“With a string of sell-out shows under his belt, one of the UK’s fastest rising stars Aaron Wood is back with his highly anticipated Edinburgh Fringe debut hour.
Tour support for Luke Kidgell, Fin Taylor, Connor Burns and with over 100 million views online, Aaron presents a gag-heavy, relatable and heartwarming show that asks is there really more to life than this?”
Where: Hoot 3 at Hoots @ The Apex
When: 1 – 25 Aug
Your debut stand-up hour sounds like fun. What might audiences expect?
An introspective hour about who I am and how I got to this point.
Don’t let the word introspective fool you though. I’m thick as mince and only learnt it recently. I’ve been trying to use it a lot so I don’t forget. Some people use Duolingo to learn further languages.
I genuinely have a vocabulary app on my phone that teaches me new words. I’m 28 and still learning English.
What do you value the most about life?
You’re going to think I’m taking the piss but I recently treated myself to new socks. They’re bamboo and have ‘temperature regulating properties’ keeping your feet cool in the heat and warm in the cold.
They’re moisture wicking and softer than the fur of a new puppy. They’re one of the best things that’s ever happened to me and hard to beat at this stage.
TK Maxx. 6 quid. Tell them Aaron sent you.
How did you make a start as a performer? Do Fringe festivals inspire you?
I started when I was 21. I’d wanted to do it since I was around 12 but always thought it was a silly pipe dream.
I legitimately thought the only comics in the country were the arena selling Peter Kays and Michael McIntyres of the world.
I didn’t even know a circuit existed until I was about 18 so it was impossible for me to visualise it as something feasible. I look back on that and cringe at how dumb I was!
I think it’s great that literally anybody can do the Fringe. There’s no barriers to entry with things like the Free Fringe available and sure there’s costs involved that make it incredibly difficult but, I think it’s great that if you have an idea for a show there’s nothing else stopping you from doing it.
It also means that sometimes anyone just has a go, punters get to watch mental illness on a stage and god that’s fun, innit?
What are you looking forward to the most in Edinburgh?
This year I have pretty decent accommodation and I’ve stayed in some dodgy places so I’m keen for that. The first time I went up by myself I found a sublet room in a little old ladies flat. She seemed really sweet from speaking to her on email so I decided to go for it.
On arrival I instantly knew she was a little odd. She started telling me how she came to buy the flat. She said when she viewed it she didn’t really like it so turned it down but later that evening witches came to visit her in the night and told her that it was her destiny to die in the flat. Immediately I thought ‘ahh… mine too, I bet’.
She was completely insane. One night I came home at around 3am after drinking with friends to find her stood in the hallway in the dark. I put a light on, asked if she was okay and she just smiled at me and slowly walked back into her room with eyes on me the whole time.
It was like something out of a horror movie and I remember genuinely being worried she might kill me but hey it was a steal. I stayed again the next year!
Where can we see your work after Fringe?
I’m going on tour round the country in September and October. It’s my first one and I sort of took a punt on it. When I started stand up all I ever wanted from it was to tour and I figure if I don’t try then I’ll never know.
All tickets are on aaronwoodcomedy.com and they’re honestly SO cheap.
I’m dead excited and tickets have sold better than I ever imagined them to (though that isn’t difficult, I wasn’t expecting much!)