After almost eight months of Ballarat life, funny man Aaron Gocs is out to get a laugh from his new home town.
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For almost a decade Gocs has been cutting his teeth on the comedy circuit in Brisbane as well as more recently in Melbourne.
He found a goldmine of material through working a series of mundane jobs on construction sites and in warehouses, as well as driving a taxi.
He rose to prominence in 2016 with his ‘classic stitch-up’ skit, which attracted a cult following through YouTube, and has since made the leap into full time stand-up.
Watch his viral video here.
“It’s hard because you’ve got to really push hard to keep going,” Gocs said of the professional comedy scene.
“But I’m also thankful to be doing it. Sometimes I drive past building sites I used to be on and think ‘I’m glad I’m not doing that’.
“I’d been doing stand-up for a long time before (classic stitch-up) … which was good because I had that background, whereas some of the other viral video guys feel like they’ve got to play live and it sucks.”
Gocs made the move to Ballarat in September last year with his partner and has begun to immerse himself in country life, even securing a spot in the reserves side at Redan Football Club.
While the bulk of his work is still playing gigs in Melbourne and across the country, Gocs is now keen to encourage a new comedy culture in the city he calls home.
On Thursday, Gocs will launch the Karova Comedy Club in an effort to help foster a stand-up audience in regional Victoria.
Instead of performing, Gocs will act as the host of the show which will provide performers with a chance to experiment and test new material.
The project will start by bringing talent from Melbourne and interstate to perform, but Gocs said he hoped it would provide a platform for budding Ballarat comedians.
“If someone comes and performs in a theatre that’s a show they take to every town, whereas this might be a bit more informal.”
The first instalment will take place at Karova Lounge on Thursday night, featuring Melbourne performers Zack Dyer and Angus Gordon.