Tommy Tiernan
It gives me great pleasure to acknowledge – on this, their 40th birthday – the importance of the Gilded Balloon in the history of stand-up comedy. I first started performing there around 1996 or so, when it was down at the Cowgate and it was incredible. It was the crucible of stand-up, especially the room where Late’n’Live was on. A wonderful, dangerous, combustible collision of beer-y, boozy crowds and beer-y, boozy, genius comedians. I saw some of the best people I’ve ever seen there – Phil Kay, Johnny Vegas, Dylan Moran, Ross Noble, Daniel Kitson. The list is endless and even though these people were only starting off, there was something already in them of the master. And Karen Koren managed somehow to encourage, to allow, to challenge, and to coordinate all these different energies. So congratulations! Happy birthday. Stand-up comedy wouldn’t be as brilliant without you.
Bill Bailey
I’m delighted to see that it’s Gilded Balloon’s 40th anniversary – one of the mainstays of the Fringe, an institution that I’ve been lucky to be part of over the years. In fact, my very first solo stand-up show was in the Gilded Balloon and it was what I look back on now as kind of a seminal moment. It was the point where I realised I could put on a stand-up show. Before that I’d only performed in clubs, maybe 20 or 40 mins and here I was, given the opportunity to perform for an hour. I put all sorts of keyboards in and guitars, I had a prop made, and every night I had to drag this keyboard stand out and put it up. And like so many people who perform at the Fringe, it’s always a bit of a risk – it can be quite a struggle to get to that point. And yet all of that effort, all of those gigs, the writing, the preparation, when it pays off – it pays off hugely. And so I would say to anyone that’s trying out stuff in Edinburgh – never get disheartened, because it’s a small seed that leads to bigger things. And the Gilded Balloon has been, for me, an integral part of that. So I wish it a very very happy birthday and especially to Karen Koren, the legend, the name. Karen – congratulations on 40 years of Gilded Balloon, it’s been a fantastic achievement and here’s to many more.
Aisling Bea
The Gilded Balloon holds such a special place for me, having lit up my stand-up career in 2012 when I won So You Think You’re Funny?. I had no idea what a big, prestigious deal that would be or how many doors it would open as a newbie on the stand-up circuit. I look back now and see it was part of the tide turning meaningfully for women in comedy. I am watching Below Deck as I write this, but I think the venue has been such a steady ship for so many, because it has been captained by tour de force Karen Koren who has fiercely navigated many shaky seas in our industry and that is no mean feat. She and her hearty crew have supported and unearthed so much treasure…. Okay, I will stop with the analogy now before we get to seamen.
Maisie Adam
I cannot believe the wonderful Gilded Balloon is 40 years old – it doesn’t look a day over 21! I’m so grateful for loads of stuff that it’s given me, the number one though – I was lucky enough to win SYTYF? back in 2017 and I’ll be forever grateful for the opportunities that gave me. The memory of hearing David O’Doherty announce me as the winner and Karen Koren giving me that big hug on stage felt electric. I spent the rest of the night being surrounded by comedy heroes, giving me their advice and saying what I should do next and where to go from here. Off the back of that I got signed, and it was all made possible by Gilded Balloon and that competition. Also…great party, such a good party! I don’t think I stopped dancing – here’s to many more parties, many more competitions, many more laughs.
Michelle Brasier
Gilded Balloon changed my life. It’s as simple as that. I wouldn’t be who I am without the Korens and without that big pink balloon. Finding a second family half way around the world is such a privilege. They have this incredible belief in their artists. It’s home.
40 Years of Fringe: Bill Bailey, Gilded Balloon Auditorium, 25 Aug, 1pm; Aisling Bea, Gilded Balloon Doonstairs, 19-21 Aug, 7pm; Michelle Brasier: It’s a Shame We Won’t be Friends Next Year, Gilded Balloon Auditorium, 30 Jul-24 Aug, 7.30pm