East End comedian Susie McCabe: 'There is mental in the world and then there is Glasgow mental'

Born Believer will roll into King’s Theatre on Saturday, March 28 as part of the Glasgow International Comedy Festival - and Susie hopes she can connect with her audience through her jokes about middle-age. 

“I don’t feel 40. I always think when you don’t have children, you are still a bit irresponsible.

“But I have kind of realised I am 40 and there are certain things that have made me realise that.

“The whole start of my show is about how I have just become an old wummin’.

"I am now going into shops and saying that is really nice bedding,” Susie laughed. 

The former electrical estimator recently became a full-time comedian after almost nine years in the game.

Her journey to a comedy career came about by chance when she signed up to do a course at Strathclyde University with a friend. 

Upon learning the news that her good pal Maz Carruthers had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Susie and another friend decided to do the course to push them out of their comfort zone. 

Maz sadly passed away in 2013 but her influence on Susie’s decision lead her to a role she was born for.

Susie beamed: “I just totally fell into it by accident but I absolutely loved it.

"My brother said I was like that since I was three. He said I would come in from school and entertain my mum and nana.

"But I never did school shows or anything like that.

"We done the course, I did my first stand-up gig and it went really well. Then from there, I have just got other gigs. I just kept going."

She added: “I just tell funny stories about my life. It is about observations in life. I don’t do puns, I do storytelling.

“I will take you on a journey of where I am and what has been happening.

“I talk about my parents, my relationships, my mates. I always try and make the joke on me.”

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Susie grew up in Garrowhill in Glasgow’s East End.  It is that early grounding that made her the funny woman she is today. She even earned Best Headliner and Best Solo Show at the 2019 Scottish Comedy Awards.

“I love this city. I am a very proud Glaswegian. I am an East End girl,” she said sipping on a latte in a cafe in her new home of Dennistoun. 

She continued: “The city has always been a big fabric of me, I think most Glaswegians are like that. 

“When I go to Glasgow, Liverpool, Belfast, Newcastle – it the same cities, it is the same people. 

“I always say when we get independence we will give them Edinburgh and we will take you. We are the same people.”

Playing to a home crowd excites Susie who has already taken the show around the UK. 

"Glasgow will laugh at itself as long as you laugh at yourself," she said. 

She added: "They are a great audience, and a great comedy audience because there is a lot of humour in this city.

"There is mental in the world and then there is Glasgow mental.

"I remember walking down Woodlands Road one day and I saw a guy in a gown in his hospital wheelchair with a drip having a fag.

"His pal just pushed him up the road straight from the Western."

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Being part of the city's comedy festival is also important for Susie who believes the event has helped her become the comedian she is today. 

She said: "That comedy festival is a wonderful learning ground for local comedians because you can really go and challenge yourself.  

"If that comedy festival wasn’t here, there is no way I would have written and produced a new show every year.

"From the success of that, I have managed to tour and get out on the road. 

"It let me grow as an act and a comedian. It forced me to write."

Having written several successful shows, Susie thinks that Born Believer might just be her best yer.

She said: "I think this is the best show I have ever written. 

"I love this show because it looks at everybody's life and we just have a laugh about the absurdities of life."

She added: "It's not about me being on the stage, it is about that whole room being together because the audience plays their part. 

"I play my part and I need to get my bit right for them to do their bit.

"Come out, sit in a comfy seat in a beautiful theatre and I will make you laugh."

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While Susie doesn't know how she will celebrate her 40th this month - she admitted that her birthday plans are a big secret and she has just blocked off parts of her diary - the one thing she is clear about is her love of comedy.

She said: "When you see that mic stand and a light it is the loneliest place in the world. 

"See that feeling that you can go up there with no instrument, slides or video, it is just you and words, that light, mic, and stage – and you need to evoke laughter. 

"It is the greatest feeling in the world."

Catch Susie McCabe Born Believer at Glasgow's King's Theatre on Saturday, March 28.

For tickets, visit www.atgtickets.com