COMING UP CHUMP’S: The story of Margate's Chump's Comedy
Margate’s Chump’s Comedy nights have made an enviable impression on the UK stand-up circuit in just 12 months
Kit Proudfoot, Becca Thomason and Simon Morley - IMAGE CREDIT - Joanna Bongard
This time last year a brand-new comedy show was taking to the stage for the first time at Where Else? in Margate.
Chump’s is the creation of Simon Morley, Becca Thomason and Kit Proudfoot, who have collaborated to convert the frustrations at having to travel to London to see their favourite comedians into a local stand-up brand already punching considerably above its weight.
There are, of course, very successful, long-standing comedy nights up and down the UK whose reputation for delivering a decent crowd will bag them a high-profile stand-up from time to time. But I’d wager that not too many of them are doing it on as regular a basis as Chump’s, and certainly not after less time than it takes to watch the Lord of the Rings box set.
Sam Campbell - IMAGE CREDIT - Joanna Bongard
With the Theatre Royal and the Winter Gardens both closed, Margate has been left bereft of venues with the capacity and clout to bring down comedians of note, while a jaunt to Chatham or Tunbridge Wells for a midweek laughter fix isn’t always convenient. So, five years after moving to Thanet, Simon and friend Kit decided (on a train back from Sam Campbell at the Soho Theatre) that they needed to start their own show.
With Where Else? founder Sammy Clarke as the connector and host, the pair were introduced to Becca, who also had the urge to bring quality comedy to the east Kent coast.
“... word spreads. They’re all friends. And they’re all part of endless WhatsApp groups”
“Rather than competing, I think we both had different things that we could bring to the comedy night and joined forces,” says Becca. “Simon had already come up with the name and the branding ideas, so it made life very easy for me to just wiggle in!”
While there is a very cheery central theme of people giving something a go and succeeding in this story, we should not ignore the know-how that was also at play.
In her day job Becca works at the Hackney Empire and has been programming variety venues for some years.
“I’ve always been kind of Jack of all, master of none,” she says. “So this is really nice to feel like you’ve got more ownership of the events themselves. I’ve never really worked in smaller-capacity shows at a very beginning stage. So that’s been really nice.”
Likewise, Simon came into the Chump’s set-up with a background at a record label and being around live music.
“I knew the basics of how to put on a show,” he says. “I’d been involved in them, but I’d never actually done it myself. When we decided to start this, I hit up a couple of people from a comedy night in London that I used to go to and they were kind enough to have a Zoom with me to get some pointers.
“But, to be honest, a lot of it is very obvious – booking the act, booking the venue and putting posters up around town. There’s a lot of arduous admin in between shows, but that’s the basis of how we spread the word.”
Phil Wang
CHUMS & CHUMP’S
A very quick scan of the Chump’s Instagram page will reveal just how successful the night has been in its first year. From circuit stalwarts to TV show regulars, just some of the names include Paul Foot, Ed Gamble, Sunil Patel, Rose Matafeo, Fern Brady, Sam Campbell, Chloe Petts, Phil Wang and even US star Fred Armisen.
So how have they garnered that much traction in the industry that quickly? Well, research for one, but also being nice has gone a long way.
“We’ve tried to make it a little bit different,” says Becca. “And that’s not to say that other venues don’t do that, but we just really want to understand what the comedian likes, who they might want to be on a mixed bill with.
“So we’re trying to be nosy all the time and listening to podcasts and thinking about who that person is friends with. For example, Anna Magliano and Chloe Petts, we figured out they’re good pals, so let’s get them to do like a double bill.”
Simon also managed to find out that Fern Brady was a huge coffee fan, and so got some local Margate coffee beans in.
“I’ve never seen someone receive a gift with so much joy, it was lovely,” says Becca. “They’re just the little things and we just want everyone to have a really nice time.”
