“Regardless if the fringe has gotten expensive over the last couple of years, everyone somehow makes it work, fuelled by their hopes and dreams, the energy in the city is amazing.”
WHO: Pernille Haaland
WHAT: “Comedian Pernille Haaland leaves no ball unkicked as she tackles the existential crisis of her post-35, single life, realizing her hot-girl summer days are over. In her new stand-up hour, she questions slut shaming, hookup culture and emotional instability in her pursuit of truth. Can freezing your eggs relieve the pressure of dating? Is the Kardashian-dominated Instagram era exposing our innate humanity? All while everyone assumes she is related to footballer Erling Braut Haaland. With credits on BBC One, BBC Three, Netflix, Warner Bros, Discovery, NRK and TV2, she offers hope through laughter.”
WHERE: Gilded Balloon Patter House – Blether (Venue 117)
WHEN: 17:40 (24 min)
MORE: Click Here!
Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
So, this is like my 8th year performing at the fringe. I feel kind of old now, but also each year is so different and you never know what to expect. Anything can happen and does happen, like last year a seagull managed to shit in my coffee as I was walking down the Royal Mile. I wasn’t angry, I just thought “wow, here is someone who hates tourists more than the people who live in Edinburgh, impressive”.
The fringe is full of surprises, that is the best thing, you know as a punter, when you take a chance on a show and you walk in not having a fucking clue what to expect. A couple of years ago I saw a show where a clown had a popcorn machine strapped to her head while her body was covered in butter.
She was eating the popcorn throughout her act, I remember thinking “this is the fringe, this is why it is a great festival. Crazy shit like this is why we all go to Edinburgh”. I mean, that lady eating popcorn is a sight that will stay with me until I die. Another show that blew me away, was the show titled “a gorilla sits in a rocking chair eating a banana for an hour” and that is basically the whole show, a guy dressed up as a gorilla, sitting in a chair and 300 people watching and wondering “will he eat that banana?”. I remember thinking “wow, this is art”. Like what is not to love? The whole fringe is an escape from normal life and the mundane. You can watch every genre of performance and people from all over the world. As a performer you can do anything you like and be anyone you like, and there will be an audience that will find you and appreciate your contribution.
I love it when I connect to people, and they come back to see my shows, i feel like we are a weird family of misfits who understand and connect with one another. Regardless if the fringe has gotten expensive over the last couple of years, everyone somehow makes it work, fuelled by their hopes and dreams, the energy in the city is amazing. Everyone is up for it. I think it is like the best place for the whole world to gather and just be inspired together.
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
My big takeaways from 2023 is setting some boundaries. Like saying “no”, and saying it is ok to miss out on stuff. I suffer really bad FOMO and I am a terrible people pleaser, so when I get asked to do stuff I find it hard to decline. Like I don´t want to miss out on anything, but actually setting some boundaries is useful. I was doing two full shows and 7 compilation shows and napping in between on benches wherever I could find them, and like that is not sustainable. So saying no and resting up is a big takeaway. Also sleep. I feel so boring for saying it, but it really helps with energy. it is a long month and you need to go to bed at a reasonable hour to make it through the month My friend suggested drinking lemon and vinegar or something weird like that every morning, but she is also a life coach, so I don´t know if I trust her. I am not saying every life coach is crazy, but most crazy people are life coaches. I mean she probably knows what she is talking about, but so far all I have just managed to do is go to bed earlier.
I have also learnt a lot about negativity and feedback from reviewers and audience members, like everyone has an opinion and it doesn’t mean they are right and you are wrong. Even if it is good press, it is really important not to let that affect you. I think the most important thing is to stand by your work and do the best you can. And everyone cries at the fringe, it is ok, as a performer it is a really intense month. I say let it out! Also have good people around you. And give hugs. We all need hugs.
Tell us about your show.
So, my show is a standup/storytelling show and I wrote it myself. I have been work and progressing it through Europe for the past year, getting it ready for the fringe. The people who are producing it are called ShowPeople, and they are a Norwegian production company who are really amazing. The show will premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe and after that I tour Norway and Sweden, trying to juggle touring and my day job as a writer for a TV sketch comedy show on NRK.
My show is about embarking on your 30´s and saying goodbye to your 20´s, as a single 35 year old woman. It is a standup show about what I have learnt so far about coping with life, accepting responsibility and dare I say becoming an adult. I joke a lot about womanhood, hookup culture, being a slut, dating and freezing my eggs as I reflect on my life choices so far. The good, the bad and the silly.
My show is titled “Pernille Haaland: Not Related”, because I am from Norway and I share my surname with a certain famous football player, so people always assume we are related. I just thought I would make it clear that this is not the case. But, since Erling Braut Haaland isn’t going away, I thought he might as well pay for my PR? Also since he appeared on the scene last year, it kind of gave me a new audience, like I have loads of Manchester City fans who come to my shows hoping I will talk about him, and so I had to start sprinkling some football jokes into my sets. Which is really hard because I don´t watch football. So my show is a feminist anthem, wrapped in a blanket of football references to keep the sluts and lads who come to see my shows happy.
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
So this year I have some amazing friends all doing incredible work. Like my good friend, the legend Elf Lyons is up at the fringe with her new show called “Horses”. I have no idea what it is about, but I saw a bit of it at the RVK Fringe in Iceland, and I all I can say is grab your tickets now! I know it will be amazing. She is so funny and talented, wise beyond her years and truly inspirational. She is on at 21:20 pm at Pleasance Courtyard.
Another friend of mine is Luke Rollason who is such a silly and talented clown. He has a hilarious show including loo rolls and fairytales, as he wears his lycra pink tights living his best life. I just love the imagination of his work and his playfulness. I never know what he will get up to. Go see him and his clever stupidity on stage. He is on at 19:10 pm at Pleasance Dome.
And Thor Stenhaug is a really funny and talented standup comedian. He is such a great storyteller and charismatic guy on stage. Everyone kind of just loves him and his self deprecating jokes. He is also a really clean comic, so you can bring your whole family without cringing. He is on 19:05 at Laughing Horse City Cafe, Free Fringe.
Freya Mallard, I mean she just had a baby and now she is debuting at the fringe!? This woman can truly do it all. I saw a work and progress of her show a year ago and she was so hilarious and sassy. She is such a funny comedian, and if you haven’t seen her on TikTok, go watch her sketches there as well. She is on 16:35 pm at Pleasance Courtyard.
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