Meet Lolshevism: A Socialist Feminist Comedy Club
Rosie Dent-Spargo and Bobbie-Ann Jones are the women steering Lolshevism; a socialist, feminist comedy club hosted in Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds. In a sphere that has traditionally failed to include women, minorities, and marginalised genders, Lolshevism provides top tier, inclusive comedy every month - and it’s affordable too.
There’s a discounted ticket option for trade union members and, after the headliners have been paid, the proceeds go to various charities. How do they choose which charity to support each month? It largely depends on who’s being screwed by the Tories at the time...
“When we chose Mermaids it was when there was a media shit storm and the right wing media really did not like [them],” says Bobbie. “We were like, fuck the right-wing media! We’re gonna donate all our money to Mermaids!”
In February, Friends, Families and Travellers was chosen as the charity of the month “because,” Rosie tells me, “the fucking Tories are trying to make [travellers’] existence illegal…”
If it wasn’t already clear from the name, this isn’t a comedy night for a Conservative crowd. When I meet them, I have to bring up the delightfully punny genius of calling a left-wing comedy night ‘Lolshevism’. Rosie is instantly impassioned, announcing that she usually hates puns.
“I have a staunchly anti-pun agenda. I think they’re for people who can’t think of anything funnier… puns are for scabs and I disagree with them entirely!”
“Don’t pick on scabs!” quips Bobbie, who is very pro puns. It turns out that the pair of them are quite different. “She’s a nerd and I’m a jock,” Rosie laughs. “She likes anime and video games and I like lager and spitting off bridges!”
Still, they have a sisterly camaraderie that’s fun to be around, and speaks to the atmosphere at Lolshevism. The whole operation is funny, sarky, and incredibly approachable. It’s not, they insist, a particularly slick affair, but nor is it trying to be. Rosie muses:
“Lolshevism is a lesson in letting go and letting chaos reign.”
“It’s sort of chaotic but it works in the end,” Bobbie agrees. They are ruefully accepting of the occasionally haphazard nature of running a socialist, feminist comedy night in a repurposed garage doubling as a flower shop. But when it comes down to it, they do it because it’s fun, and they genuinely care about the community Lolshevism creates.
“Lolshevism is run by all queer women,” Rosie informs me. They’re only half taking the piss when they say that having an all-woman team really adds to the ‘vibe’, and makes them feel better about the times they struggle to book a woman or LGBTQ+ headliner. Platforming marginalised genders is something they really care about, but it isn’t easy to do 100% of the time.
“We do have to check ourselves sometimes and try to get more women involved, or more queer people,” says Bobbie. As a comedian herself, she’s no stranger to adapting her material depending on how Conservative or male a room a feels:
“You do feel it; the cold, hard hand of the patriarchy. Lolshevism is nice because we don’t welcome any of that knowingly.”
Political commentary seems increasingly at home on the stand-up stage, with well-known acts like Nish Kumar, Joe Lycett, and Hannah Gadsby actively pointing out inequality and voicing their support for marginalised groups. I wonder if Bobbie and Rosie feel that political comedy has any real power to create social change.
“I think if you’re anyone other than a white, straight, cis man and you’re standing at the front of the stage commanding everyone’s attention, that’s a power and a form of dominance, and that in itself is a political act,” Bobbie says. “Comedy is a really great tool to point out injustice and satirise it.”
It sure is tough out there for comedians who aren’t ‘mainstream’, but Rosie and Bobbie seem to be providing a very welcome antidote to that. Every Lolshevism gig I’ve been to has been relaxed and supportive. It feels like a safe, accessible space for comedians and audience members alike. For Rosie, that’s the whole agenda:
“If you want to work towards socialism then you have to work towards creating accessible communities. We make a place for people to come together and hang out, and I want more people to be able to experience that.”
For the most part, the crowd Lolshevism attracts arrive with fairly anti-racist, anti-misogynistic and anti-homophobic attitudes. But what would happen if someone turned up who didn’t embody the values of the night?
“The polyamorous regulars in the front row would riot!” Rosie laughs. “If you wanna get a comedy night going I’d recommend that you get some polyamorous fans, they’ve backed us from the beginning and they always bring their partners!”
In short, Lolshevism offers a special kind of magic that is absolutely at home in Leeds. This is a city full of communities making a difference in whatever small, positive way they can. For Bobbie and Rosie, Lolshevism is a space where things aren’t so scary - it’s a space of mutual support and quite a lot of laughs.
So, what’s the Lolshevism manifesto?
“Be funny. Be sexy. Be kind.”
Find Lolshevism on Facebook or book tickets on Skiddle.
