Simon Hennessy on "divi... - Financial Unions

From downloading TikTok to taking on the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Simon Hennessy has come a long way in four short years. We caught up with the comic to find out more.

Like so many of us, Simon Hennessy found himself 'bored in the house and in the house bored' during the first lockdown of 2020. Unlike most, though, he ditched banana bread baking and Tiger King viewing in pursuit of something a little more creative.

Downloading TikTok, he quickly discovered a talent for producing viral-worth sketches with fan-favourite satirical characters like Remy (the French guy in your class with terrible English) and Breffney (a south Dublin lad prepping for social interactions).

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An immediate hit with Irish audiences, the comic found himself on stage just two years later, performing in front of a packed room alongside fellow funnymen Killian Sundermann and Michael Fry. A transition that Hennessy says came quite naturally.

"I mean, as a natural attention seeker, I absolutely loved it," he deadpans. "The moment the doors opened and I could get some adoration to my face, it felt like the attention I deserved."

"No, I don't know if I'd go that far," he laughs. "It is obviously great to have the videos get some attention, but, in deep COVID, it really was just numbers on a screen.

"It's hard for that to feel all that real, whereas it's much more of a tactile thing when you see someone in a crowd laughing at what you're saying, or you have someone come up to you in the street and say they like your stuff."

With two years of performances behind him, and having signed with The Collaboration Agency, the Dublin man is now gearing up to take on his first Edinburgh Fringe with an hour of songs, sketches, stand-up, and some 'familiar faces'.

"I'm off tomorrow to do the London preview show," he says. "Then I'm back and going to All Together Now in Waterford, where I'm doing a set, and then I'm off to Edinburgh for the Fringe and then I'm back for Dublin Fringe."

The world's largest performing arts festival, the Edinburgh Fringe is known to challenge even the hardiest of performers, with thousands of shows happening across hundreds of venues every single day for the entire month of August.

"This will be my first time diving into the madness," he confirms. "I don't know, Berocca Boost? That's hopefully going to be the secret to my success."

Wisely opting for two weeks of shows as opposed to the full run, Hennessy says that his peers have given him plenty of advice in the lead up ("I have milked every contact I have").

The show in question, Notice Box, will be Hennessy's second solo hour and is set to deliver surprising appearances from his online characters and a selection of musical numbers.

"The show is kind of about living on your phone, and the weird ways that we all live on our phones, and particularly from the perspective of me, who, as an internet comedian, is probably more chronically online than most," he explains.

"The show is mostly comedy, obviously, it's a comedy show and I'm mostly here for laughs," he continues. "But there is also a little bit of sincerity in there in regards to that kind of love-hate relationship I have with the whole social media side of things."

Although he owes much of his success to social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, he explains that working online can be a draining experience. Taking part in festivals and live gigs, though, has allowed him to connect with other performers.

"There's a great camaraderie," he agrees, "particularly before the show, when you're backstage, and there's a big crowd waiting."

"You look around at the other comedians and you see the fear, terror and regret in their eyes and you realise you're not alone," he laughs. "Then, once you perform, you're all feeling great about it.

"It is very nice because a lot of this job can be very solo, particularly in regards to the internet stuff, so it's nice to have that kind of shared experience, and know that others are going through the same."

As soon as his time in Edinburgh wraps, Hennessy will be flying straight back home to perform at Dublin's Fringe Festival, playing the gorgeous Smock Alley Theatre from September 19-21.

"The line-up is always class," he says of the festival. "It's brilliant this year. Almost too good, you know? Like, did they have to put quite so many very funny people on around the same couple of weeks as me? I would have appreciated a little less competition, Dublin Fringe."

On a serious note, the stand-up says that, although he'll be filled with nerves for most of the month of August, the pay off is always worth it.

"The nerves sharpen you before going on," he explains. "It's kind of a fight or flight scenario. The pay off then is when you get up and put on a good show, and the crowd enjoyed it and you know they enjoyed it, those nerves from before make it even better."

"The alternative of no nerves but no excitement and just feeling dead inside might appeal to me in the direct before stage moment," he laughs, "but I think, on the whole, it's best to get the balance of both."

You can follow Simon Hennessy on Instagram @simon_hennessy

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Culture Comedy Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Simon Hennessy on "diving into the madness" of Edinburgh Fringe