He was awarded Best Newcomer at 2019’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival (with his debut solo stand-up show) and Blake Freeman comes across as the ultimate chiller.
He has many weird stories to share (eg. one of Blake’s duties when he worked at a hospital was creating files for newborn babies and checking a box to denote their “marital status”!?), which form the basis of his latest show: Killah.
Explore Melbourne’s latest arts and stage news, features, festivals, interviews and reviews here.
“It sounds like a pyramid scheme. I don’t really know what a pyramid scheme is..” – Blake’s like an amusing, eager-to-impress younger cousin who drops semi-regular c-bombs and often punctuates his material with “You know what I mean?” And sometimes we don’t – who else even thinks about the life cycle of their great grandpa’s belt let alone threading it through a comedy bit? But, don’t worry, Blake’s aware, even recalling a previous audience member recently wondered aloud, mid-show: “Why is this happening?”
Throughout the course of Killah, 27-year-old Blake reveals he’s had haemorrhoids, is proudly in therapy (aka “establishing independence over your own problems”) and rates Nickelback (How You Remind Me reduces him to tears on the reg, apparently).
His “proper posh” English partner is the subject of much Killah material and, I mean, picturing Blake in the appropriate Woolies aisle trying to decide which flavoured chips best say “I care about your consent” – what a hoot! (Decision: light and tangy.) Fittingly, Killah concludes thus: sometimes in life you “don’t get the conclusion you want”.
Sidenote: We’re still judging Blake for admitting he threw a perfectly good donut into the Yarra for no apparent reason – who does that?
Pre-show music: A sped-up version of Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) by Billy Joel (the one that goes, “…heart attack-ack-ack-ack-ack-ack”).
Best bit: Blake’s impersonation of his “dodgy as fuck”, meth-head older cousin at the family Christmas Day get-together.
Blake Freeman’s Killah will be at the Mantra on Russell from March 30 until April 23 as part of Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Buy tickets here.
