Kelly Convey @ Pleasance Courtyard

In her debut hour, So You Think You’re Funny Finalist Kelly Convey tells an autobiographical tale of her chavvy teenage years to the present day.

Review by Thomas Hamill | 03 Aug 2019
  • Kelly Convey

Kelly Convey’s first hour follows her journey from working-class upbringings in Chatham to going to university, getting a job at (fun and not horrible at all) Fox studios, getting fired as a sommelier, and starting on the road to become a stand-up comedian. 

She arrives in the room dressed in a long skirt and top but dons her Kappa tracksuit jacket, oversized hoop earrings and bulky gold chain with pride as she explains her ‘chav’ (self-professed) roots. Convey breaks the ice well with some quick, early jokes before making some observations about what she was like as a chavvy teenager in South-East London(ish). It’s friendly, a little cheeky and ultimately sets an affable tone for the hour.

As the show progresses, it becomes clear that the show is pretty formulaic. A lot of the jokes are constructed in a very formal style which becomes predictable and discredits the more effective punchlines within her set. Threads and themes fail to develop too as everything is compartmentalised and told chronologically, and there are few segways between topics.

Convey is a strong, likeable performer and makes some great observations about negative social attitudes towards the working class in the UK by exploring her emergence and reconnection with it. However, the message is diluted throughout the hour by her standard delivery and structure. 


Kelly Convey: Telephone Voice, Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker One), until 25 Aug (not 12), 7.15pm, £6.50-£10