Kieran
Butler is a comedian with 4 years experience. He has appeared as a headliner, MC
and support act at comedy clubs in Australia, Ireland, England, Scotland and
Holland. He combines stand up with guitar driven musical comedy. His original
and parody songs are performed with genuine vocal and instrumental ability. His
material ranges from story telling to observational and topical comedy with a
hint of the surreal. He is a regular contributor to ‘MacCauley
& Co Show’
on BBC Scotland.
Short Biography
In 2003 he appeared at the Hobart Comedy Festival and performed his debut solo show ‘07 Licence to Walk’ at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. "A very good stand up comic... revealed natural ability, energy and style" - Threeweeks.co.uk (3 stars) “Excellent… The show flows smartly, never missing a beat” - Inpress Magazine "Macho, larrikin charm… Fantastically over the top... Hysterical songs" - Beat Magazine He released his debut comedy CD ‘SemiProblematic’ which sold over 100 copies.
In 2004 he toured Scotland and Holland, and performed his
second solo show ‘Cheaper than Chips’
at
the
Edinburgh
Festival Fringe. “Butler’s
plain-talking unpretentious banter, and way with an anecdote, gives him a rough
edged populist charm” -
Threeweeks.co.uk
(3 stars)
He released his
second
CD 'Live in
Ludlow'
which sold over 180 copies.
In 2005 he performed in Scotland, Newcastle, Manchester and London and appeared in the sold out ensemble show ‘Scotland 4 Australia 1’ at both the Glasgow International Comedy Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. “The show is solid from beginning to end, with the occasional hint of some real comedy gold.” - Noise Magazine (4 stars) “This original and sharp comedy from a group of really nice guys is an example of why anyone comes to the Edinburgh Fringe. Watch this space, these chaps will make it big” - Threeweeks.co.uk (4 stars)
He also wrote and performed ‘Che Guevara on the Fringe – The Tour’ which was performed at the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. “Che Guevara on the Fringe is possibly the best free show that you will see” - Edinburgh Evening News (4 stars)
Other credits
"Are you doing a Festival Show?" – 2002 Melbourne International Comedy Festival "SemiProblematic" – 2002 Melbourne Fringe Festival 2003 Raw Comedy Competition State semi-finalist 2002 FHM Joke of the Year State finalist 2005 Beat the Frog Winner - January 10th
Guest comedian: 2003 Hobart Comedy Festival 2004 Glasgow International Comedy Festival 2004 Gob Akimbo Comedy Festival, Ludlow, UK 2004 Murphy’s Comedy Tour, Holland
TV & Radio: Champagne Comedy, Melbourne Feb. 2003 – June 2004 PBS FM, Melbourne, April 2002 Fox FM, Melbourne, September 2002 Beat 106, Glasgow, August, 2003, August 2004, March 2005, August 2005 BBC Scotland, Glasgow, July 2004 – March 2006 6PR, Perth, August 2005
2003 festival reviews and media quotes: 
"The audience's loudest cheers were held in reserve for the headliner, Aussie Kieran Butler. Madcap... Impeccable delivery... a confidence others would do well to pay attention to" - Edinburgh Evening News
"A very good stand up comic... revealed natural ability, energy and style" - www.threeweeks.co.uk
"Macho, larrikin charm... Hysterical songs " - Beat Magazine, Melbourne
Detailed Biography
Kieran Butler is a stand up comedian with over 4 years experience. Since his debut performance in Melbourne in October 2001, he has toured extensively in Australia, Scotland and Holland. He has also performed in England and Ireland.
He co-wrote, directed and performed the ensemble production ‘Are you doing a Festival Show’ at the 2002 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Later that year he performed his debut solo show ‘SemiProblematic’ at the Melbourne Fringe Festival.
In 2003
he was a guest comedian at the Hobart Comedy Festival and performed his second
solo show ‘.07 Licence to Walk’ at the Melbourne
International Comedy Festival. The show was described as “excellent” (Inpress)
and “hysterical” (Beat). This led to an invitation to perform at
the 2003 Edinburgh Fringe Festival where he released his debut musical comedy CD
SemiProblematic.
