In 2011 the festival hosted 2,542 different shows staging 41,689 performances in 258 venues by 21,192 performers. Impressive, isn't it!
To reduce the choice considerably (there's no way I can see them all - I'm only human after all), I decided to start with the free shows! This week I attended a few comedy stand-ups and a few concerts.
Comedy
The Jocks and GeordiesIt's a one hour stand-up comedy where 5 Geordie (Northern part of England, i.e. Newcastle) and Scottish comedians host the stage for 10 minutes each. It's amazing to see what a man can do in 10 minutes! Two of the comedians did a really good job.
The first one's act was about how difficult it is for Edinburgh guys to get girls (or better said 'to have sex'). The Edinburgh comedian made jokes about sex and described situations using strong language and it was extremely funny. Let's face it "sex" is always a winner.
The second comedian played the absurd-key. Yet he introduces a very serious topic: depression. Then he told us the story of an egg suffering from depression and how it turned into... an omelet. It was incredibly funny. I laughed during the whole act - and the rest of the audience too.
Thirty Dancing
One woman show dans le genre cabaret avec des contes, de la musique et des chansons.
Sophie aborde le passage de la trentaine et ce qu'elle a accompli (ou plutôt ce qu'elle n'a pas accompli!). Elle nous conte et chante ses rêves de petite fille (devenir ballerine, être mariée, avoir des enfants et habiter une grande maison dans les quartiers huppés...). Chaque étape de sa vie nous est livré sous forme d'anecdote accompagné de musique (ukulele) et de chansons (Sophie revisite des titres connus - avec en final une adaptation de Dirty Dancing très rafraîchissante). Extrêmement hilarant, mélangeant force et sensibilité. Belle interaction avec le public; elle nous a même fait danser!!!
Karma Comedian
Deze show draait over goede en slechte karma. Stella deelt met haar publiek een paar anekdoten uit haar jeugd. En het is aan de toeschouwers om te beslissen of ze naar de hemel of de hel mag gaan. Dit heeft voor veel interacties met de kijkers gezorgd - en veel lach-momenten. Het waren super leuk- en gewaagde verhalen maar nooit straf genoeg om Stella naar de hel te sturen...
Rhod Gilbert
Rhod Gilbert is a well established Welsh comedian. He is famous for his rants on life's minor irritations. In this new show he shares with the audience how he worked on his "angry" temper and how he has become so laid-back that he even let someone tatto a Battenberg on him!!!
The show took place in the Conference centre in Edinburgh and it was fully booked (this wasn't a free show). Not even one seat left- not bad for a sunny saturday night (as we know that everybody wants to spend the night out on a sunny evening in Edinburgh). The show was absolutely brilliant. I couldn't stop laughing. I was very impressed by the speed of his speech - I've never seen someone talking so fast, so much, so nervously and being funny at the same time.
Music
Thanks to A Scottish Fantasia's initiative (charity trust), I enjoyed free music in a beautiful surrounding (green space, flowers in bloom, with a view on Edinburgh's castle). The aim is to promote free performances at the Ross Open Air Theatre in Princes Street Gardens. What a great scenery to enjoy free music. A Scottish Fantasia offers a large variety of scottish musical experiences: from traditional (pipes, drums, fiddle bands and dance troups) to folk and rock.
Performances run everyday during the Fringe from noon till 7pm. The website gives you an list of what's on every day. I chose for the rock and folk events.
The Land of Cakes
Land of Cakes is een alternatief indie rock band uit Edinburgh.
De groep bestaat uit Andy (gitaar/zang), Ian (gitaar), Darren (basgitaar) en Fergus (percussie/zang).
Sterk geïnspireerd door the Velvet Underground, Pixies, om een paar op te noemen. De band combineert met succes delicate melodiën en harmoniën met sterke geluiden. Andy gaf ons enkele melodieuze gitaar solos. Het optreden was super levendig en er was veel interactie met het publiek. Ze hebben ook een twintigtal CD's gratis gegeven.
The Winter Tradition
The Winter Tradition is a pop-rock quartet from Edinburgh. With Ewan Simpson (bass/vocals), Mark Morrow (guitar/vocals), Stephen Furbank (guitar/vocals), Callum Mouat(drums).
They deliver a very energetic live performance emphasized by various dynamics involving the audience. They offers a cocktail with equal proportion of noise and soft melodies.
Chris Yendell
Chris Yendell est un artiste solo qui nous propose des mélodies folk-rock puissantes grâce à un jeu vocal polyvalent accompagné de sons acoustiques riches à la guitare. Un mélange de sonorité qui fait penser à Kelly Jones et Dave Grohl. Performance de grande qualité, riche en émotions. Impressionnant ce qu'une seule personne peut accomplir sur scène.
More Fringe reviews in a next post...
No comments:
Post a Comment