Emmet Quinn & Lorcan Hughes of Totally Wired! will be bringing their distinct style of musical comedy to the masses alongside stand-up comedian Paul Marsh in a show they named Don't Give Up the Day Job. We caught up with Emmet and Paul to discuss Dublin's rapidly changing comedy scene, the reality of gigging in your 40s, and how Hollywood actors are ruining the art of impressions.
Working for the Dublin Fire Brigade by day and gigging the Irish comedy circuit by night, Paul 'Deadsound' Marsh has supported some of the biggest names in Irish comedy, despite arriving to stand-up later in life.
Emmet Quinn, on the other hand, has spent over ten years gigging across Ireland, Europe, the U.K and the UAE bringing a mix of music and comedy ('museomedy', as he likes to call it) his comedy partner Lorcan Hughes.
Together, the trio are treating audiences to a "stand-up comedy show that thinks it's a play". The story of how on every stage, in every pub, in every town, there's a nobody who thinks they are a somebody, the 9 to 5 zeros to weekend heroes and what happens when the delusional meet.
"We called it Don't Give up the Day Job because that's one of the heckles you're going to hear a lot of the time," muses Emmet.
"We're all in our forties, we're all friends, and we thought we would do a tour together and hang out more and do road trips - and put on a good show," adds Paul. "
While some may think of comedy as a young man's game, with its late nights and long hours spent on the road, both men insist that it's a lot more relaxed than you would think.
"With Dublin Fire Brigade, the way our shifts work, we only work three days a week - so I can tell you when I'll be working in five years time. The clubs have been really accommodating, they'll get in touch and give me certain weekends throughout the year," explains Paul.
"It's the total opposite of comedy, being able to tell if you're working in five years time," laughs Emmet. "At this stage, for me, because we are middle aged - I hate to labour on that - you do your gig and you go home. The days of 'right, let's go [party]' are gone."
"That's gone with even the newer crowd," adds Paul. "Gone are the days, back in the 90s or the early 2000s where people would go for pints afterward. Everyone has a professional outlook on it now."
"The gig went well, now it's time for a glass of white and Netflix," nods Emmet.
Thirty years ago, if you wanted to try your hand at stand-up in Dublin there was only one venue available to you. Now, there's a constant stream of open mic nights across the city, the International Comedy Club has added a second show on Friday and Saturday nights, and every music festival in the country seems to have added a comedy stage.
While many of these changes have afforded Emmet and Paul more gigs and ample time to hone their material, it has left them struggling to keep up with the necessity of social media.
"We're finding our way with that," Emmet explains. "Foil, Arms and Hog and people like that - there is such an online presence, and it's very important, so we're moving into that. The figures go up and then they come and see you live."
He continued: "We're middle-aged comedians trying to find our way, like puppies in the dark."
As well as singing, stand-up and playing the guitar, Emmet is a dab hand at impressions. His heavy-hitters include Robert De Niro, Donald Trump, Al Pacino, and Jack Nicholson. Unfortunately, the one thing that all these characters have in common is that they are over 70 years of age.
"There are not many actors at the moment who have a hook," explains Emmet.
As it remains, Matthew McConaughey and Mark Wahlberg seem to be the last of a dying breed of actors who stand out from the crowd. Luckily, An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar seems to have inspired some new material for the comedian, whose favourite road trip hits now include Brexit at Tiffany's, Backstop Believing, and Knowing Me, Knowing EU...
Tickets for Don't Give Up the Day Job are on sale now online and from local Box Offices nationwide. Dates include The Goat Bar, Goatstown on March 22nd, The Wonkey Donkey, Cork on May 2nd and The Dew Drop, Galway on June 6th.
