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Oil rig worker by day and wacky comedian by night – Meet the man whose comedy is inspired by his hometown of Grimsby

An up-and-coming comedian who splits his time 50/50 between his dangerous job on the oil rigs and performing as ‘The Hippie from Grimsby‘ has opened up about his journey into the comedy scene.

Brayden Kerr, 25, will soon perform for nine days at the world-renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival, in which comedians and performers from across the globe showcase their skills in thousands of shows across the Scottish capital city.

His show, ‘The Hippie from Grimsby’, combines hilariously controversial jokes and wild and physical “chaos” with Brayden’s storytelling about him becoming a “modern-day hippie”, in Grimsby of all places.

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It was during his time studying for a film-making degree at Leeds Beckett University that Brayden first realised he was on the “wrong end of the camera”, and decided to try his hand at comedy after being a “class clown” for most of his life.

In 2022, after his performance of ‘All Night Long’ on karaoke at The Jubilee Inn on The Wybers left punters in fits of laughter, the owner of the pub invited Brayden to perform his first ever 90-minute comedy show.

Within a year, Brayden was performing in bigger cities across the country, including six one-hour solo shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.



Brayden bases much of his comedy on being from Grimsby

Speaking to Grimsby Live, Brayden said: “I’ve always been the class clown. Growing up, making people laugh was more important than focusing on whatever else I was doing. I’d go to school with it in my mind – teachers would be talking and it was always me doing something so ridiculous that everyone would have to stop what they were doing.

“I’ve worked as a plant operator on the Humber Oil Refinery for two years, it’s quite dangerous and when I’m at work I have to be a lot more focused on what I’m doing, but it gives me that strength of mind to put into what I really want to do. My time is split 50/50 between my job and comedy.

“This is what I want to do and it’s who I want to be. It’s what I believe I’m meant to be doing, it’s pretty much my life. I don’t see an outcome for me where I’m not doing it, so the end goal for me is to become a full-time comedian.”



Brayden one day wants to become a full-time comedian

Much of Brayden’s comedy is centred on him being a “modern-day hippie” whilst living in Grimsby.

He said: “I’m doing nine days at Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year and the show is called ‘The Hippie from Grimsby’. It’s about me, my approach to life and how I found myself in spirituality and being what I call a modern-day hippie. The world makes you a bit mad, but I’ve found balance and peace by looking at things in a more humorous light.

“That’s what I base my shows on – how a crazy and creative mindset is the key to a happier life, and how I’ve figured all that out growing up in Grimsby, which isn’t renowned for its crystal healing – more so its manual labour and battered haddock. It’s not a place you’d expect to find that rhythm within a person, so it’s often surprising that someone like this is coming out of somewhere like Grimsby.”

Recently, Brayden has organised a monthly comedy show with performances by local and national comedians at Willy’s Pub and Brewery in Cleethorpes named ‘Comedy on the Coast’.

He said: “I want to make a really big comedy scene in Grimsby and Cleethorpes because it’s such an incredibly bizarre but beautiful place to be. My life has been inspired by growing up in a place as unorthodox as here, that’s what’s inspired me to be who I am. Comedy on the Coast is certainly going to be here to stay.”

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