October is a fantastic month for comedy and one of the events that is on near the beginning is the Birmingham Comedy Festival. One of the acts that are performing is none other then the award winning sketch duo The Awkward Silence. They are set to perform on the 9th October at the Old Joint Stock Theatre at 7:30pm. I caught up with them to find out all about the show Mind Milk and what they have in store.

Hello The Awkward Silence, how are you, tell us about yourself?

We’re great, thanks. We began as a sketch act in 2011 and have been giggling since then, performing in Oxford, London, and at a few Fringes. We’re just two naughty boys who love doing comedy. And if that’s illegal, lock us up.

Tell us all about Mind Milk?

This is our seventh show. It’s about dreams and nightmares. A mad scientist forcibly removes people’s dreams from their heads in order to make content for streaming platforms. He’s a sicko, this guy. A real sicko. Because it’s about dreams we’re able to get super-weird in the sketches. We performed it in Bath, London, Falmouth, and for a short run up in Edinburgh, where we had a cracking time. There’s a character called Lenny Linguine, who sells suspiciously long linguine, and numerous allusions to a man called Lord Cream. We never meet Lord Cream. It’s for the best.

What can you tell us about your show at Birmingham Comedy Festival?

It’s our third time at the festival, but we’ve not been since 2018. It’s at the Old Joint Stock – a beauuutiful pub theatre at which we performed the last two times. 9 October, 7.30pm. For a while it was listed as ‘Mild Milk’ on the website – a funnier but much worse title. We’re going to have a cracking time. But we do need to sell more tickets.

What is the most challenging thing about doing the show?

Doing it without soiling ourselves. We’ve done it 15 times now. Still never managed it.

What have been some of the best highlights since doing the show?

Too many to mention. The time we both forgot to wear any clothes and Eamonn Holmes was in the audience; the time we realised that Eamonn Holmes was in the audience and had forgotten to wear any clothes; the time we decided to learn the show in Japanese but only I performed it in Japanese. Too. Many. To. Mention.

What is the best reaction you have had from an audience member?

In Edinburgh, as the final show ended, one man leapt onto the stage, lifted us both into the air, and yelled, “THESE ARE THE CHEEKIEST BOYS IN COMEDY!” He was almost frighteningly strong – as his was passion. It later transpired he thought we were Ant and Dec.

If people want to follow you on social media where can they find you?

On Twitter we’re @The_Awkward_S; on Instagram we’re @theawkwardsilencecomedy. On stage we’re gorgeous.

Finally in three words why should people come to your show?

We are lonely.