Best Of The Fringe - 2014

Well we at PC towers are back from our August sojourn to Edinburgh ..... and although slowly recovering from the vast amount of alcohol and walking .... so as usual, here are the personal *ratings / the 'Best Of Our Fest' from the shows we personally saw:

Austentatious: (5 Star)

Improvised Jane Austen style playlet (but with largely professional and well practised cast) - Truly excellent and well performed - and worth every penny ... great reviews and you can see why.


On the Box: (5 Star)

Comedy musicians 'Bowjangles' in a TV station parody. Well performed, inventive and slickly written, its truly excellent and worth your time in even the most crowded schedule.


Henning Wehn 'Eins, Zwei, DIY': (4 Star)

Does what it says on the tin and makes you laugh. He is now a consummate comedy performer and far funnier than when on TV.


One Man Star Wars: (4 Star)

Mime, Mouth, Hands and Hans Solo. Very similar to his 'Lord of the Rings' to which he makes some allusion but still very good.


Frisky and Mannish: (4 Star)

Still very good, but compared to earlier versions of their shows there was a little bit of flatness, especially in the middle, where a 'dream sequence' seemed designed to fill a lack of material.


Winter Is Coming: (3 Star)

Australian comedy group but don't let that put you off .... however you need to watch 'Game of Thrones' to truly get all the references, and the gratuitous use of the 'C word' for no purpose, mean rating not higher.


Casual Violence: (2 Star).

Much the same as when we saw them a couple of years ago. Could do with a professional writer to harness some undoubted talent. Won't see them again.


Bears In Space: (2 Star).

Puppetry, comic skills and music. We were unimpressed, but many in the audience seemed enchanted by it. So we accepted that we 'just didn't get it' and give them 2 stars because it isn't always about us.


Neil Hamburger: (0 Star).

Apparently a Cult Icon - actually a turgid little act, obsessed with bodily fluids and foul imagery of ancient pop and film stars being forced to ingest them. When were Gene Simmons or Marilyn Manson ever 'legendary' in the last 30 years? The worst we have seen since Terry Clement: Din Times 8, for whom we once very generously gave a 1 star, but this one was so terrible, it just stinks the whole hour out and leaves you wanting a shower.

The reviews expressed on this post represent the 'personal opinion' of this blogger or those who expressed an opinion about shows to this blog only, and do not necessarily agree with other reviewers opinions. Similarly, the review stars are based on the criteria described below.

*The personal ratings system on this page are:
5 star - Exceptional
4 star - Very Good
3 star - Good or Better
2 star - Average to Good
1 star - Poor
0 star - Shouldn't be at Festival 

Edinburgh Fringe 2011

Yes, its that time again, when all at PC Towers head north of Hadrian's Wall to attend the "Edinburgh Fringe Festival". Regular followers of this thread will be aware that this annual visit to the City of Edinburgh, always results in one blog on the acts seen, and the general feel of the event.

So without further ado, here are the acts seen by us, listed under our stars of recommendation:

• Steve Pretty's Perfect Mixtape - resurrecting the art of the 'mixtape' (ask your dad kids): See review below

• Edinburgh Bloody Edinburgh - Davytheghost (comedian, storyteller, historian and published author): Suffered from having only four people in the crowd on the night. Only 35 mins material and a guided walk which wasn't an attractive option on a rainy night.   

• The Axis of Awesome -  Australia's kings of comedy rock: Very professional, but act too similar to a few years ago, and they could do with a re-invention of jokes and material to go back to five stars.  
• Matt Forde: Dishonourable Member - ex New Labour political intern, does comedy: Funny and not too PC Labourish (he even "hugged his inner Tory" after the riots), but may be a one trick pony.
• Mythbunking - Dr Glen Eusebius and Professor John Porcupig, from the ancient society known as The MythMasons: Good act, but like Matt Forde may be an act that stays the same each year. 
• Tom Bell Begins - A spoof Hollywood-style life story: Very good, got a lot of laughs, and looks to have a real chance to become a star of the festivals, although we assume he wants TV to take a look.  
• Olver: Portrait of a Serial Killer - Mark Olver kills clowns "Actual violence guaranteed": Old style comic pro, who gives off an aura of jaded been there, seen it, done it .... 16+ show which some numpty took his three children to! Was warned what was to come, refused to take the hint and then sat there grim faced at adult content. Olver added a fake telephone call from social services to the end of the show, in which he said he had no idea why someone would take their young children to an adult themed show ... cue cheers from crowd. 

• Frisky and Mannish - Pop Centre Plus - Wanna be a pop star? Think you got what it takes? Let our pop picker impresarios show you just how easy (or hard) it is - Audience participation included.   

Worst show (in our opinion):

 "Steve Pretty's Perfect Mixtape" - possibly about twenty minutes worth of humorous material, forcibly stretched to last one hour - could do with watching 'Tom Bell Begins' to see how to create a comic narrative thread.  

Best Show (in our opinion):

"Frisky and Mannish" - Pop Centre Plus: Superb comedy musical duo: Very polished act who got a standing ovation from the crowd. 

 
You can see video performances of what makes the Fringe Buzz on their website here: