Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2 days: reviews of the best of the Fringe

Table of contents

What’s this all about?

Every August, Edinburgh doubles in size to host the world’s 3rd largest ticketed festival. I needed a break, so I spent 2 days in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It encompasses all kinds of performing art, although comedy is the dominant type: there’s literally 1000s of acts performing during the month. There isn’t anything else like it. That’s why I travelled from Germany to visit.

So, I wrote about what I saw. 11 acts in 2 days, all comedy.¹ Scotland has the purest water comedy. Maybe you were thinking of seeing one of the acts below? Maybe you want an idea of what to watch. Whatever the case, I hope you draw something useful or interesting from my experience!

On the one hand, I’d like this to be useful to visitors to the Fringe; on the other hand, here are some words for SEO to munch on: Fringe Edinburgh Comedy Reviews Standup Best Best Best Google ChatGPT Ricky Gervais.

Disclaimer: This is not my day job, and so I realised I can write whatever I want. It doesn’t even have to be true! These opinions therefore belong to no-one.

Friday 15th August

Nish Kumar: Angry Humour From a Really Nice Guy (Work in Progress)

Monkey Barrel 3, 14:50

⭐️⭐️

Predictably angry and packed. I mean packed in all senses of the word: I don’t know why no-one mentions it, but he talks so fast, since there’s so much content! Millenials love content.

Speaking of packed, apparently millenials have terrible arseholes. Kumar dumps that load on us in about 10 minutes (quicker without doomscrolling). Raging criticism of Riyadh Comedy Festival, which I suppose is in fashion, and really, really on-the-nose digression about attacking Jimmy Carr (I flinched, and don’t support it, naturally). But like most ‘name’ comedians, it’s the off-the-cuff phrases that strike you. Although it may not be correct to use the phrase ‘like a retarded Batman’ in any context, somehow he puts it to use in a way that appears inoffensive. But it’s not! Hypocrite much😂 get t’ Riyadh wi ya. Message of the show: you’re fucked, but also you should be more angry? Tale told in rage; range is left for others, with their better curated arseholes.²

I’m knocking off a star because the person sat next to me had the most obnoxious laugh ever, braying monotonously like a failed audition for Donkey from Shrek. I recoiled every time they laughed, braced for every punchline, tried to avoid laughing in case it spilled over to Donkey. My recoiling also meant I couldn’t keep my camera steady---ergo the blurry pic above is the best I got. I’m not kidding! Not laughing obviously compromised my enjoyment of the show. Even though no-one’s to blame: like I said, I can write what I want.

Aarian Mehrabani: How’s Your Head?

Underbelly, George Square - Bluebell, 16:45

⭐️

He really wants to do this well. I want him to do well. I mean, I’m not mean, but I really mean it when I mean that when his set bombed, I don’t just mean bombed, or even bombed. I really don’t mean that. What do I mean?

Thinly veiled contempt that he (his character?) seems to hold for his audience. Undeveloped personality (of his character). Borderline insulting jabs told with sincerity aimed by him (or his character) at the audience. He (his character)‘s the reincarnation of Arsehole Woody from the initial storyboard of Toy Story.³ That is, he might think his (character’s) jokes make him edgy and aloof, but it just makes him seem like a arse. To be honest, I did catch that vibe (of his character) before attending, when I saw his video short where he(…‘s character) called up his mates (his mates weren’t in character, only him, himself being the character) after a show and chastised them for not coming to his show when they said they would. What a character (he being him), right 😉? I gave him (the character which he is) the benefit of the doubt, but alas.

Annoyed by my repetition of ‘his character’? Now you know how we, the audience, felt while Mehrabani reminded us that he’s blind every 5 seconds, bi every 10 seconds, and a minority every 20 seconds. We don’t want to pity you: we want to laugh with you.

I left after 9 minutes, as had 1/4 of the audience by then. That leaves 3/4. Perhaps he should name his next show ‘Platform of Pity for 9 minutes and 3/4 of an audience’.

Dear God, I hope he isn’t his character.

Disclaimer: I got this ticket for free from a mate who couldn’t make it. But I had another show booked and was already planning to leave halfway through. I thought I’d see what it’s about.

Hasan Al-Habib: Stuck in the Middle (East) With You

Pleasance Courtyard - Upstairs, 17:30

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/🇮🇶🇮🇶🇮🇶🇮🇶🇮🇶

I had a nosebleed listening to this gig, so razor sharp it was. That’s three senses conflated simultaneously.⁴

Clearly worked at it hard: it’s a very focused shtick that’s well-known from his comedic predecessors, like Omid Djalili. But to be honest, it’s so well-worked that no-one may manage to top it anytime soon.

