Mel Buttle is a hilarious bundle of contradictions, and she’s a package that is rapidly making herself felt in all mediums, right across the country.
Since her nomination for Best Newcomer at the 2010 Melbourne Comedy Festival, Mel has toured extensively throughout Australia, appearing at major capital city Comedy Festivals, visiting the regions on the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow and supporting Josh Thomas (Talkin Bout Your Generation, Network Ten) on tour.
Mel is most likely familiar as the author of her weekly column for Brisbane’s Courier Mail newspaper, or from her regular “Message in a Buttle” radio spot on Breakfast with Tom and Alex on Triple J. In addition she’s guest hosted on radio for Richard Fidler on Afternoons on 612 ABC, Nova’s Saturday Session with Dave Thornton (National) and Nova Brisbane Breakfast, while she has continued to feature as a regular guest on both of those radio networks. A podcast she produces with Patience Hodsgon, singer with Brisbane band The Grates, ‘The Minutes’, shot straight to number 3 on the Australian iTunes chart in its first week of release.
Mel is building a growing profile as a bespoke writer, sharing a writing credit with Josh Thomas on his ‘Everything Ever’ live show, as well as writing for corporate clients and contributing to some other sketch and sitcom TV proejcts in development.
Meanwhile, Mel’s fans follow her embarrassed misadventures through modern life on her hit Twitter feed, which often return in soupedup, larger than life embellished form as standup stories onstage.
She also credits appearances on 7pm Project and The Circle (both Network Ten). But perhaps her proudest achievement has been to score three tweets on ABC TV’s Q&A in three straight weeks.
“Buttle has the right mix of confidence and vulnerability to get the audience on side and
the material to keep them there … there is something about Buttle that brings a young
Judith Lucy to mind. It would come as no surprise if she was just as successful.”
Brisbane Courier Mail, March 2010
“With the confidence, presence and sarcasm of a young Kitty Flanagan, Buttle had the
audience eating out of her hand with some hilariously wrong stories…”
The West Australian, August 2010
‘Searingly honest wisecracker’ ‘Her potent and polished debut promises comedy greatness’ Sydney Morning Herald, April 2010
‘Gifted of rare talent’ The Age, March 2010