Edinburgh’s Stand Comedy Club needs help amid Covid chaos – Angus Robertson

Creative Scotland should consider a positive response to calls to help the Stand Comedy Club, writes Angus Robertson

Kevin Bridges has called for financial aid for comedy clubs

Covid hasn’t been a laughing matter for anyone, and its latest economic victim could be the famous Stand Comedy Club in Edinburgh and its namesake in Glasgow.

Scores of comedians began their careers at the venue on York Place. However the financial constraints from lockdown mean that redundancy notices are being issued and reserves are being depleted to keep the business afloat.

In pre-Covid times thousands of guests at the Stand Comedy Club enjoyed the infectious humour from the stage and contagious laughter of the audience. My friend the comedian Matt Forde says his gig at The Stand was the best of his tour last year. Performers including Frankie Boyle, Kevin Bridges, Limmy and Fern Brady are among the comics who are calling for a bail-out from the Scottish Government and Creative Scotland.

The Stand Comedy Club was co-founded and run by my former SNP MP colleague Tommy Sheppard who has written at length in the Edinburgh Evening News about the need for means to protect the venue through hibernation, support a sustainable business plan, and prioritise progress for restart and recovery.

Edinburgh’s cultural venues are all under immense financial pressure. Comedy sadly comes down the priority list for some people when considering the cultural community.

Having already done much to support the arts through the lockdown it would be great to see Creative Scotland stand by the Stand Comedy Club.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism.

Subscribe to the Edinburgh Evening News online and enjoy unlimited access to trusted, fact-checked news and sport from Edinburgh and the Lothians. Visit www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director