He’s British-Iraqi. There’s about 50,000 people like him in the UK: grew up in the UK, raised by Iraqi parents. His heritage is used to brutal---some might (incorrectly) say invasive---comedic effect. You certainly aren’t going to get an earful of the 6000 page Chilcot report⁵ on (one of) the Iraq war(s) here. Luckily [Olga Koch](#Olga Koch)‘s got that covered.

What style exactly does he have? Bending facts to fit a faux-palimpset of loopholes in his upbringing to his advantage. Every white Brit comes from Tunbridge Wells. Being allowed multiple girlfriends because he’s Muslim. Renaming his footballing heroes David Beck and Jude Belling to respect a halal diet. All much better told in person than in writing.

I’d also like to stick my neck out…in an audience interaction (‘Who here has a PhD?’ I was the only one who put my hand up), he used his skills to get the audience onto my side and literally give me a round of applause for having my PhD. I guess it came in handy for something after all! Cheers.⁶

After the show, I got a sticker from him (referencing The Inbetweeners):

I’m going to stick my neck out a little more. I’m one of those 50,000 people like him from the UK and can attest to the accuracy of this show. He’s pulling the audience’s strings without misrepresenting British-Iraqi culture, and so I appreciate his integrity there. (Also, Sheffield is indeed better than Rotherham).

I’d keep a close eye on him, because next time, Al-Habib may well consistently be a 5-star performer. I imagine that his next career steps will be tricky to navigate, but I’m no expert.

Li Jin Hao: Falling From a Moon

Pleasance Courtyard - Above, 20:00

🌕🌕🌕🌕

What I like about his style is it’s so gentle and open. ‘Good vibes’. Pithy one-liners without pith, rolling off the tongue like music: optimising the ‘bossman-to-nuggets’ ratio, having a sleepover party on long-haul flights, and my personal favourite (probably says too much about me): his nostaliga for his best friend whenever he looks up at the deep blue sky, because its colour has the hex code #00BFF.⁷Judging by the audience reaction and accents during interactions, he seems to have his ‘London busybody’ target audience keenly impaled to the bottom of his fish-barrel.

You know what? He’s like a frog. Peaceful. In the way that a frog waiting to feast on a fly is peaceful. The fly being a pun. So, Jin Hao gives a feast of fun. A fun feast, if you will. Like a funfair. Although, fun without fair is still fun. It just has the potential to be unfair, which could be illegal, which is by definition fun. You get the idea. (That wasn’t his joke; his are better.)

Likeable guy all-round!

Free Drinks Comedy

Hoots @ Nicolson Square - Nic 3, 21:55

⭐️⭐️⭐️

(I didn’t drink anything, because I misunderstood the show’s title as a social protest movement).

Unplanned visit. I was waiting in the venue’s courtyard before my next show, since it was peaceful. A couple of flyers and the siren of a soothing scouse soliloquy (or was it toon? I’m always getting those mixed up (Hm, turns out it’s scouse, I was right)) and I popped in. I can’t remember the names of anyone that the compère introduced, but I’ve got a few photos of them above. All comics were solid and it was just a fun and relaxed vibe. Cheers!

Emily Wilson: Escape From America

Pleasance Dome - Ace Dome, 22:50

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In common with the above comedians, has her finger on the pulse of distilling beauty of human experiences into something that relates to everyone. Now stick banging tunes and Jim Carrey-esque movement arts on this midnight sundae and you’ve got a dish (baby), baby! (Cringe from me, but how else can I describe it? I’m not from New York and am not able to articulate how this act feels by drawing from my own experiences: unfortunately I can only estimate what a New Yorker may smell like, conditional on their residency there and on the use of extreme hair dyes.)

She moves like an ice skater turned boxer! Every punchline hits harder.

I really appreciate the care she showed to the front row audience member who. And the music is really, really on point. Ends on probably the best song, ‘The Load That Made It’: concentrated positive validation of literally everyone alive in the room in the most gooey way possible. I need to stop humming it. People keep giving me the side-eye.

Saturday 16th August

Rob Auton: JUPITER

Assembly Roxy - Central, 13:00

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Elusive maestro, really like no-one else. More than anything, he tells the stories that he wants to tell.

You, your expectation, is key going into this show. Be aware that it’s not straight up stand-up, rather a mix of stand-up, spoken word and drama. It’s told with static stoicism and arms-out passion in equal measure. I did recognise some material from more than 10 years ago.

You have to let yourself into Rob’s world. Otherwise it’s hard to follow. There’s a distance between him and the crowd. But every once in a while he breaks into a genuinely heartwarming smile when he cracks up at his own jokes. I tried several times to capture this on camera, but I found it genuinely impossible to predict where his routines or punchlines would bubble up. So I’d put the camera away, then he’d beam again. It’s like waiting for Argentina to foul someone and get away with it.⁸ Except in this game, everyone wins.