An extended version of ‘.07 - Licence to Walk’ played a full season at the 2003 Edinburgh Fringe. The show was a creditable debut for a stand up comedian with less than two years experience, however, the reaction from reviewers was mixed. The controversial subject matter of drink driving (the show was based on Butler’s experiences before and after his conviction for the offence) swamped the underlying theme of redemption.
However, a one star review from the Scotsman; “tiresome and blokeish… un-pc, but not in a good way” was contrasted by a three star review from threeweeks.co.uk; “a very good stand up comic… revealed natural ability, energy and style”.
In late
2003 he cemented himself as a mid-week headliner at smaller comedy rooms in
Edinburgh. The Edinburgh Evening News wrote of one performance; “The
audience's loudest cheers were held in reserve for the headliner, Aussie Kieran
Butler… a confidence others would do well to pay attention to… impeccable
delivery”.
He performed all over Scotland and Holland in early 2004 and sold out the first pressing of SemiProblematic. He returned to the UK in June after a brief visit to Australia and performed at the Gob Akimbo Comedy Club at the Ludlow Festival. This performance was recorded and subsequently released on CD to coincide with his 2004 Edinburgh Fringe Festival show ‘Cheaper than Chips’.
‘Cheaper than Chips’ played to sold out houses and received a three star review from threeweeks.co.uk; “it is this unfussy, salt-of-the-earth blokeishness wherein his appeal lies… Butler’s plain-talking unpretentious banter, and way with an anecdote, gives him a rough edged populist charm”
In November 2004 he released the self penned comedy song 'Buckfast'. The song was written during the 2004 Edinburgh Fringe festival at the request of a listener on Beat 106. It was broadcast live on the day it was written during Kieran's regular appearence on the afternoon show during the first week of the festival. The studio version was released on BBC Scotland and was featured in The Scottish Sun, resulting in 300 hits at www.kieranbutler.com where the a version of the song is freely available to the public.
Kieran Butler is currently residing in Edinburgh and has continued to play to enthusiastic audiences and critical acclaim; “tight, well observed and exuberantly filthy” (The List), “Kieran Butler… had brilliant parodies and an armful of great jokes and stories up his sleeve” (Edinburgh Evening News) His second comedy CD ‘Live in Ludlow’ has now sold out, and he is a regular guest on the ‘The Fred MacCauley Show’ on BBC Scotland. In March 2005 he appeared at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival in the sold out show Scotland 4 Australia 1.
Further quotes from reviews of '.07 - Licence to Walk'
"Macho,
larrikin charm"
Beat
Magazine, Melbourne
"Excellent... The show flows smartly, never missing a beat. Blokey charisma, combined with a subtle confessional undertone make it easy to laugh along with him" Inpress Magazine, Melbourne
"Pushing a lot of heavily politically incorrect humour, he'll still have you barracking for him. Fantastically over the top" Beat Magazine, Melbourne
"His songs are a highlight" Radio Forth, Scotland
Detailed Credits and Appearances
Festival Appearances
"Are you doing a Festival Show?"
