Edinburgh Fringe Diary 2024 – Part One
Trains, Pains And The Pick Of The Fringe So Far
Two years ago I had Covid smack in the middle of the Fringe and was confined to my shoebox bedroom. Last year my mother rather inconsiderately died in the middle of the Fringe so I had to slip back to London for a few days. Which makes me wonder what this year has in store apart from the usual plethora of terrific comedy shows.
Well, in this first Edinburgh diary let’s get the quotidian matter of my favourite subject, transport, out of the way. I arrived at King’s Cross on Friday afternoon with a comfortable 15 minutes to get on my 5pm train. Well, I say comfortable, it was a scorching hot afternoon. And by the time I got to the barrier at 4.46 I glanced at my phone to see the message “Your phone is locked and will be available again in 15 minutes”. Due to it overheating it appeared to have unilaterally decided to go on strike until one minute after departure.
Technology is great when it works, but when you have to show your bike reservation to put your bike on the train and your phone refuses to play ball you have one big headache. I bet Ethan Hunt never has these problems. Fortunately on this occasion bikes didn’t go in the guard’s van where there is heavy security, they go in a rack at the end of the carriage and I was able to slip mine in quickly when the LNER staff were busy elsewhere. I did it at the last minute so that hopefully the train would pull out and once we were on the move there was not much they can do even if my phone stayed off. Mission Impossible accomplished.
Apart from that the train journey was pretty seamless. Certainly compared to last year when the same train was over two hours late. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t had other transport issues. I’ve been using a bike in Edinburgh since Demetri Martin told me he was using one the year he won the Perrier Award, which was, thank you Google, 2003. Despite the cobbles and the hills I can’t recommended cycling enough. I must be the only person who returns from Edinburgh fitter than when they arrived.
Usually cycle-based things run smoothly. But on my first ride into town my turn-up got tangled in the gears, which has never happened before. And before you ask I most definitely was not wearing flares. They were new Levi’s 501s. And are now new ripped Levi’s 501s. Is the cut baggier? I shall be asking questions. Then a day later on the way to the Awards lunch/launch I had my first ever Fringe flat tyre. It had to happen. Bike abandoned for the day. Which just happened to be the rainiest day of the week.
Anyway, I guess you’d also like to read here about the comedy at the Fringe. A funny thing happened at the Pleasance press launch. The host was the increasingly impressive Ania Magliano, who got things going by engaging in some cheeky banter with the audience. I was near the back when she was sidetracked by an elderly man near the front. I couldn’t hear what he was saying but she seemed to think he was some old random trying to be funny.
Eventually she asked him two inevitable questions. “Are you a comedian?” “Do you have a show?” To which the answers to both were “yes”. Magliano then realised something was afoot. “Does everyone know who this is?” A loud affirmative rang out from everyone who could see him. Everyone who was over forty anyway. He stood up. It was comic legend Arthur Smith, who once summed up the Edinburgh Fringe by saying: “I'll get drunk. I'll get laid. I'll get spotted. I'll get paid.”
I don’t think I’ve ever felt so old as when I saw one of comedy’s brightest young stars fail to recognise one of comedy’s bona fide legends. But I certainly won’t hold it against Magliano, whose solo show is brilliant and highly recommended. I’ll add a link when I’ve published a review. Needless to say, it’s at the Pleasance. As is Arthur Smith’s show.
Since the launch I’ve been racing across the city, mainly pedalling once the tyre was fixed, catching as many shows as I can as I’m reviewing for both The Standard and Beyond The Joke (and anyone else who will have me if anyone is looking for a critic who can recognise comedy icons at fifty paces). I’ll be writing full reviews as the Fringe hits its stride, but in the time-honoured fashion of Top of the Pops I’ll give you a run down of my top shows so far. Caveat - there are lots more superb shows out there, I just haven’t had a chance to see them yet. Follow me on Substack to see updates. I promise there will be less about bikes and trains in future posts.
Mark Simmons - You want one-liners? He’s got lots
8. Olga Koch - full-throttle stand-up in which Koch talks about the ultimate taboo - being rich.
7. Sian Davies - working class comic Davies reflects on divorce, dogs, tattoos and becoming a work of art.
6. Jin Hao Li – this year’s oddball genius. Singapore stand-up with a singular delivery.
5. Bella Hull – deceptively clever musings on ethical porn, cheese and iPads
4. Finlay Christie (pictured above with medals, by Rebecca Need-Menear) – posh boy lays bare his privilege in playful show. No relation to Linford.
3. Ania Magliano (pictured above with flowers, by Rebecca Need-Menear) – talented stand-up talks relationships and, one of the themes of this year’s Fringe, daddy issues.
2. Chloe Petts – Charismatic stand-up reveals how she beats the bullies and the trolls.
1. Joe Kent-Walters is Frankie Monroe (pictured, by Matt Stronge) - Brilliant late night frolics from Kent-Walters as warped Northern club compere Monroe. If this doesn’t get an award nomination I’m Arthur Smith.
The Edinburgh Fringe runs until August 26. To buy tickets go to edfringe.com.
And if you want to follow Theatre news at the Fringe (and theatre in general) follow The Crush Bar.