Eric Rushton: Could Well Be In

Monkey Barrel 2, 14:55

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Kind of like if any one of The Inbetweeners developed a actual personality.⁹ Rushton’s story of his attempt to get out of poverty at a young age is told like he’s a warrior, transcending history and the world, a tale of souls and swords, eternally retold. Be careful that he doesn’t push you off a train platform though (solid deception from Rushton to set up that bit). It’s somehow light and heavy at the same time. Gets the audience on his side through these endeavours.

Trade news cycles for ‘experiences’ like the submissive consumer you are. Experience wit, warmth and warbling one-twos. I feel like anything more I would say would ruin it, though. Just go watch it!

Olga Koch: Fat Tom Cruise

Pleasance Courtyard - Forth, 17:30

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Effervescent, structured, slick, stylish, surprising, cutting. These are all things that Fat Tom Cruise is not. The person, not the show. The show is all those things.

Koch is super-switched on, tuned into her audience. Don’t let the sans-serif black-on-white screens filling the room as flits from one joke to the next fool you into thinking she’s too rigid. Or the funny dances she does to signpost each era that she covers while she time-travels across several years. It all builds up to a pretty cool rug-pull, which I won’t spoil. Reminds me of ‘Memento’.

She has a knack for working the room. There’d be a bit where some areas of the room had a bit of a lull, then some precisely targeted joke pertaining to these different senses of humour would hit them in a cute but deadly way, like Hello Kitty attacking Pearl Harbour.

Speaking of which, I bought the following cap after the show.

I liked that punchline a lot, ergo I bought the cap. But I couldn’t remember the setup to the joke. I asked some of the staff at Pleasance who saw the show, but we all drew blanks. The cap looks nice, but now I feel slightly silly for buying it. Can anyone help me remember how Koch set up the punchline? I didn’t have time to watch the show a second time. If you know, do get in touch! If not, please share this with someone who might know!

Kristen Schaal: The Legend of Crystal Shell

Pleasance Courtyard - Forth, 19:00

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Let’s see if I can write this without resorting to the word ‘oddball’ like the other reviews.

The world’s greatest cartoon voice actor turns on the charm and wonder in an…understated (‘understated’ pronounced with teeth firmly on the tip of the tongue through Spongebob-style stifled laughs), well-produced play about Crystal Shell.

Who is Crystal Shell? The titular centaur is a walking/galloping instruction manual on how to channel every part of your outsider, absurdist, ‘misfit’ personality through the raw joy of stage performance. She’s positively beaming near the end! Although I can’t remember why a picture of Patrick Swayze should precede a half-unicorn shitting rainbow dust, it certainly seemed logical at the time. The stage comes alive. Like a lot of Schaal & Co.’s previous work, it alchemises alt-style into something intangible yet very resonant. With Kristen Schaal joined midway by a shining experience from a guest star (Google the other reviews if you want to know who), the show as a whole casts a wide enough net that no matter who you are, you’re very likely to enjoy it. Oddball- … Fuck.

Phil Ellis: Bath Mat

Monkey Barrel 3, 21:55

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The comedy equivalent of fried chicken. Universal appeal, very moreish, and gladly doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Ever come out of a just okay show thinking to yourself: “Why can’t all these neurodivergent weirdos just be normal? Can’t they just tell jokes that’re funny, like Peter Kay or Roy Chubby Brown?” If so, you are wrong. It is Phil Ellis who is funny.

Currently, Ellis is on fire. So much so, that he made the crowd laugh before even getting into the venue. About 1 minute before the gig started, we saw him walking down the street. He got to the head of the queue and asked us: ‘Are you here to see me?'

'Yeah.'

'Wow, that queue’s massive, that’s mad, that!’

He then took a quick selfie¹⁰ and then ran away in the opposite direction to the venue.¹¹

It took several hours of sleep to piece together the aftermath of this show, so tightly threaded were the most meandering diversions of Ellis’s brain. For once, there is no running theme, and so you can relax and not take it seriously. He acknowledges as much. People want to use comedy as a tool to make you think deeply, but sometimes forget to make you laugh too. Off-piste is where he’s best, with fanciful but never ridiculous improvisations and riffing off of the audience. For example, when someone dropped their pint glass at the back, he quipped ‘Oh no, the glass’s gone! Save us, Glassman!’, or near the end when the venue told him he he had 5 minutes more left than he thought, he immediately broke midway from a routine to midway in another bit, haughtily calculating (in a good sense) what he could do with what time he had.

Don’t be fooled by other lower-scoring reviews you might have seen from earlier performances: I think he’s now in top form, and what a time to hit it, in the middle of the Fringe! This should absolutely be the top of anyone’s Fringe list, and deservedly so.

Ricky Gervais

If you made it this far: yes I know Ricky Gervais isn’t doing Edinburgh this year, but I put his name here as bait for SEO purposes.

Other recommendations

If you came to the Fringe a bit late; try Mat Ewins later on. Perhaps also Daniel Kitson. That being said, both are currently sold out.