Edinburgh 2015 Pt. 2
18th August
Simon South (@CC Blooms, 13.45, Free)
Simon South is a close-up magician with everything you expect: cards, putting £10 notes into envelopes, pretending to cut up credit cards. Unfortunately for me, it was close enough to see various sleights of hands (whole packs of cards with the same card in them, distraction not distracting enough). It did hold together with his abrupt, and sometimes aggressive sense of humour. I got the impression he was quite early on in his career and like so many acts, would have benefitted from a larger audience.
Chris Coltrane – Left-Wing Propaganda Machine (@Banshee Labyrinth, 15.30, Free)
Chris Coltrane runs the Lolitics comedy club in London (plus a podcast of the same name) and by his own admission, doesn't get invited to a lot of comedy clubs. Friendly and lighthearted in delivery the subject matter met your expectations from the title of the show. An angry reading of the political landscape plus an interesting story about his discovery of the joy of drugs. This surprised me a little, as I would have thought a comedian in his 30s would have been down that particular rabbit hole much earlier. He recognised that he was preaching to the converted, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Brendon Burns (@Liquid Annexe, 18.15, Free)
My second visit to Mr Burns this festival. I'd actually seen a preview of this show in Sheffield so sort of knew what to expect. A continuing theme of the show was an exploration of racism in regards to how white (predominantly British) people think that it's their role to judge what is and isn't racism. In case that sounds too highbrow, some of the classic Burns stuff was in their, including him hitting me with his hat and calling me a cunt at one stage. This wasn't unexpected as I was sitting on the front row.
Ed Byrne (@Gilded Balloon, 21.00, £15)
I'd never seen Ed Byrne aside from the odd bit on television, and I was pleasantly surprised by the relaxed atmosphere and sense of story-telling. A highlight was his tale of his son wanting to wear pink trainers despite the pressure from other kids at his school.
19th August
Caroline Mabey – Chaos Is a Friend of Mine (@Opium, 13.15, Free)
Another comic I'd seen a preview of in Sheffield. Mabey's style is unhinged and the show itself was centered around motherhood (just). The venue felt strange to be in: a pitch-black nightclub with sticky floors and a fairly small audience. Being on the front row (again) I couldn't really tell what the response was, but faux insanity + a small audience at first felt more like an art piece than a comedy show. This was until the final joke involving a constume where much of the narrative made a lot more sense and the long build-up made sense. Sausage roll anyone?
Aidan Killian- Holy Trinity of Whistleblowers (@The Hive, 14.30, Free)
The 'Holy Trinity' of the title is Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden, and Killian cross-references these three stories with his personal ones, including his relationship with his father. I was a little uncomfortable at one stage where he seemed to use the term 'Jew' where I believe 'Israeli' would be better placed, but the final part with the leaked Collateral Murder footage was very moving. Despite the heavy subject matter, there was plenty of humour and I also appreciated the activism.
I mentioned my problem with terminolgy to him after the show.
How To Be a Pyschic Conman (@Kilderkin, 17.00, Free)
Ash Pryce punctures the falsehoods of pyschics and charlatans with a show that owes more than a little to the James Randi documentary An Honest Liar. Covering pyschic tricks, remote viewing, that weird anaesthetic-free surgery thing they do in the Phillipines and good old conjuring, it was still a worthy show in itself, but perhaps could cover some less well-trodden terrain.
Dan Simpson: Nerdsmith (@Banshee Labyrinth, 18.20, Free)
Dan Simpson presents nerdy poetry and informally runs a competition among the audience present. The show explores different forms of poetry (wait! Don't leave) with a mathematical and scientific bent and the show finishes with the production of a graph based on audience responses. I was lucky enough to 'win' the show, although I have yet to claim my free haiku.
Testify (@Free Sisters, 20.20, Free)
In a tiny, humid staff room above the main Free Sisters, Gregory Akerman takes you through a hyperactive journey through conspiracy theories, the Bible and corresponding with the remnants of the Heavens Gate cult. In the circumstances, I almost felt like I was in a cult itself, such was the intensity. The show had incredible breadth and I'd like to see more of his stuff when it comes around again.
Alternative Comedy Memorial Society (@The Big Cave, 22.00, £5)
(Nearly) every night, Thom Tuck and friends have a drunken and chaotic showcase evening with various acts from around the fringe combined with 'permitted heckles' ('I drew you a cat!', 'I'm Nick Clegg') and church-like responses to failure ('a NOBLE failure!'). Definitely worthwhile going at least once while you're in the city.











