Gish brings laughs to Te Aroha

One of New Zealand’s most popular comedians paid a flying visit to a small Waikato town this week.
The self-proclaimed rockstar of New Zealand comedy, Gish wowed a capacity crowd of more than 120 people at the Palace Hotel in Te Aroha with his mix of stand-up comedy and parody songs.

Despite studying music in Wanganui after leaving school, with the intention of being a ‘normal’ musician, Gish soon realised how hard it would be for him to get noticed, so decided to combine humour with his act,  shooting to fame through television show Pulp Comedy.

“People would ask me to play a song, and then they wouldn’t really listen, so I thought if I want my music to be heard I’ll put humour in it,” he said.
Now  an established star on the NZ professional comedy circuit, the Auckland-based Gish is accustomed to playing in front of large crowds at festivals and theaters, but still enjoys getting back to his roots and playing in front of smaller crowds, despite the fact that they can be more challenging as a performer.

“[With smaller audiences] there are people throwing things out there while you’re trying to get your comedy done and people are cutting you off,  but you can see overall people loved it tonight.”
Audience member Tom Wilson, 19, said he enjoyed the rare chance to see a renowned comedian in his home town.
“It was a great show tonight, usually if we want to see big comedy acts we have to go to Auckland or Hamilton so it was cool to be able to go to something in your own town with such a famous comedian performing,” he said.
Gish will be touring Australia in June, where despite his show’s distinct NZ flavour, he is a crowd favourite.

Check out what Ethan Clark thought of Gish here.