Lanark comedian Chloe Philip returns from NYC for the Fringe

Aug 5 2010 by Chris Clements, Hamilton Advertiser

A LANARK-born comedian is gearing up for her first solo run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Twenty-six-year-old Chloe Philip moved to New York a couple of years ago to develop her career in stand-up.

However, the former Lanark Grammar pupil is returning to Scotland for her three-week slot at Edinburgh’s Opium club this weekend.

Chloe’s 50-minute show , entitled ‘Accept Your Inner Plonker’, will run every day at 2.45pm from Saturday, August 7, until, Saturday, August 28.

Tickets to the show, which is in the city’s Cowgate, are free.

Chloe began her comedy career in late 2008, leaving Lanark and a life as a photographer of stand-up comedians, such as Jo Brand, for New York.

She booked her first hour-long show at the legendary Sidewalk club in the city’s East Village in early 2009 and has worked solidly on the alternative circuit in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn since.

The 26-year-old also has a USA tour under her belt.

Chloe explained to Lanarkshire Live how her career took off after her move to NYC.

She said: “I used to do a lot of performing at school, and was in a theatre group at the time.

“But it was not until I started living in New York in 2008, that I tried stand-up.

“I think it seemed easier for me to do it somewhere I didn’t know anyone, and I seemed that bit more confident about it.

“The first couple of gigs went well. To be honest, if they hadn’t, then I doubt I would have kept going, as is often the case in comedy.

“Since then I have been gigging a lot over there, and getting regular slots and solo runs.”

Chloe is now considered a staple of the alternative ‘Antifolk’ scene in New York, and now divides her time between the States and Scotland.

She returned to perform at the 2009 Edinburgh Festival where she supported comedy acts such as Kristen Schaal, Phil Kay, Simon Munnery and many more comedians.

However, this year will see her perform her own solo show for the festival

She said: “I am sort of excited more than worried about the shows. I’ve done a lot of my own stuff in New York, and I even previewed some of the material there, which went down well.

“But there is something quite daunting about not knowing how it is going to go.

“Appearing at the Fringe Festival is a good way of moving forward in comedy, as there are so many people from the industry there.

“A good show can do that much for your career.

“The material I previewed was told in a slightly different way in America, than how I would tell it here.

“Obviously I tried to keep it the same as much as possible, but certain things work over there that don’t work here, and vice versa.

“For example, I might talk about the subway over there, whereas I wouldn’t here. I would use certain words that wouldn’t work on an audience in Scotland.”

Chloe’s show focuses on a number of social faux-pas from her own life, her red-faced brushes with celebrity, and her bad attempts at seduction, as well as a few comedy tunes on the piano.

She added: “Most of my comedy is about those embarrassing things that happen to you, and just using those cringe-worthy moments that really make your toes curl.

“My show really goes from one social fiasco to the next, and I tell a few stories that have happened to me in New York.

“There are definitely more stories in there than jokes. It’s more of an observational thing.”

Chloe Philip’s show, ‘Accept Your Inner Plonker’, will be performed at Opium, Cowgate, Edinburgh, from August 7.