Indy C is a relative newcomer to the Townsville comedy scene but it’s doubtless she was destined to be a stand-up comic. Her first open mic at the beginning of this year had us all insisting she do it again because she’s a natural and it would be a waste if she didn’t .

I enjoy Open Mic nights and spend a lot of time at them. I’ve already discussed what I love about Open Mic nights and you see some amazing talent there, but a real potential is rarer than you’d think.

What you’re more likely to see are people who are there just to tick something off their bucket list, or the dude who doesn’t bring any actual jokes because his mates told him his wacky personality is funny enough, or the ‘fake virgins’ who come for the Best Newcomer prizes, exploiting the venue’s newbie-fetish by pretending it’s their first attempt (even though Facebook has pictures of them performing in other cities for years). Open Mics are great but I never expect new talent. Usually the fresh material comes from local comics trying new ideas.

But then there’s Indy C. She came on with the confidence and cadence of an established comic. She had actual jokes and they were funny. She also had a bit of an idea of who she is, presenting a consistent ‘voice’ thast we could grasp instantly. She wasn’t just someone who might become a comic if she works hard at it – she already was a comic, right out of the gate, and she blew us all away.

You don’t see many first timers come back, but Indy did and she proved it wasn’t a fluke: She delivered consistently for all her following gigs. I wasn’t sure how she’d go when she landed a 20-minute showcase gig a mere 6 weeks into her comedy career: I’ve seen a few of these from established comics and they’re often a best-of compilation of old bits packed with lots of fluff and filler. Not Indy: Her showcase was structured and fresh and funny. And it killed!

The last time I chatted with Indy was at Jacques Barret‘s recent comedy masterclass in Townsville and I got a bit of insight into how hard she works at writing and performing. She’s not just a lucky prodigy with talent. Real comics care about the craft, work at it and obsess about it… Indy C’s one of these.

That’s why I and the rest of the Townsville comedy community were pretty thrilled to learn that Indy entered the Australian RAW Comedy Competition this year. RAW is a big deal: It’s our biggest national comedy event and it’s made the careers of Hannah Gadsby, Ronny Chieng, Celia Pacquola, Matt Okine, Anne Edmonds, Becky Lucas and Aaron Chen, just to name a few.

My peers tell me that our RAW track record makes Townsville the funniest city in the country, producing more great comedians per-capita than any other by a long shot. We Townsville comics represent well nationally. I wish they’d have heats in NQ because it’s a lot harder for us to participate than it is for comics in down south.

So how’s Indy doing at RAW? She’s making us proud. She won her first heat. She just won the semifinals. This week she’ll be competing in the finals. I haven’t seen her competitors but I know Indy and I’d confidently place my bets on her.

We’re going to see a successful comedy career from Indy. She only started this year but this recent quote from her social media tells me she understands the capricious beast that is stand up comedy:

“The question people always ask themselves in this kind of activity is “Am I funny?”. I have learned in the last 6 months that this is the wrong question. The correct question is, “Can I be funny?”. For me the answer is – yes I fkn can!”

This is significant. When a newcomer shows potential, everyone assumes it’s talent they’re born with. Indy definitely has the natural inclination, but she works hard at it. Just because she makes it look easy doesn’t mean it’s easy! If you learn anything about comedy from hanging around at Open Mics, it’s that there’s more to stand-up than people think and a lot of people who think they can do stand up prove themselves wrong when they actually try. The “barrier to entry” is low so anyone can try… but only those who commit and work on it get to stay.

Indy’s a great comic and she’s already accounted for herself really well, but I’m confident she’s going to amaze us this weekend. In the meantime, you might like to find out more about her and her comedy stylings at her Instagram page.