Vittorio Angelone on Kneecap, the Troubles and the Edinburgh Fringe

The National

3 days ago

The Irish-Italian comedian is no stranger to voicing his own opinion, having made a name for himself online with nearly 500,000 followers across social media.
He made his Edinburgh Fringe debut in 2022, where he was nominated for Best Newcomer at the [[Edinburgh]] Comedy Awards.
This year, Angelone returns with his brand new show, "you can't Say Nothing any more", which plays on three main themes: The concept of offensive comedy, growing up in the wake of the Troubles, and the responsibility on comedians to be activists.
(Image: Rebecca Need-Menear) On the third point, Angelone has been frequently vocal about his support for Palestine, and has frequently defended Irish rap group Kneecap, who are known for their pro-[[Palestine]] views.
The trio were recently axed from Glasgow's TRNSMT festival, with organisers citing "police concerns".
Reflecting on the decision to remove Kneecap from the line-up, Angelone said: "I think it's pathetic that they thought it's going to cause some kind of riot because Kneecap are performing.
READ MORE: I'm performing at the Fringe but fear I won't be allowed to re-enter the US
"It's a bit cowardly, especially on a weekend in Glasgow where there's far more hateful events taking place," he adds, referring to the more than 50 Orange Walks which took place in the city ahead of the festival.
He continued: "From my experience at Kneecap gigs, it's not about anybody getting hurt, it's just about high energy and expressing ourselves and having a good time.
"Maybe it does come down to Palestine and speaking out about it. But that's part of running events: You have to have a bit of balls and put the thing on, people want to see it."
In his Fringe show – which has mostly sold out – Angelone considers the "guilt" that he felt for not being around during the Troubles.
The comedian reflected on growing up in Belfast, which he described as "a peaceful place that was very recently a violent and dangerous place".
He told The National: "There is a feeling of guilt in that most adults that I grew up around are deeply traumatised, and we're sort of standing on their shoulders.
"I think there's also a bizarre, I hesitate to use the word jealousy – but that is what it feels like, especially when you're 19 or 20 – of the people who were involved in the violence.
"You just want a cause. You've got so much energy and such a lack of your own identity, you have so little self worth that I think somebody grabbing you by the arm and going, 'this is where you should point all your energy, this is the right thing to do' – it solves a lot of the problems that young people face."
(Image: Rebecca Need-Menear)
Angelone has previously described himself as "always Irish, sometimes Northern Irish, but never British". So where does he stand on Scottish independence?
"With Ireland, it feel very obvious because it's one island, and then Scotland, it isn't," Angelone told The National.
"I think we can all admit that being Scottish is a very distinct thing from being English, unless you're in Edinburgh," he joked.
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He went on: "Even though I grew up on the Catholic side in Belfast, I try to take a step back from the tribal element. I don't think the Republic of Ireland's a perfect place, and I don't believe in us being absorbed into the Republic of Ireland as it currently stands."
Angelone added that any political solution for both Ireland and Scotland had to be about "whatever gets the people a bigger say".
He told The National: "Scotland has a legitimate cultural reason, and arguably the economic feasibility, to be an independent place where everyone would have a bigger voice in how they're governed.
"I can see that as a positive."
'I've got some plots and schemes to make very stupid things happen'
Angelone's Monkey Barrell has already sold out – leading him to announce two extra shows at McEwan Hall, the historic graduation hall at Edinburgh University.
(Image: Connall McHugh) "I've never been in McEwan Hall, and I'm quite excited. My cousins graduated there, and they're annoyed that it took them four years of hard work to get there," he told The National.
"But I would argue it's probably taken me four years of hard work – this is my fourth year at the Fringe. I'm sort of graduating from the Edinburgh Fringe."
With the venue being so much bigger – at a capacity of more than 1000 people –Angelone implied that he had "some plans, plots and schemes to make very stupid things happen", particularly given his first show happens to coincide with Oasis's return to Edinburgh.
READ MORE: 'Joy, celebration and warmth' of Palestinian art to be showcased at Edinburgh Fringe
"I might have to do a little nod to the Gallaghers," he hinted.
"If you had a Venn diagram of Oasis fans and Edinburgh Fringe-goers, it would be two separate circles for the most part.
"My gig is at 11pm. I'm not sure what time Oasis are due to finish at Murrayfield, but I hope it's late enough that none of them can come to my show."
Vittorio Angelone: you can't Say Nothing any more is at Underbelly's McEwan Hall venue on August 8 and 22 at 11pm.
The show's Monkey Barrel run is sold out.