No-filter podcast stars SNG head to Mzansi

UK podcast stars Shxtsngigs, or SNG for short, are finally making good on years of South African direct messages to the duo, telling them to stop teasing and show up in person.

The pair, James Duncan and Fuhad Dawodu, will bring their Daddy’s Home tour to the Johannesburg Goldrush Dome on 24 January and Cape Town’s Grand Arena on 27 January, a trip they said has been a long time coming.

SNG has no filter, and their take on sex, relationships and pop culture has built a global following that’s taken them offline to some of the world’s biggest stages.

Not since Justin Bieber have artists transcended the divide between online and real-life at a significant scale.

Are you looking forward to coming to Mzansi?

Fuhad: We’ve wanted to come to South Africa for time. Every time we announce a show, the first comments are from South Africans telling us to stop playing around and come over.

It has been in the works for years; we just needed the right moment. We’re so excited that it is finally happening.

Did you realise you had a big following down south?

James: When we announced our first international dates in North America. We were gassed, but the South African fans were like, “Okay, cute, but when is it our turn?” Then, when we announced Australia and New Zealand last year, the comments went wild. That is when we knew we could not announce anywhere else without sorting South Africa first.

How did you turn casual chinwags into a major showstopper?

Fuhad: The podcast is just us being boys. We used to go on mad nights out, wake up feeling rough and spend the whole next day cracking up about what happened.

James dragged me into the podcast game, and at the start it was just that, laughing at each other’s nonsense and talking about shows, anime and random stories.

Then people outside our group chat started listening. We brought in the segments, the icks blew us up, and everything evolved from there.

People came for the jokes, but I think they stayed because they felt like they were in the room with us.

Do you ever draw the line or filter your stuff?

James: The show has changed over the years, but the only rule is that it has to be real, and it has to be fun for us.

We’ve cut segments that were really popular because we started to feel like we were forcing it. If we are not genuinely laughing, it does not make the cut.

Fuhad: Exactly. It is not about drawing a line; it is about protecting the heart of the show. Even though this is our full-time job now, we would never tweak it just to cash in. It is always audience first, and as long as they are enjoying it, and we enjoy making it, then we’re happy.

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From the ‘icks’ to the ‘Twitter Hall of Fame,’ which moments from the podcast still crack you up every time?

James: Being called Daddy Fantasy in the streets still kills me. Or people asking if I miss them when they are not around.

We’re just two guys chatting every week about the things we enjoy, and when something really connects, it’s funny to see how the audience reacts.

I also love it when we go to new places, and the fans there ask us what certain words we use mean or how to use them correctly.

How different is performing in front of a crowd compared to the studio?

Fuhad: There’s nothing like performing for a live crowd, the immediate feedback you get, and just being able to laugh along with a room of like-minded people who are there to have a good time.

What do you expect from a South African crowd?

James: I can just already tell there are going to be baddies dancing

Fuhad: Facts. Baddies and dancing. Bring the energy, we are ready.

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.

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