Mark Thomas’s Gaffa Tapes will turn the crowd into community and remind us to laugh even when the world is going ‘insane’

Mark Thomas is a seasoned comedian, using his craft to mess around, while also pointing out the political issues and injustices that he notices in society. Mark is returning to Birmingham with a show, Gaffa Tapes. There are two things that brought about the name – the first being an old advert: ‘If something moves and it shouldn’t, the cure is Gaffer Tapes. if it doesn’t move and it should, WD40. ’ The second reason was a simple word play between ‘gaffer’ and the slang term ‘gaffa’, ‘bloke who runs the yard.’ But mainly, Mark just liked it: ‘Sometimes you just have to run with a name, because you like it and it resonates with you.’

Knowing Mark, the audience can expect him to rant about the people and things that are pissing him off. To the question of what he feels most like ranting about at this very moment, he says: ‘Labour is in the target, Farage is in the target in the way he tries to excuse racism by claiming there are ‘legitimate concerns’; the Tory party are busy moving themselves further to the right than anyone ever thought possible… the world is f*cking insane! And Trump looks like he might actually win the election.’

At 61 years old, Mark recognises that young people are now dealing with the consequences of what people of his generation weren’t able to sort out. Though he stresses that in no way does he view himself as holy, he feels it is everyone’s responsibility to take a stand on what matters. When he leaves his home in London, he goes around looking for pound coins so he has a fist full of them to give out to people. ‘Not because I’m nice, but because I regard it as a sort of social tax for living in London. You can’t keep walking past people. He speaks of the housing crisis, the difficulty to find jobs, the curse of being drowned in student loans… The list is endless, just like his own list of topics to confront in his stand-up routines. But what brings people of all generations together, in his opinion, is the fact that we all live under a shared political roof: ‘If we’re talking about governments and politicians, consequently the way our lives are being led, then it affects everyone and is not just a generational thing.’ To him, comedy is a means through which people can understand and define the world for themselves.

Mark finds beauty in his ability to create a community of people from perfect strangers during the shows: ‘You’re turning them into a gang and that’s a magnificent thing!’ Every show he adapts the jokes to the vibe of the audience, whether that’s making the crowd at his recent gig in Aberdeen take accountability for allowing Michael Gove to flaunt his dancing at the local night club, or marvelling at the audacity of an audience member in Kendal to ask Mark about his prostate. His comedic strategy is ‘to be playful, trying to muck around, trying to subvert the audience’s expectations. Having something new and fresh.’ Having perfected his talent over four decades, the biggest difference between his shows now versus when he began, is his ability and range as a performer. Though he isn’t afraid to challenge the right people, he feels he is much less aggressive now, and is more focused on having fun and bringing out laughter.

In his eyes, comedy is an international phenomenon: ‘Wherever you go, people use comedy. People are funny.’ Mark isn’t bound by a singular convention of a sort of venue one might imagine comedy shows to normally take place. He has done gigs in prisons, put on a show in a refugee camp in Palestine, and is currently planning to go to Sierra Leone at the beginning of 2025 in collaboration with other artists. As he comes to Birmingham, he is sure to bring laughs out of everybody (though he did joke about allowing only two people between the ages of 18 and 32 into the show).

To purchase tickets for Gaffa Tapes, visit https://markthomasinfo.co.uk/