Kurt Sterling – Australian Comedian, Edinburgh Fringe Star & Viral Sensation

 MEET KURT STERLING: SHARP, OFFBEAT & QUIETLY UNHINGED

Hailing from Woy Woy, Australia, Kurt Sterling swapped corporate burnout for the mic—and he’s been making serious waves ever since.

A 2024 Raw Comedy State Finalist, 10M+ views online, multiple sold-out Fringe runs, and even featured in The Scotsman’s Top 10 Jokes of the Fringe, Kurt’s fast becoming a name to watch. One4Review called him “one to watch”—and they weren’t wrong.

His stand-up is described as “sharp, offbeat, and quietly unhinged,” and he thrives on loose ideas, tight instincts, and raw delivery.

“I hate rehearsing sets. I write rough, get on stage, and figure it out live. The adrenaline forces me to find the right words.”

Kurt Sterling

LET’S KICK OFF – WHO ARE YOU AND WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

I’m an Australian comic from Woy Woy (a quiet beach town two hours north of Sydney).

I was a working-class boy who became a management consultant in my 20s and travelled around the world with it, then got burnt out and decided to do something fun and meaningful with my life. Still working on that… but in the meantime, I’m doing comedy.

WHAT FIRST GOT YOU INTO COMEDY? WAS IT A MOMENT, A MELTDOWN, OR JUST MADNESS?I took a few months off my corporate job and decided to try a few things I’d never done. I had an amateur boxing fight, did some salsa, and did a stand-up comedy course with a graduation show at the end.

WHO WERE YOUR EARLY COMEDY INFLUENCES – THE PEOPLE WHO MADE YOU THINK, ‘I CAN DO THIS’?

I like comedy that’s a bit off the wall – Eric Andre, Sacha Baron Cohen, Hannibal Buress. If it’s not a bit weird and insane it usually doesn’t make me laugh. Which is odd because my own comedy style is much more chill and down-to-earth.

DESCRIBE YOUR FIRST GIG – HOW BAD WAS IT? OR WERE YOU ONE OF THOSE ANNOYING NATURALS?

My first gig was a comedy course graduation, so it went really well – but it was all artificial (friends & family in the crowd). It set a ridiculously high bar, so I came crashing back to earth for my second gig, which was at a dirty open mic.

WHAT’S BEEN YOUR BEST GIG MOMENT SO FAR – THE ONE THAT REMINDED YOU WHY YOU DO THIS?

I had a big fat crush for my solo show at last year’s Fringe, with a girl I had just started dating in the crowd seeing me do comedy for the first time. One year later she’s still my girlfriend – that’s how funny I was.

AND YOUR WORST? THE ONE YOU STILL WAKE UP SWEATING ABOUT?

Early on, I got a chance to go on at a big club in Australia. I was way too new and wasn’t ready for it. I did my material to 10 minutes of silence, and then the MC came back on and apologised and said to the crowd that I’m new.

Three years (and a lot of improvement) later, I am still blacklisted from there… I don’t blame them.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE OF COMEDY FOR SOMEONE WHO'S NEVER SEEN YOU BEFORE?

Sharp, offbeat, and quietly unhinged.

WHAT’S YOUR WRITING PROCESS LIKE – NOTES ON YOUR PHONE, FULL SCRIPTS, OR WINGING IT ON STAGE?

I’ve got the notes in the phone for ideas, but then I do sit down and try to write. I never do scripts though, and I hate the idea of having to practice a set, so I free-write until I find something I think is funny, then go on stage with a couple of bullets in my head and try to figure out the exact words in the moment.

DO YOU THINK COMEDY IS CHANGING? ARE THINGS GETTING TOO SAFE OR TOO SENSITIVE?

I see my job as making the audience laugh, and as long as I’m doing that, I don’t think it really matters.

The audience tells me if they think I crossed the line by not laughing, and I always take that feedback on board and try to improve the joke or change the angle.

Ask me again in 5 years after I’ve been cancelled for the first time and I might change my answer.

WHAT’S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE COMEDIANS ARE FACING RIGHT NOW?

I think the hard part of comedy is you need to become really good at so many different skills. You need to be a good writer, good performer, you need to have improv skills, you need to be good at making posters, selling tickets, writing/filming/editing videos, social media… the list goes on.

It’s like you’re trying to get to black belt level in ten different martial arts all at the same time.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR EDINBURGH FRINGE SHOW – WHAT’S IT CALLED, WHAT’S IT ABOUT, AND WHY SHOULD PEOPLE COME SEE IT?

I have two shows this year!

Koalas & Kebabs: An hour of stand-up from myself and fellow Australian Kiyanosh Sahebi ( Raw Comedy national finalist, opened for Amir K ).

This one is for those who like Aussie stand-up and just want to relax and laugh. It's on at The Caves every night at 6:50PM.

1 Big Oops: This one is an experiment! We are three comedians, and we will take anonymous audience confessions and have to act them out on stage. This one is for people looking for something a bit wild and the chance to be involved in the show. It's on at Mash House every night at 9:55PM.

FINALLY – WHERE CAN PEOPLE FIND YOU ONLINE OR IN THE PUB AFTERWARDS?

I post a lot of comedy sketches on Instagram @kurt.sterlingcomedy, otherwise you’ll probably find me during the day sitting with a notepad in one of the coffee shops around Princes St during the Fringe.