Crush – Free

October 1, 2010 Leave a comment

Crush – Free

Lizzy Mace/PBH’s Free Fringe

An innovative idea, with its combination of spoken word and video clips: Lizzy Mace offers an interesting concept although one that ultimately feels more akin to a self-help class in relationships than a production. Being asked to recount memories such as those of the very first crush you ever had offers the basis for a pleasant nostalgia trip, as one is able to recognise and empathise with many of the experiences mentioned. The underlining message of the production appears to be the importance of being a WOTM (woman of the moment) to an attempt to lead a fruitful life; it’s a congenial performance but one which unfortunately didn’t present much in the way of comedy.

The Banshee Labyrinth, 7 – 28 Aug (not 9, 16, 23), 1.10pm (2.00pm), free, fpp 51

tw rating: 2/5

published: Oct-2010

[Alistair  Quaile]

Taken from Three Weeks

Filed under Comedy, Culture Tagged with , , ,

Drever, McCusker and Woomble

October 1, 2010 Leave a comment

Drever, McCusker And Woomble

A collection of some of the best young Scottish musicians come together to bring an astonishing blend of traditional folk and pop music. Playing much from their album ‘Before the Ruin’ as well as pieces from their individual works, the contrast between the mellifluous songs often played with the support of a single guitar from Kris Drever and more upbeat numbers which got the crowd clapping and stomping their feet was stunning. Accompanying backing vocals from Heidi Talbot were terrific, contributing to a highly enjoyable gig from an ensemble similar in sound to Idlewild (probably due to Woomble’s influence) but with a folky edge that seems to be rather fashionable at the moment.

The Queen’s Hall, 29 – 30 Aug, 8.00pm (10.00pm), £13.00 – £15.00, fpp 183

tw rating: 4/5

published: Oct-2010

[Alistair  Quaile]

Taken from Three Weeks

Filed under Culture, Music Tagged with , ,

Manga: The Body Tights Man Show

October 1, 2010 Leave a comment

Manga: The Body Tights Man Show

3 Gaga Heads

In true Japanese fashion, this is simple but effective comedy that is appropriate for all ages. Providing a fatuous insight into Japanese culture, focusing on such things as ‘yabusame’ or archery from a horse, illustrated here with a self-propelled straw and by samurai deft with giant chopsticks, this is a novel spectacle, especially for a UK audience. The obvious language barrier doesn’t detract from the overall performance, and if anything enhances it, as their overly animated expressions and actions are hilarious. This, combined with some highly innovative physical comedy, makes for an excellent show that is a refreshing change from the standard comedy found at the fringe.

Just The Tonic @ The Caves, 5 – 29 Aug (not 16, 23), 5.15pm (6.15pm), £5.00 – £8.00, fpp 93

tw rating: 4/5

published: Oct-2010

[Alistair  Quaile]

Taken from Three Weeks

Filed under Comedy, Culture Tagged with , ,

Kissing the Goldfish

October 1, 2010 Leave a comment

Kissing The Goldfish

Cabaret seems to have bloomed at this year’s Fringe but Charlie Bicknell and Sebastian Michael are no strangers to the provocative genre, having performed at a number of previous Fringes. With a selection of various numbers – including a Sweeney Todd mixed with German medley and Grieg’s ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’ with added lyrics – they provide a good diversity of songs; However, the singing, unfortunately, is sub par, and too few moments of the show are funny, most of the material merely raising an eyebrow. The show is perhaps redeemed by the excellent keyboard skills of musical director David Harrod but generally, this is a rather average performance.

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 20 -30 Aug (not 23), 11.45pm (12.40pm), £8.00 – £10.00, fpp 85

tw rating: 2/5

published: Sep-2010

[Alistair  Quaile]

Taken from Three Weeks

Filed under Cabaret, Comedy, Culture, Music Tagged with ,

Manslag

October 1, 2010 Leave a comment

Manslag

Chuck Manslag

Chuck Manslag’s bona fide technique for picking up women is highly amusing if slightly gratuitous. A self confessed failure in the dating department, he has honed a pick up technique in an attempt to increase his success rate, the results apparently being highly positive, because he’s allegedly slept with 2037 women. His remarks and observations are entertaining, if a bit on the ridiculous side, but don’t come across as overly offensive, and both the men and the women in the audience appear to be enjoying themselves. Dealing with what is often considered a taboo subject, Chuck provides an interesting show, although I wouldn’t recommend putting his technique to the test unless you’re after a good slap across the face.

Laughing Horse @ City Cafe, 6 – 29 Aug (not 17, 18, 26), 10.15pm (11.10pm), free, fpp 93

tw rating: 3/5

published: Sep-2010

[Alistair  Quaile]

Taken from Three Weeks

Filed under Comedy, Culture Tagged with , ,

Bob Slayer’s Punk Rock Chat Show – Free

October 1, 2010 Leave a comment

Bob Slayer’s Punk Rock Chat Show – Free

Bob Slayer/Laughing Horse Free Festival

Bob Slayer provided me with an array of words I could use to describe his gig: ‘travesty,’ ‘nonsense’ or ‘you can’t really call this a show’ are equally apt. Appearing slightly worse for wear, he stumbled through what were essentially no better than drunken ramblings, abusing his assistant and constantly leaving the stage to get another beer in a crude, lacklustre performance that lacked any obvious structure. Admittedly it was their last show, but I expect there were similar results on previous nights, with the same cringe worthy awkwardness. I regret having to be so harsh, but it seems difficult to justify this dim-witted embarrassment of a debauchery when it contained no evidence of any thought or creativity whatsoever.

