A voice with a natural musicality is a gift for any comedian, and Kemah Bob certainly has a wonderfully singular accent. Her Texan burr is soft but with a higher register, and there’s no mistaking her for anyone else (it might not have impressed some idiots who complained about Bob’s accent on House Of Games in 2022, but that’s people for you). However, that’s not the only reason she stands out; she’s gaining ground due to brilliant comedy skills which have led to her acting as tour support for Nish Kumar and Hannah Gadsby.

Born and raised in Texas, Bob (as her website insists, yes, that’s her real surname) came to the UK via a stint in Los Angeles. She cited absorbing a lot of BBC America and developing a penchant for the likes of silly sitcom The Inbetweeners and teen drama Skins as piquing her interest in UK culture. Plus she feels that our comedy scene is more open to riffs on gender, sexuality, mental health, and black cultural identity while noting that Britain’s health system is many steps ahead of her homeland (she gives the eye-watering expense of boob checks in America as a prime example). 

In addition to her regular stand-up, Bob has also performed as drag alter ego Lil’ Test Ease, a rapper and men’s rights activist. Questioning binary gender identity (Bob uses both she/her and they/them pronouns) and having grown up a person of colour in one of the least progressive states in the US, Bob created the FOC IT UP! comedy club and podcast, providing a safe space for women, trans and non-binary people.

Kemah Bob, The Bill Murray, London, Monday 11 March; The Old Hairdresser’s, Glasgow, Saturday 23 March, as part of Glasgow International Comedy Festival.