Much like the small-venue live-music scene, which has absolutely been given the kiss of life by Where Else? and Ramsgate Music Hall, Thanet has been placed back on the map for touring comedy acts. The town’s growing reputation for progressive audiences and cultural creators has played a big part.
Rose Matafeo
“I wouldn’t say it’s been a tough sell,” says Simon. “To be honest, I think Margate has been a bit of a selling point itself because it’s obviously got a reputation as a queer-friendly place. And that speaks to so many of the comedians we book. Also, we live in a holiday destination – people want to come down!”
Chump’s monthly (if not more regularly) mixed-bill shows, as well as ‘work in progress’ opportunities for up-and-coming acts, have quickly gathered notoriety.
“I thought we’d be able to get people down to the shows and do regular nights, but what I didn’t see is how within the comedy industry word would spread so quickly. Like Becca was saying about looking after the acts, it sounds like we treat them a lot better than they get treated at a lot of nights in London. And yeah, that word spreads. They’re all friends. And they’re all part of endless WhatsApp groups. And I think if they have a good time somewhere they will respond to that and come back and tell their friends to come down here, too.”
A case in point was one of their most high-profile acts to date – after hosting Ed Night on their opening show, the comedian then went on tour with the renowned Phil Wang, who promptly arrived on the Thanet coast for three nights to warm up for his Hammersmith Apollo show.
The Chump’s merch has become a talking point for the comedians, too, with a number of those who have featured in Margate going on to wear it around the world on their tours, and even when appearing on TV. There is clearly a warmth of feeling towards the Chump’s experience.
“Yeah, it definitely feels like we’ve got our crew of comedians,” says Simon.
And of course it helps that the shows are selling out. In fact, it’s super-important for anyone wanting to get hold of a ticket to sign up to the mailing list online – because the announcements go out roughly 24 hours before everything appears on social media.
“Until recently I didn’t realise the power of word of mouth – I’ve just never really known anything like it,” says Becca. “Kit spends time throughout the week putting up posters and just starting conversations with people, let’s say, at Margate Bookshop – they’ll then talk to their customers about the show. And then it just spreads and spreads.”
Ed Gamble
Keeping things fresh for the audience and being careful not to oversaturate a very new comedy scene, Chump’s has also begun to put on different types of performers at different prices and in new locations including ARK, Margate Arts Club and Olby’s Soul Cafe.
“We’ve just bought some lights and a PA, so we could just pop up wherever, whenever, using some unusual spaces,” says Becca. “We’re just going to keep trying to do new places, but Where Else? definitely feels like going home at the moment. They’ve been really good to us, letting us test out all the early ones there.”
Chump’s also recently spread their wings outside Thanet for a show with Phil Wang over at Folkestone’s Quarterhouse and another mixed-bill show at menswear store Percival in London’s Soho.
“It’s definitely a Margate comedy night,” says Becca. “But if there’s an exciting opportunity elsewhere, and there’s been a few little things where we’ve said ‘OK, we’ve definitely got to do that’.”
Of course the Mecca of comedy, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, came calling.
“We are going up in August for the first time. We’ll be doing three mixed bills at Monkey Barrel, which is pretty exciting,” says Simon. “I’ve never been!”
The Chumpmas (Christmas) performance of Starstruck actress and comedian Rose Matafeo was one of Becca’s personal highlights from a year that has seen Chump’s straddle the glamour of hosting internationally famous stand-ups and the tribulations of an indie start-up. For example, having to work out a capacity figure for a venue that has never had a sit-down gig… and then going to buy the chairs.
“Part of our adrenaline actually comes from trying to get the comedians back on to the last train home,” says Becca. “On our second show we had Sam Campbell, Chloe Petts and Paddy Young. Sam was on last and it was all running over because we were quite new and just loving the comedy so much that we were trying to milk as much as we could out of the sets. I remember Paddy at the side of the stage and, as soon as Sam came off, grabbed his bag and ran out the door to get the train. They made it back, didn’t they?”
“Yeah, I think so,” says Simon.
Fred Armisen
