Västerbottnisk afton

An evening of Västerbotten humour in mid-November with comedians Malin Jakobsson and Tobias Erehed. Malin performs her show Somliga Straffar Gud Direkt, while Tobias presents his show mixing stand-up with songs.

Malin Jakobsson comes from Vindeln in inland Västerbotten, and this is what she writes about her show: Somliga Straffar Gud Direkt How many people from Västerbotten have you seen on the airwaves? There’s basically Staffan and Bengt. Vanishingly few, in other words. You might think this is just an unfortunate coincidence, but it isn’t. In my view, it’s directly linked to the saying ‘God punishes some people on the spot’, which is frequently heard in inland Västerbotten.

It’s a saying that rings true with striking accuracy. There’s both living and dead evidence to prove it. I can list a whole host of examples from my own family. God sees and hears everything, and strikes as soon as we step too far out of line. A job on the Ica checkout in your home village – that’s about as far as you can dream. Then things start happening. You might collapse, lose a body part, get attacked by wild animals or even die.

We wouldn’t dare dream of getting up on a stage, let alone being on the telly. Good heavens, no! That sort of thing is downright life-threatening! So we’ve had to dream sideways, in secret, slipping under the radar of the Lord’s all-seeing eye.

And so we’ve grown up small and crooked, like the stunted pines that have endured their harsh lives on the bog we come from. Perhaps it also has something to do with us not really understanding culture?

Well, this is what I want to talk about, because I’ve given it a lot of thought in my thoughtful brain. Perhaps that’s where the problem lies, though – in my case, at least. Perhaps I haven’t got all my marbles; perhaps the lift doesn’t go all the way to the top. Perhaps I’m a bit behind, even though I thought I was ahead. As an audience member, you can judge for yourself.

And when the heck are the meek going to inherit this world, as it was written? It really is about time! My aunt Kerstin has offered to take care of Putin, and I’ve worked out the rest.

A one-woman show written and performed by Malin Jakobsson

Tobias Erehed is a comedian with roots reaching deep into the mountains and marshes of Tärnaby. Accompanying himself on guitar, he sings his own cleverly crafted songs about everything possible and impossible. He is one of Sweden’s most widely travelled comedians. He has performed from Ystad in the south to Kiruna in the north.