- Melbourne International Comedy Festival, 2002
"SemiProblematic"
- Melbourne Fringe Festival, 2002
Guest comedian
- Hobart Comedy Festival 2003
".07 Licence to Walk"
- Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2003,
- Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2003
Backpackers Cabaret
- 2004 Glasgow International Comedy Festival
Guest comedian
- Ludlow Gob Akimbo Comedy Festival 2004
“Cheaper than Chips”
-Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2004
“Scotland 4 Australia1”
- Glasgow International Comedy Festival 2005
- Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2005
“Che Guevara on the Fringe – The tour”
- Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2005
Headline Appearances
Australia
Champagne Comedy, Melbourne
Scotland
Comedy Cave, Edinburgh
Capital Comedy Tour; Kilmarnock, St Andrews, Perth
Teviot Bar, Edinburgh
Purple Venue, Edinburgh
Cafe Drummond, Aberdeen
Comedy Underground, Edinburgh
Acanthus Comedy, Edinburgh
Lighthouse Comedy, Edinburgh
Belushis, Edinburgh
Three Tuns, Edinburgh
MC Appearances
Australia
Guerilla Comedy, Bar 44, Melbourne
Fresh, Funny, Five Bucks, Railway Hotel, Brunswick, Melbourne,
Very Special Kids Charity Auction, Elwood RSL, Melbourne,
Lecuna Artist Run Space Benefit, Empress Hotel, Melbourne,
Greens Party Benefit, Retreat Hotel, Brunswick, Melbourne,
Champagne Comedy, Melbourne
Comedy Knockout, Melbourne,
Vibe Comedy, Torquay
Scotland
Steam Inn, Mallaig
Universal Bar, Glasgow
The Mint, Coatbridge
Teviot Bar, Edinburgh
Belushis, Edinburgh
England
Funny Bones Comedy Club, Whitley Bay
Laugh About Comedy, Durham
TV Appearances
Champagne Comedy, Yarra Access, Channel 31, featured comedian
February, September, November 2002, February 2003, May 2003, May 2004, June 2004
Raucous, RMITV, Channel 31 - featured comedian, October 2002
Utterbox TV, Channel 31, October 2002
Radio Appearances
PBS FM, Melbourne, April 2002
Fox FM, Melbourne, September 2002
SYN FM, Melbourne, March 2003
Beat 106, Glasgow, August, 2003, August 2004
BBC Scotland, Glasgow, July 2004 -
Beat 106, Glasgow, August 2004
Other Credits
State semi-finalist, Raw Comedy 2002
State finalist, FHM Joke of the Year, 2002
Winner, Shooting Blanks Heat 3, 2002
Guest comedian, Three Weeks Quiz, Edinburgh Fringe 2003
Columnist for Comics in the Doghouse Beat Magazine, Melbourne
Winner, Beat the Frog, Manchester, UK, January 2005
Columnist for Noise Magazine, Scotland
Brief list of venues performed at:
Comics Lounge, Melbourne, Comedy Gold, Esplanade Hotel, Melbourne
Champagne Comedy, Armadale Hotel, Melbourne, Funked up and Funny, Laundry, Melbourne, Comedy Foreshore, Milanos, Melbourne Last Laugh, Comedy Club, Melbourne, Nylon Bar, Melbourne National Hotel, Geelong, Stagetime, Royal Derby & Prince Patrick Hotel, Melbourne, Greg Fleets Real, Prince Patrick Hotel, Melbourne, Melbourne Town Hall, Melbourne, Festival Club, Hi Fi Bar, Melbourne, Spinning Wheel, 9th Ward, Melbourne, Stand & Deliver, Corner Hotel, Melbourne, Looney Bin, Melbourne, The Laugh Garage, Sydney, Hornsby Inn, Sydney, Manly Boatshed, Sydney, Strawberry Hills Hotel, Sydney, Woy Woy Leagues Club, NSW, Blacktown RSL, Sydney, Sit Down Comedy, Brisbane, Rawks Bar, Darwin, Canberra Irish Club, Canberra, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Salon Rouge, Melbourne, Elwood Lounge, Melbourne, Gryph Inn, Monash University, Melbourne, Stork Hotel, Melbourne, Brandon Hotel, Melbourne, Peacock Theatre, Hobart, Beaconsfield Hotel, Melbourne, Holyrood Tavern, Edinburgh, Bongo Club, Edinburgh, Comedy Cave, Nicol Edwards Tavern, Edinburgh, The Stand, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Tne Comedy Cafe, Amsterdam, Capital Comedy Tour, Scotland Aberdeen, St Andrews, Bathgate, Kilmarnock, Perth, Murphys Comedy Tour, Holland Oss, The Hague, Breda, Groningen, Uttrecht, Vibe Comedy, Torquay, Comedy Knockout, Melbourne, Young and Jacksons, Melbourne, International Bar, Dublin, Three Tuns, Edinburgh, The Mint, Coatbridge, Tex Mex Shenanigans, Oban, Frog and Bucket, Manchester, XS Malarkey, Manchester, Comedy Store, London and Manchester, Iguana Bar, Manchester, Jongleurs, Battersea, The Bear, Birmingham, Chillingham Arms, Newcastle, The Rex, Whitley Bay, Mirth Control, Whitby