The second week of the fringe has passed and my goal of seeing 100 shows/exhibitions/happenings this month seems distant, as I have so far managed a mere 22. My goal of not being a drunk argumentative twat at 1 am in the morning is going well though.
Paul Currie – The Chorus of Ghosts Living in My Skull Keep Telling Me to Take a Shit in the Fruit Salad – Just The Tonic @ Caves – 9PM
A surrealist revivalist church meeting in which anything can happen. Brilliant clowning and unexpected hints of the personal. The sort of perfect fringe experience that grows and grows into something super-special over the month and then, all too regularly, evaporates on contact with the cruel reality beyond an Edinburgh August. I’ve been twice. Lots of the crowd are now clearly regulars, participating in a kind of ritual comic cleansing. Superbly tech’d too. My special place 2022.
Police Cops – Assembly Studios – 7pm
I am late to this party but I suspect this show is a step up. People with the skills to do proper comedy don’t usually have the skills or attitude to do music theatre too, but genuinely funny improvisations weave in and out of a tight cop-show parody script. The cast are fit and handsome, acrobatic and accomplished, and yet also ridiculous and grotesque and clownish in a classic comedy way. The jokes are smart and the musical milieu of ‘80s power rock is dead on. It takes brains to be this dumb! Who the hell are these people, and why haven’t they been ruined for ever by actual West End fame?
Thom Tuck & Tim FitzHigham – Macbeth – Udderbelly – 8.35pm
The drunken fen-lords of comedy recreate Macbeth from memory in a haze of hallucinogenic impro-fuzz, ravaging the text as is their Lordly prima nocte right. What really went on there? We only have this extract? What the fringe is made for.
Alasdair Beckett-King – Nevermore – Pleasance Dome 7PM
Great writerly material which has enough room to breathe to make it feel like it’s alive, and a well-judged and non-interventionist use of tech. Precise and very funny.
An Evening Without Kate Bush – Assembly George Sq Gardens 5.55PM
A Bush-consumed lady channels Bush fandom with persuasive charm, genuine warmth, and accurate choreography
Medea – Liz Locheed – Edinburgh International Festival – various times
A kind of fashion show promenade catwalk performance of the miserable tale in a spectacular space, with darkly comic lines performed in crispy Scottish vernacular by a brilliantly diverse cast offering finely nuanced interpretations of their roles.
Fascinating Aida – Assembly George Square – 6PM
Sophisticated satirical songs, performed by jazz-age cabaret muso-dames, with unexpected angry edges and fantastic internal rhyme schemes
Jonny & The Baptists – Dance Like It Never Happened – Assembly George Square 4PM
High energy satirical folk-pop sure to make you dance in your seat, hate the Tories, and question God.
Marvelus – All The Marvel Movies… Kind Of! – Just The Tonic Caves 6.10 PM
Two deeply humane nerds impro-comedy their way through the MCU, making massive and imaginative use of limited props. Great if you know your Marvel movies, and probably weirdly enjoyable if you don’t. Leave your stinky Marvel fan husband there and go for a prosecco.
Omid Djalili – New Town Theatre – 5.20pm
Omid sneaks social commentary and liberal satire into a show so unapologetically entertaining the audience don’t even realise they are being indoctrinated!
Jo Neary – Stand II – 12 mid-day
Superb surreal character comedy with a pin-sharp absurd vocabulary and a fluid sense of the physical from the deathless art weirdo. Unique and special.
Famous Puppet Deaths – Roxy – 6.30pm
Three talented Canadian women explore the beautiful futility of life in a succession of Edward Gorey-esque comic scenes of suffering using puppets and bits of themselves
If you like jazz art the Dovecote Gallery has an unprecedently thorough retrospective on the overlooked free-jazz/abstractionist Alan Davie, whose work mainly lies overlooked and rotting in British provincial gallery collection cellars. Ace!
The Tragedy of Macbeth – Roxy – 12 midday
The full on classic fringe treatment w live music, puppets, physical theatre etc, apparently. It blew my kids’ minds!
Circus Abyssinia Tulu – Underbelly meadows 1.30 PM
The kids said this was utterly brilliant and unaffectedly honest. They want to join the circus now.
The Road To Ballina – Gilded Ballon @ The Museum – 2pm
Jakko Jakszyk – from King Crimson? – tells the story of tracing his family and uncovering some surprises with musical accompaniment. Again, a highlight for my family talent spotters.
20 down, 80 to go.
That’s 40 shows a week, or just over 5 a day, for the next 2 weeks. Will I make it?
Peter Ould, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Tokyofist, Youtube
Tokyofist, Youtube
Leach Juice, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Etienne, Chortle.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
Keilloh, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
Borathigh5, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Sidsings000, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Guest1001, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Joycey, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
Len Firewood, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Anamatronix, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Meninblack, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Rudeness, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube
Wharto15, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Stuart, Chortle
Stuart, Chortle
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Z-factor, Twitter.
Z-factor, Twitter.
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Jamespearse, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Hiewy, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Jackmumf, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
Anon, westhamonline.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Chez, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
Idrie, Youtube
Idrie, Youtube
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Mearecate, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
Funday’schild, youtube.
Funday’schild, youtube.
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Visualiser1, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Peter Fears, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mpf1947, Youtube
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Bosco239, youtube
Bosco239, youtube
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
Danazawa, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter