Dane Simpson says the didgeridoo proved to be an effective marketing tool in Scotland. Photo: Chris Roe.
Wagga comic Dane Simpson is back by the Murrumbidgee after making his international debut at the iconic Edinburgh Fringe festival.
His uniquely Australian instrument was a hit while promoting his show on the streets of the Scottish capital.
“I found if I had my didgeridoo on me, so many people go, ‘Do you play that?’ And I’m like, ‘Yep’ and then they’ll take a flyer,” he says with a grin.
“They want to see comedy, but also have a genuine didgeridoo experience, because they’ve never seen it before.
“It’s still something unique in Australia, but in another country, it’s got another level to it so it was really cool.”
Despite the cobbled streets and castles, Dane says the friendly vibe made it feel like home.
“Edinburgh is obviously a major city in Scotland, but it felt like Wagga Wagga. I felt right at home and people were just so welcoming.”
Dane Simpson (left, with Thom Tuck) got a taste of the international stage at the Edinburgh Fringe. Photo: Supplied.
Dane’s back in Wagga gearing up to perform his award-winning show Didgeridoozy in front of his home crowd for the first time.
While he has performed regularly at the Riverina Comedy Club, it’s his first solo show since Origins in 2019.
“It was all about how I got into comedy and how I left my job in state government,” he says.
“I did that show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and that year was massive, I was on the road for like eight and a half months.
“It really felt like things were just taking off and then of course the world just went crazy for a couple of years and that hit me hard because I was just getting my shot.”
Despite a bumpy pandemic, Dane is well and truly back in the saddle and has performed almost nonstop since venues reopened.
He’s also diversified, working on several film opportunities, including a comedy special with Paramount+ and a zombie movie featuring several former Ramsay Street residents including Kym Valentine, Ian Smith (Harold) and Ryan Moloney (Toady).
“It’s called Residence and, if anything, it’s probably the sequel to Neighbours,” he chuckles.
“It’s really silly and they’ve been marketing it as a cult hit, but they haven’t even finished filming it yet!
“That’s very funny to me. It’s low, low budget and we’re trying to raise money with a Kickstarter so that they can finish it off.”
Dane (right) on the set of the upcoming zombie film Residence. Photo: residencethefilm.
He’s also been writing for a web series called The Emu War, but he is quick to clarify that it has little to do with the historical events in Western Australia in 1932.
“Is not even remotely historically accurate in any way,” he says.
“In the promos there’s an emu sniper, Harold Holt is the prime minister and Ned Kelly is this Asian guy that’s a stand-up comic.
“You’re either going to really, really love it or really, really hate it!”
After this weekend’s show in Wagga, Dane’s booked in to join a Melbourne Comedy tour to India and is already plotting a return to the Edinburgh Fringe.
“Before this year, I didn’t really have an interest in doing international comedy because I love working in Australia,” he says.
“But Edinburgh gave me a bit of a taste of international stuff and international crowds, and I loved it, it’s so much fun.”
You can catch Dane’s show Didgeridoozy at the Civic Theatre stage this Saturday (22 October) and purchase tickets here.
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