Stokes & Summers’ Office Radio, from Britney to Daniel Bedingfield
Welcome to our Fringe Debuts 2022 series, where comedians taking their first show to Edinburgh Fringe will give you a little taster of what to expect, an insight into their world, or really super weird musings on something equally bizarre — to be honest, we just let them run with it. If you’re readying yourself for a giant lol injection in August, now’s your chance to find something NEW to add to your list.
Stokes and Summers (Kate and Claudia) are performing Careering, a show about work, the ups and downs of the modern workplace. Here they give us the ultimate playlist to keep you focused at your desk. You better work, bitch.
Hello, we are Kate Stokes & Claudia Summers and our Edinburgh Fringe show is all about work. So here’s a playlist of our favourite songs about work, ‘cause there ain’t no party like an [office] party.
Work, Bitch by Britney Spears
You wanna live fancy? / Live in a big mansion? / Party in France? / You better work, bitch
It’s the opening song to our show, and the opening song to every working day. We play it to remind ourselves that we really must WORK BITCH, because just like Britney, we would love to party specifically in France. An aggressive yet motivating song that has similar vibes to the infamous Shia LaBeouf JUST DO IT inspirational video.
Money, Money, Money by ABBA
In my dreams I have a plan / If I got me a wealthy man / I wouldn’t have to work at all / I’d fool around and have a ball*
Although we do not condone the patriarchal concept celebrated in this song, ABBA have encouraged us to pursue sugar daddies in Las Vegas and/or Monaco in order to fulfil our creative ambitions. In Kate’s case, her sugar daddy is doing a PhD in Switzerland. (He’s actually a sugar son, because he’s two months younger than her.)
*put on a show at the Edinburgh Fringe
Independent Women, Pt.1 by Destiny’s Child
All the women, who independent / Throw your hands up at me / All the honeys, who making money / Throw your hands up at me
In the words of honey Dua Lipa, we’re doing a ‘full 180’. We are in fact modern, independent women who would make Beyonce - and the other ones - proud.
The most unrelatable line of the song, though, goes to: ‘The house I live in, I bought it’. Maybe if we take Kirsty Allsop’s advice and cancel our Netflix subscriptions, we would own more than just a banged-up bike. But unfortunately, we just love watching Queer Eye too much.
Bitch Better Have My Money by Rihanna
Bitch better have my money / Pay me what you owe me
A good song to sing to your boss on pay day. Or to cashiers when you’re waiting for change. Trust us, they love it.
9 to 5 by Dolly Parton
Well, I tumble outta bed and stumble to the kitchen / Pour myself a cup of ambition
Pour yourself a cup of ambition and let us know what it tastes like. Kate thinks it’s creamy with a hint of aniseed, Claudia is leaning more towards the taste of Lucozade original.
Gotta Get Thru This by Daniel Bedingfield
I gotta get through this / I gotta get through this / I gotta make it, gonna make, gonna make it through
When you think it’s 5pm but in fact it’s only 7 minutes past 9. See also: tedious meetings that should’ve been emails.
A Hard Day’s Night by The Beatles
It’s been a hard day’s night / And I’ve been workin’ like a dog
Now, there are some important questions to ask here to determine the effort levels specified in this song, and what we should be aspiring to. Are we talking Greyhound? Whippet? Border Collie? Then The Beatles were really putting the graft in and we will follow suit. If the breed in question is a Pug, then they’re not even considered dogs anymore (apparently), and we can put our feet up. Either way, all dogs lick arses; do that at work and you’re in for a promotion. Or a sexual harrassment case, depending on how literally you take that advice.
She Works Hard For The Money by Donna Summer
She works hard for the money / So you better treat her right / Twenty-eight years have come and gone / And she's seen a lot of tears
Us too, Donna, us too. Yes, we are 28 - surprised? We know, we don’t look a day over 18. We also have a character called Donna in our show, and we can confirm she does NOT work hard for the money. Donna Summer would be disappointed.
Dead End Street by The Kinks
There’s a crack up in the ceiling / And the kitchen sink is leaking / Out of work and got no money / A Sunday joint of bread and honey
You think you’ve got problems with a crack up in your ceiling, Ray? Kate’s living room ceiling literally fell down last year. It narrowly missed our good friend Jake, and the telly (thank God the TV was alright - it was Love Island time).
Things Can Only Get Better by D:Ream
Things can only get better / Can only get better now I found you and you and you
Similar to Gotta Get Thru This, this is another anthem for those days when the daily grind is grinding you down. Funnily enough, it also happened to be number 1 in the charts on the day Claudia was born - which is nice. The number 1 song when Kate was born was “I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)” - which is… also nice. We would do anything for love, including the thing that Meatloaf won’t do.
Stokes & Summers: Careering runs from 3rd-29th Aug, 3pm, at Gilded Balloon Teviot. Tickets here
Stokes & Summers are on Twitter at @stokesnsummers and Instagram at @stokesandsummers
