19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
This Glasgow pub helps comic to Edinburgh's Fringe Fetsival
The 27-year-old says before he found out about the funding there was 'no way' he would have been able to do a show at the Fringe.
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He told the Glasgow Times: 'I couldn't have afforded it, there was no two ways about it, so I'd written it off.
'I feel like we need to keep fighting for Scottish representation.'
Calling the support 'amazing', he continued: 'Without Blackfriars and Brass Tacks, I wouldn't be doing it.
'Chris Conway has put his money where his mouth is in terms of supporting acts - there's nobody more supportive.'
(Image: Two Trolleys) Jack, from Cumbernauld, previously worked in a series of minimum wage jobs before he decided to 'give comedy a go' during lockdown, saying it had been 'scratching at the back of my head throughout my life'.
He said: 'I wasn't a massive fan of comedy, it was surface level, but as soon as I got into it, I was obsessed.'
Since starting his comedy career three years ago, Jack has been cutting his teeth as part of a collective called Wholesome Prison Blues who perform mixed bill shows for inmates at prisons across Scotland.
He has also taken part in the Roast Battles League and was awarded the Worldwide MVP title in 2024.
This isn't the first time Blackfriars and Brass Tacks have supported Jack, after they also funded a trip to Los Angeles May to compete in a Roast Battle at iconic venue The Comedy Store, giving him an opportunity to gain fans across the Atlantic.
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Jack's Fringe show Before I Forget focuses on the theme of Dementia which he says has affected a lot of people in his family.
He explained: 'It's about all the things I'm happy and not happy that one day I'm going to forget.
'I take the audience through dealing with the family members that have had dementia and my experience.
'Usually when you go to a Fringe show they put the sad bit at the end, but I've flipped it.'
He added: 'We're two weeks out and I'm bricking it [...] but I've got good people around me.'
(Image: Two Trolleys) Chris Conway, co-owner Blackfriars, said: 'My take on the Fringe is its almost completely inaccessible to someone like Jack because you can't afford to not work for a month and put all the money in to be there for a month.
'I think there's a lot of talent that don't go to it now because of that.
'The Fringe a worldwide thing but there needs to more of a push for Scottish acts.
'Jack is an absolute fireball of energy and comedic talent.'
Katie Palmer, of Brass Tacks Comedy, continued: "Working with Blackfriars to support Jack Traynor is one of the things I'm most proud of in my career so far.
'Blackfriars as a comedy club are so values led and the way they stepped up to support Jack financially shows that.
'Jack is one of my favourite comics in the country.
'The very first time I saw him perform I knew I had to work with him in the future. And I've never been in the company of someone funnier.
'He's a true talent and it's terrifying to think that a local act as brilliant and talented as Jack wouldn't be performing at the Edinburgh Fringe without this support.'
Jack Traynor: Before I Forget will be at Pleasance Courtyard from Wednesday, July 30 until Sunday, August 24.