Laughing Horse @ The Hive, 5 – 22 Aug, 6.15pm (7.15pm), free, fpp 35

tw rating: 1/5

published: Sep-2010

[Alistair  Quaile]

Taken from Three Weeks.

Filed under Comedy, Culture Tagged with , , ,

Invisible Dot Club – By The Sea

October 1, 2010 Leave a comment

The Invisible Dot Club – By The Sea

The Invisible Dot Ltd

It’s an ingenious idea for ingenious comedy show: ‘The Invisible Dot Club’ takes you on a trip to the sea, to a misty town hall complete with Punch and Judy show, where an all star line-up of comedians lead an evening of revelry. A couple of the acts needed to be longer – it took the duration of their set for the audience to warm to their style – and avid fans may have been disappointed that much of the comedians’ material was regurgitated from their various fringe shows. For those new to the acts though, it was pure unadulterated goodness, and worth the ticket price just to see special guest compère Daniel Kitson.

Assembly @ George Street, 20 Aug, 8.00pm (12:00am), £14.50, fpp 72

tw rating: 4/5

published: Sep-2010

[Alistair  Quaile]

Taken from Three Weeks

Filed under Comedy, Culture Tagged with , ,

Laughing Cows Comedy

September 13, 2010 Leave a comment

Laughing Cows Comedy

All Female Line-Up OF The Highest Quality Stand-UP

Started as a non-profit organisation to help kick start the careers of female comedians in what is a predominately male profession, ‘Laughing Cows’ seems like a brilliant idea, but unfortunately, their show is let down by some slightly disenchanting acts. Multiple references to lesbianism and feminism made the atmosphere at times a little intense, whilst some of the material was vacuous and uninspiring. However, there were moments that shone, most notably from the compère Maureen Younger, who had noticeably been around the circuit and so knew how to engage the audience. It features different comedians every night, so there may be some good acts hidden there, but I wouldn’t count on it.

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 5 – 29 August, 6.00pm (7.00pm), free, fpp 87

tw rating: 2/5

published: Sep-2010

[Alistair  Quaile]

Taken from Three Weeks

Filed under Comedy, Culture Tagged with , ,

Edinburgh Festival Comes To An End For Another Year

September 7, 2010 Leave a comment

The huge fireworks display on Sunday night marked the end of another Edinburgh Festival, a time of nostalgia but also one of relief as the city returned to its more manageable self. Some have claimed that this year’s festivities haven’t lived up to the reputation built from previous years with only a handful of questionably brilliant performances. Regardless of whether or not you felt that Edinburgh’s August 2010 was a let down, it cannot be denied that Edinburgh remains the world’s biggest Arts Festival and a vibrant place to view a collection of performances where celebrities and outsiders can perform side by side.

Lots of hype and drama have surrounded this year’s festival, in particular the Foster’s Comedy Award where newcomer and favourite Bo Burnham (who turned twenty during August) lost out to Russell Kane for the Best Comedy award. It was also coincidently the first time that two women have been nominated for the award with Josie Long and Sarah Millican also losing out to Kane. In the Best Newcomer award it was the first time that one of the Laughing Horse’s Free Fringe shows has been nominated for an award with ‘An Audience with Imran Yusuf’ losing out to Roisin Conaty.

In Theatre, Daniel Kitson’s latest story show ‘It’s Always Right Now Until It’s Later’ has created quite a stir as has Frantic Assembly’s ‘Beautiful Burnout’ whilst ‘Gospel at Colonus’ received rave reviews at the International Festival.

All in all it has been a highly successful Festival with sales at the box office exceeding £2.67 million, 3 percent higher than last year with almost 1.95 million tickets sold for over 40,000 performances. As the Festival continues to grow, we as an audience sit twiddling our thumbs for 11 months of the year as we eagerly await what the following year will through at us.

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Don’t Be A Comedian In Northern Ireland While Drinking Your Buckfast Under A Bridge – Free

September 2, 2010 Leave a comment

Don’t Be A Comedian In Northern Ireland While Drinking Your Buckfast Under A Bridge – Free

Sean Hegarty/Laughing Horse Free Festival

Evidently new to the comedy circuit, Sean Hegarty provides a selection of one liners, anecdotes and gags with his mobile phone that do sometimes impress his intimate audience, although he is ultimately hindered by a lack of confidence. His true comedic side shines through in his off the cuff interaction with the audience, where he is able to relax and show that he can be genuinely funny. But his constant paranoia to please his audience creates an awkward tension in the atmosphere at times, and his one liners were very hit and miss. That said, he is such a likeable man (maybe it is just something with Irish comedians) that with more experience I still believe this guy could go far.

Laughing Horse@Cafe Renroc, 5 – 29 Aug, 7.00pm , free, fpp 57

tw rating: 2/5

published: Sep-2010

[Alistair  Quaile]

Taken from Three Weeks

Filed under Comedy, Culture Tagged with , ,

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