Guest post by Simon Darnley
With so many acts to see at Edinburgh it can be really hard to decide which ones to invest in. Simon and his friends attended 15 shows over the weekend - the shows reviewed here made it into their top 5. If you're in Edinburgh and undecided still - why not give these a try?
Elvis McGonagall Gin & Catatonic?
5 stars
Dressed in a fabulous tartan jacket, Elvis bounds on to the stage to explain how his meticulously prepared show has been ruined by the election. Is he bitter? No way. After a bit of improvised jazz, he launches into a very humorous and thoughtful hour of poetry, impersonations, and astute political comedy like a cross between John Cooper Clarke and James O’Brian on steroids.
A rapid rate of well-crafted and often emotional poems with subjects including the pandemic, Royals, austerity, and lots about the Tories. Standouts include the Milkshake Martyr, what did you do in the plague daddy and “sorry about that”.
Elvis is a talented man; his acting chops really shine through in his delivery and every word is well honed and crafted.
This is a show that really typifies what the Fringe is all about and we fully recommend it.
Minimal audience participation, you can sit at the front without fear.
Where: Blether, Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose
When: 31 July - 25 August at 12.20pm
Liam Farrelly: Flipbook
4 stars
Liam is naturally very funny, talented and an excellent storyteller. The core of this show is a very intimate, emotional, and often painful journey of struggling to be an adult and young father in a broken relationship. Liam mixes the pathos with wider astute observations about life and old schoolboy crude gags.
There are some real nuggets in his show, the section on pets and guinea pig mental health being one example. His friend Sharkey provides flipbook annotations complementing and tying the show together (although the screen needs to be higher so everyone can see it).
As father of children Liam’s age, I had more than the occasional tear in my eye. In a world of increasingly male toxicity Liam demonstrates how you can be vulnerable, in touch with your feelings and still masculine. I'm glad I saw Liam while he is still relatively unknown. I predict big things for him.
Minimal audience participation, you can sit at the front without fear.
Where: The Stand 2
When: 1st - 25th August at 16:10-17:10
Elliot Steel
Soft Boi Core
5 stars
An experienced second-generation comedian (nepo baby) Elliot still lives at home with his comedian dad, Mark Steel. His relationship breakup and MMA fighting career suddenly must take second place when his dad is diagnosed with throat cancer.
Taking the audience skillfully and passionately though the complexities of his situations and emotions is a genuinely emotional and heartfelt experience. It's a perfectly paced show mixing deep confessional comedy with some proper edgy stuff.
I loved it and would have been proud to be his dad. I can’t recommend this show enough. A genuine soft boi core.
Minimal audience participation, you can sit at the front without fear.
Where: Underbelly Bristo Square, Buttercup
When: 31 July - 25 August (not 12) at 9.45pm
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