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Indigenous comedians join forces for hour of sketches at Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Jarred Cross -

After a string of hit shows in recent years, Dane Simpson is getting out of his comfort zone, with a friend by his side, at this year's Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Simpson, who calls Wagga Wagga home and brought some of regional Australia's best comic talent with him with 'Best of the Bush', is taking on the challenge sketch, song and "a little bit of stand up" mixed in for Blak Holes in toe with social media heavyweight Isaac Compton.

The show, in a sense, is a split bill, Simpson told National Indigenous Times a few days out from opening night at The Greek's Paw Paw Jump venue in Naarm's CBD.

"We're just both two blackfellas from country towns," Simpson told National Indigenous Times, "combining forces" of his stand up pedigree and Compton's routinely viral online gags and singer-songwriter backing.

"It's just 55 minutes of silly fun with a bit of blackfella flavour."

Simpson has toured back-to-back successes, included rooms of laughs at February and March's Adelaide Fringe with Didgeri-Dad.

His 2022 show Didgeridoozy was picked up by Paramount Plus, and appearances on MICF Galas, The Amazing Race Celebrity Edition and major television networks following, and more recently his stand up hour Always Was, Always Will Be…Funny.

"(Didgeridoozy) was my first time having a special being picked up by a streaming platform. That was incredible. That was so much fun. It felt like a moment in my career," Simpson said.

"Following that up, I didn't know if I could do it again. I thought 'I've got a hit show here, I'll sort of sit on that for a bit'."

12 months later, his next show went "bananas" again.

"I was thinking, I couldn't do it again for a third time….and it was great, so much fun," he said.

"But I'd already registered Blak Holes," he joked, not that he's regretting it.

"Knocking around with Isaac and doing these sketches together is, realistically, very different for me," Simpson said.

"I don't really do a lot of sketches in my shows, but I have so much fun doing it. I think that this is probably the start of something that we'll probably keep doing in the future.

"Isaac's just an incredible performer, and he hasn't had the chance to really stretch muscles out in the stand up comedy world before, despite being really funny online.

"So it's cool that the both of us are getting different experiences…even though we haven't done a show together yet, just the rehearsals and chatting and working out what we're going to be doing has been so much fun."

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A post shared by ISAAC COMPTON 🖤ðŸ'›â¤ï¸ (@the_isaac_compton)

Simpson said the shift is an experiment into "a new style of being funny", and one he hopes gets as many laughs from the crowds coming along.

The show also promises a balance between Compton's wheelhouse, and the lighter side of the stage.

"That's his funny bone...making people laugh via political satire," Simpson said.

"I like being very silly. But there's always going to be like that Aboriginal flavour.

"We just can't help it. That's just who we are as people.

"There are some elements in there where we wanted to bring country town feelings to Melbourne, just so that they can really understand what it's like to be in a country town."

Any drive between his home in Wagga and the family's connection to Walgett passes through Compton's hometown of Dubbo.

Simpson added between the fun, he's also been able to delve a little deeper into Isaac's world.

"I'm just from Wagga Wagga, and I tell silly stories about my dad coming from Walgett and his take on Melbourne," he said.

"That's another really cool thing about working with somebody like Isaac, who does live in that political space.

"I can chat to him about it, and I find out more via Isaac...and then I can write jokes based on what he's thinking, what I'm thinking when we're chatting, and we're both being silly about it."

Simpson also showcased some of regional Australia's best comedians with Best of the Bush during the first half of the Festival.

He's taking Didgeri-Dad to Sydney Comedy Festival from April 30 to May 2 at the Factory Theatre in Marrickville, as well as dates with the MICF Roadshow coming up for nation-wide audiences.

Blak Hole runs from April 8 to 20 in Naarm.

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National Indigenous Times