DAN THOMAS | INTERVIEW

Cardiff based grumpy comedian Dan Thomas is passionate about comedy in Cardiff and Wales. A staple of South Wales’ comedy circuit and a Welsh language comedy advocate, Dan Thomas has made waves in the industry since becoming a full time comic in 2010. Having been a finalist in the Welsh Unsigned Stand Up Awards in 2010 and the Loaded LAFTAS, as well as the winner of the South Wales Dog Eat Dog Stand Up contest, Thomas regularly performs at The Glee Club in Cardiff among others.

“I don’t talk about any specific subjects on stage, but I do often gravitate towards pop culture stuff. Usually archaic pop culture stuff, like movies from the 80s, video games from the 80s and some humorous observations about the Miners’ Strike,” says Thomas. “I got started in comedy because I was told that it was a super-glamorous and quick way of making easy money. And the other night, as I sat in my knackered 12 years old Ford Fiesta after a gig, eating a chicken chow mein with my bare hands, I realised how true that was.”

“When I was a kid my father got me into Tony Hancock,” says Thomas. “I think that hangdog misery-guts quality is something I’ve tried to capture onstage as well as in my everyday life.” This grumpy man vs world attitude is something he does remarkably well, and makes him a comedian to keep your eye on.

As a comic veteran of the Cardiff comedy circuit, Thomas believes that we’re at a crossroads in the history of Welsh comedy: “I’m a Welsh speaker and I think for the first time in the whole time I’ve been doing stand-up, there’s real momentum behind Welsh-language stand up. S4C’s doing shows and specials, and, although Cardiff isn’t perceived as being rife with Welsh speakers, Elis James’ first Welsh language show sold out in the Richard Burton Theatre. I really think comedi Cymraeg is going to be a big feature in the future of live comedy in Cardiff and Wales.”

words LUKE OWAIN BOULT