Grace Petrie brings her new show, This Is No Time To Panic! to the Stephen Joseph Theatre on 24th October. A blend of comedy and music, following on from her lauded comedy show, Butch Ado About Nothing, we caught up with Grace ahead of her visit.

This is not Grace Petrie’s first visit to Scarborough; having never shied away from political expression through music, she recalls performing as part of a benefit gig for a Labour candidate in 2019; that’s the only time she’s played here, but she has teamed up with ‘lovely Joe’, our own touring folk musician and activist, Joe Solo, a number of times. “He’s amazing,” she says. “What a local hero.” In recent years she has visited Scarborough on a more personal mission – she and her wife are in “a very long-term project” to walk around the English Coast Path. They have completed the Scarborough to Whitby stretch – “It’s just a breathtaking part of the country… the beach is absolutely stunning. I’ll be making time to get down there again!”

Known primarily for her music, the comedy side of things has developed over time, though she has worked alongside comedians for many years.  “I’ve been touring with Josie Long since 2012; and I’ve done some touring supporting Robin Ince as well. Over the years I’ve always played a little bit in comedy as well as in folk music, I think the folk singer cliché of introductions getting longer than the songs is something I’ve definitely been guilty of over the years! I’ve always really enjoyed that side of folk music and folk clubs, I’ve really enjoyed that storytelling side of it and making people laugh. When I was offered the chance to do an Edinburgh Fringe show in 2022, I thought I’ll try something different – I’ll try it without having a guitar to hide behind.”

She loved it and progressed to the place where she blends the music and the comedy. “There’s been that side to my shows, it’s always been a part of what I do; but for some reason I’ve always been scared to own the comedy label, it always felt a bit nerve-wracking… But now I’ve got two Fringe shows under my belt, I feel like I’m starting to get more confident with it.”

Starting with her previous foray into a comedy show, Butch Ado About Nothing was, broadly speaking, more personal, where This is No Time to Panic moves more into the state of the world at large. “Butch Ado was definitely a really kind of confessional, autobiographical show; personally, quite important for me to do, but it really opened up the medium of stand-up for me as a conduit to that longer-form storytelling.” Music gigs can, she explains, bring a pressure to tell a story in five minutes, but she enjoys the ‘deep dive’ and excavating a subject.

Political satire and comedy traditionally go together, and she wanted to write something exploring the role of the protest singer. She relays how she has sometimes felt conflicted about the role she was in, with people coming to her gigs and saying that they came because she gave them hope. Her conflicted feelings arose because, she explains: “I believe that hope without accompanying action is quite a negative thing… the state of the world is quite urgent and people need to stop looking for escapism, in various forms… and that can feel a little close to the bone.”

She feels an impetus to use the resource of live performances to convey deeper messages – “that’s an amazing thing, to commune with hundreds of people together over a tour; it is a big responsibility and I don’t want to waste it, there is something important to say right now…” That being said, she is acutely aware that delivering a message in a format people will appreciate and enjoy is part of the package, and I believe her wholeheartedly when she says, “I promise that it is actually a very funny show; I will sort of shout for about an hour about how terrible things are, and I promise that you will leave quite uplifted!” Recent reviews have confirmed this sentiment, calling the show by turns, hilarious and inspirational – so don’t miss out, get your tickets now.

Click here to buy tickets online.

This Is No Time To Panic, McCarthy Auditorium, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough.

Friday 24th October, £19; starts 7.45pm.  1hr50mins including interval. Recommended age 16+

For more about Grace Petrie head to her website.