Heggie won’t miss a beat, performing for 25 nights straight.
Dry, dead pan humour with a dead set Aussie attitude and low to zero faith in people, Luke Heggie has it out for what he calls the ‘lowbreed’, and his latest stand-up show is structured around the stereotypes in question.
“Lowbreed is a bona fide insult in my neck of the woods. A bit of a grot. I am one, and yet I look down on them with genuine disgust,” he explains.
The new show from the two-time ARIA-nominated comedian, Lowbreed enjoyed a run at Adelaide Fringe earlier this month and will become the resident laugh-provider at European Bier Café from Thursday March 25 until Sunday April 18 as part of the 2021 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
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Similar to most other shows under Heggie’s belt, Lowbreed sticks to his standard not-safe-for-work content, analysing the worst society has to offer.
“It’s another solid hour of shit I’ve found annoying since the last time I did a show in Melbourne,” Heggie says. “You won’t learn a thing from watching [the show]. Not much in it for anyone under 30 to agree with though. People can bring their teenagers if they want. It’s rude, but not a patch on the language those fuckin’ little turds use.”
A beloved alumni of the MICF family, Heggie has appeared at the festival religiously over the years including performing at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s Opening Night Comedy Allstars Supershow as well as the Oxfam Gala, and has earned the prestigious titles of being a former RAW Comedy winner along with the 2017 MICF ‘comic’s choice’ Piece of Wood winner.
“It’s always been the longest festival, where you can really get your show in order,” Heggie says of his return to the festival. “If it’s no good after 25 nights, you need to tell the bloke in the mirror a few things.
“A big show like a gala is nice. Two minutes of material in front of a crowd that big turns into four minutes. You get an inside perspective of just how much popular acts can bludge when they do their own shows in theatres.
“I’ve always had a pretty good time down there,” he continues. “I’m just hoping confidence returns and people go out to shows. It’d be nice to be a full-time comedian for a little while again.”
Aside from his blunt comedic traits, Heggie is also known for his television commitments and hectic touring schedules spanning six to seven nights per week, every week. The COVID-induced blow of live performance put a strike through his stand-up streak, but Heggie handled it graciously.
“I went and got a manual job the next day and took care of business. Hard work, but what else is there to do? Sit at home and whinge about how all your work disappeared and then start begging for cash? There’s no way the public would swallow that from entertainer types. I also started a podcast like every other bastard,” he jokes.
However, the podcast deviation is no joke. Started with fellow comic Nick Cody, Mid Flight Brawl hilariously catalogues the best all time air travel rage incidents, with 53 episodes air born thus far.
“We’ve been acquaintances pretty much since I started doing stand up and immediately garnered his utmost respect,” Heggie says of his partner Cody. “He’d been begging me to work with him for about a decade, and I’ve always told him to rack off. But you know… COVID and all. Plus, we’re both obsessed with plane fights.”
Considering the joy of flying is an experience that is few and far between at the moment, it’s convenient that the European Bier Café will be host for Heggie’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival leg. The taste of Europe is certainly welcome, however Heggie hopes the reception he receives from the Melbourne crowd is a bit more enthusiastic.
Aside from our friends in the UK, Paris is the only European city that has greeted Heggie’s stand-up routine. As for their reception to his signature Australian rants – subpar at best.
“They were decidedly lukewarm toward me, but they understood more of me than Americans ever could. And if any aspiring comedians are reading this, being understood is imperative.”
Catch Luke Heggie perform Lowbreed for Melbourne International Comedy Festival from Thursday March 25 until Sunday April 18. Grab tix here.
