Anyone going over to Edinburgh this year as a performer or punter?

FouxDaFaFa

I'm going to be in Edinburgh this year for the last two weeks of the annual Fringe Festival.

This will be my fourth year there working with one of the companies backstage and some of my best festival experiences in the past have been when someone recommended a show to me I may not have heard about or given a chance.

So, if anyone is over there now or going over to do a short run soon as a comic or an audience member, please give me your recommendations!

To contribute myself, I saw a couple of previews in Galway that are running at the Fringe that I can recommend:

• Sofie Hagen - Bubblewrap
• Steve Bennett - Groan Up
• Foil, Arms and Hog - Skiddlywup
• Glenn Wool - Creator, I am but a pawn

Other Irish acts I have thoroughly vetted and decided are worth a look over there:

• Niamh Marron
• Alison Spittle (full run cancelled but is doing a few dates)
• Aidan Strangeman
• Eleanor Tiernan

I have booked tickets in advance for Katherine Ryan, Bridget Christie, Viv Groskop and Aisling Bea and have kicked myself for probably the third year in a row that, yet again, I was too slow off the mark to get tickets for Daniel Kitson.

I would be interested to hear if anyone has seen Nish Kumar, Jena Friedman, Nathan Caton or Sarah Kendall.

New acts I like the look of include Lolly Adefope, Shane Todd and Harriet Kemsley.

For free events, the BBC usually has some good stuff happening over at Potterow and Stuart Goldsmith will be recording a few episodes of his "Comedian's Comedian" podcast towards the end of the month. I also enjoy going to Setlist, which is not free but interesting to watch (improvised stand-up and The Stand).

Miguel_Sanchez

Alison is doing her full show in the Dublin Fringe so you can catch her there at least.

FouxDaFaFa

Miguel_Sanchez wrote: »

Alison is doing her full show in the Dublin Fringe so you can catch her there at least.

Yes, I'm glad. I actually saw a preview of it already in Galway (her and Hagen did a double-header) and it was incredibly funny so I might go again in Dublin. I think Alison is fantastic and was angry on her behalf that her show couldn't go ahead in Edinburgh this year.

Miguel_Sanchez

FouxDaFaFa wrote: »

Yes, I'm glad. I actually saw a preview of it already in Galway (her and Hagen did a double-header) and it was incredibly funny so I might go again in Dublin. I think Alison is fantastic and was angry on her behalf that her show couldn't go ahead in Edinburgh this year.

She's great.

I haven't seen Sofie Hagen but read a glowing review of her current show.

FouxDaFaFa

Miguel_Sanchez wrote: »

She's great.

I haven't seen Sofie Hagen but read a glowing review of her current show.

If you ever get a chance to see her, go.

She also makes a podcast, Comedians Telling Stuff, that has a nice format and a really impressive calibre of guests. I've been enjoying it a lot.

Exclamation Marc

I was over last week and saw Reginald D. Hunter and Marcus Brigstocke.

Huge fan of Hunter having seen him many a time before but he just wasn't up to it this time, the show was very disjointed and was 50% funny 50% awkwardness.

Marcus Brigstocke's show however was an absolute gem. I've been wanting to see him for years but he rarely ventures to Dublin. Easily one of the funniest shows I've been to in a long long time (and I'd easily hit up 20-30 comedy gigs a year). Couldn't recommend his show highly enough. Extremely intelligent and well thought out comedy. Should just clarify that it's his stand-up show called 'Why the Long Face?" as I know he's involved in another show.

faceman

They're not Irish but highly recommend checking out The Maydays and their show "Oh Boy" which is an improvised version of Quantum Leap.