The Fringe in Hindsight

Hello all,

So, I have had a bit of a break from the old blogging. I would like to say this is because I have been so busy living my busy showbiz lifestyle that I haven't found a free moment. I would like to say that, but it would be a lie, I just forgot.

So, I got to Edinburgh and managed to get my Reviewer's Pass from the lovely and very helpful people at the Fringe Media Office, despite a slight mix-up where, for some reason, EdinburghGuide had labelled me as a photographer. I have to say that when I walked out of that office, lanyard around my neck, I felt like someone had just handed me the keys to the Sun. It was awesome, after all these years as an envious outsider, I was finally part of it. I was finally part of one of the world's greatest celebrations of culture. A small cog in a huge machine, admittedly, but a cog nontheless.

However, it was only very shortly after this that I met with a problem. You see, I was very new to all this reviewing malarkey, and mistakenly thought that the reviewer's pass was pretty much a free entry to any and every event on the Fringe, and I could just turn up just before the show and wander in. Oh how nieve I was.

What I had failed to notice was a disclaimer on the back of the Reviewer's Pass which read: "this card does not guarantee entry to any Fringe events". What a more experienced reviewer (or indeed someone exactly like me who had done their research) would know is that what this pass does allow is free booking of any show on the Fringe, dependant on availability. So, for the first two days on my "job" I wandered from venue to venue, being told that the show was already sold out and that I should book for another day.

This was a steep learning curve. On the third day, I, in a slight panic, began to organise myself to book shows, sicking as closely as possible to the schedule my girlfriend had made for me. This I managed to do in a fairly short time, and very soon I was on my way to having a busy two weeks of reviewing glory.

The first show I watched was, in fact, not one I had intended to watch in the first place. I had ended up at a free fringe venue (the Edinburgh Football Supporters' Club) and the show was just starting, so I thought, why not? The performer, a very friendly Northerner called Chris Matthewman chatted enthusiastically to the rather small audience before the main event even began. It is testement to the energy of Matthewman that he maintained his positivity despite a dismally poor turnout.

This turnout, however, did not reflect on the quality of the show, a deftly performed tongue-in-cheek self-improvement seminar called "I Can Make Your Life Slightly Better" (Matthewman's website is in the link). Based on a series of embarrassing social faux pas on the part of Matthewman throughout his life, his show was an enjoyable stroll through the often hazardous path of human relationships.

I put a wee write-up of his show here because I never got round to putting one up on EdinburghGuide and I did promice the man I'd do some kind of reivew of his show, since I enjoyed myself at it.

Some other highlights of the Fringe, for your your edification:

- Emo Philips: "Please Witness My Act"

- "Kevin Eldon is Titting About"

- Bo Burnham "Words, Words, Words"

- "Bec Hill Didn't Want to Play Your Stupid Game Anyway"

- Celia Paquola: "Flying Solos"

- Ardal O'Hanlon

- Chris Addison

- Adam Hills "Mess Around"

And, just because I loved writing the review so much, a spectacularly low point of the Fringe (gaining my only one-star review so far)

- 2-Man No-Show

The comment you see below my review, I suspect, was written by one of the performers or their friends. Truely appalling "comedy". Still, it did not overshadow what was an extremely enjoyable group of shows to have watched. August t'was a fun month for Gabe.

Night you lot, and keep safe.