than 650,000 followers on social media, is bringing her Live LOLs tour to Dundee for the first time next week.
And she can’t wait to “take the p***” with her Dundonian fans, warning: “Do not come if you are easily offended!”
“I absolutely love my Scottish audience, I get a really good reception when I come to Scotland,” says Stephanie ahead of the Dundee Social Club show.
“As soon as I started my s*** Scottish accent, I thought I’d get filled in, but the people are so lovely.
“I thought it was just Liverpudlians that had a sense of humour but you Scots are far superior!”
The show itself comes in three main parts, showcasing Stephanie’s sharp wit as well as her musical talents.
“Oh my God, there’s so many elements to it,” Stephanie laughs.
“I’ve had to cut it down! I once did four hours, now I’ve cut it down to about two hours.
“The first half, I do your stand-up, interaction with the audience and fun and games.”
One such game, an audience favourite, involves Stephanie beating up cardboard cutouts of disgraced celebrities.
“I have Jimmy Saville, Rolf Harris and Gary Glitter, and I punch them on stage. And the audience love it.”
The second half of the show, she explains, involves “a load of tribute acts where I keep getting changed”.
“I do Amy Winehouse, I do Lady Gaga… I mean, I can sing, but I’m also doing it in a comedy way.”
‘I come out on a wrecking ball as Miley’
Her favourite part, she reveals with a giggle, is her Miley Cyrus impersonation.
“My best point is when I come out on a wrecking ball, as Miley Cyrus, with just tights and tape! I’ll tell you now, it’s not a pretty sight. And we’re just halfway through, darling!”
After a raffle in which, she teases, someone could win up to £1,000, a different, more solemn Stephanie takes to the stage, ending the night with a straightforward sign-song of Fleetwood Mac covers.
It’s a jam-packed line-up, but after playing to crowds of more than 300 people before Covid, Stephanie is hoping to drive up her post-pandemic numbers by offering a night out with something for everyone.
When she’s not touring, Stephanie is “doing canny” running her at-home pottery business Phannie Potter, which she started last year. She makes and sells hand-crafted gifts and jewellery, and it’s clear she’s a natural creative.
But she’s keen to get out on stage again, and hopes Dundee will turn out for her.
“I love doing my shows, and it’s great when you get a large crowd,” she effuses. “But when I’m coming all that way and there’s only 20 tickets sold… it’s such a shame, isn’t it? It’s a bit soul-destroying.
“Before Covid, I was getting sell-outs up to 350 people, and that’s an amazing feeling. I dunno if it’s to do with Covid or whatever – but I know it’s nowt to do with me, because I haven’t lost my touch, darling!”
Stephanie Aird will play the Dundee Social Club on Thursday April 27. For tickets and more information, visit WeGotTickets online.
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