Bill Bailey, he of the perpetually receding hairline and the musical antics, returns to Cardiff ahead of a new season of In The Long Run. He catches up with Jake Andrews.
Your show Larks In Transit has been described as a look back over your career and 20-plus years in the industry. What can fans expect?
I’ve been touring this show for quite a while – we’ve taken it across Europe, around Australia and New Zealand, and we’ve just finished a run in the West End and that’s since changed into what it is now. There is a lot more music in this show. It was unintentional, but it’s turned into a right old knees-up! I’ve tried this time to get the crowd involved as much as possible.
You’ve always been well known for using music in your comedy shows. How would you describe your process of bringing these two practices together?
I like to make sure that the music is intrinsic to the comedy, rather than it be just some funny words. I think that’s given me a kind of niche. It’s certainly allowed me to experiment with some different instruments and bring things to the stage that you don’t normally hear. You don’t normally hear someone playing a theremin or a mandola, and that’s what I like to put into a show – the unexpected music that you might not have heard before. Everything and the kitchen sink thrown in.
How would you say the role of the comedian has changed over the years and how important is comedy in relation to politics and current affairs?
I think comedy is a way where we can have a laugh about something and suddenly it doesn’t feel quite so overwhelming. People today use comedy as a way to become informed but also to have a laugh at the same time; it seems to me that comedy has become a form of escapism. A way of forgetting about the realities of daily life and leaving it behind for a couple of hours. There’s a section where I talk about what’s going on and I find that it’s a way to get the audience in and to comfort them, it’s almost like I’m saying that we’re all in this together.
You’re just about to start filming the second series of In The Long Run with Idris Elba. How was it revisiting the 80s and how relevant are the themes today?
It’s extraordinary how many similarities there are with Britain today. The mid-80s was this period of great turmoil and political convulsion which hasn’t really shown any signs of letting up, but the 80s were also a time of change. There was this great energy about it creatively and certainly in the arts, it was a decade of opportunity. There were strikes and the riots, people had aspirations, they wanted to get on.
In The Long Run is set on an estate in East London; there was a lot of tension around, a lot of racism and the show doesn’t shy away from that. At the same time, it doesn’t make it a big issue of it, but it acknowledges its presence and unfortunately some of those sentiments are around today. It’s a funny, family-friendly comedy-drama but it does have a few points to make.
You’ve talked about how performing has led you all over the world. How would you describe Wales’ national identity and is there anything unique about performing here?
Well my mother’s family came from Wales and I still have relatives here. As a child I have vivid memories of my grandparents speaking Welsh, and in fact some of my fondest memories from when I was a kid would be in Wales. My whole family in a tent in south Wales, me and my cousins playing on the beach. It was my first experience of another country – going over the Severn Bridge became this symbolic passage into another world which was fantastic. The gigs are great, something I always look forward to. The last time I was in Swansea we used the recording for [2001 DVD] Bewilderness.
Bill Bailey: Larks In Transit, Cardiff Motorpoint Arena, Sat 18 May. Tickets: £41. Info: 029 2022 4488 / www.motorpointarenacardiff.co.uk