Last Saturday, Frances and I finally got around to going over to Edinburgh and seeing a couple of shows at the festival there. It’s been something we’ve both intended to do in previous years, but never quite got around to it, either because we were living in London, or because we either forgot, were too busy, or couldn’t be bothered.
I’m pleased to report that we had a great time. We saw Godliman & Lane (review here), which we both enjoyed: There were some amusing sketches, and it was well performed. But it didn’t leave me thinking I’d just seen the next big thing. I suppose that’s the thing with the Fringe, you’ve got to dip in and try lots, and - if you’re very lucky - you might see somebody who goes on to become huge, and have a “I saw him with only 12 other people that year at the fringe” story to regale at cocktail party’s. Mmmm. Yah. Doncha know.
But I digress. They were good, but not great, and it was a fun, intimate, and small audience in the, er, portacabin over at Courtyard Pleasance. I suppose I also hadn’t realised that the venues were so rammed with performers, especially the smaller ones such as this. One hour for a show, and ten minutes either side or so for the set to be sorted out.
The next show was altogether bigger, but that’s just the sort of thing Bill Bailey has come to expect really. We saw his new “Steam Punk” show, which follows on a little from “Part Troll“, which many folk will seen on DVD (it was one of the big christmas pressies a couple of years ago). And we weren’t disappointed. All the sort of musical gags, interesting diversions, and observations that is classic Bill Bailey.
I suppose what I like most is that he doesn’t play to the lowest comedy (although reverting to ‘knob gags’ was suggested as one joke fell a bit flat). His philosophical musings and gags were wonderful, but it seems that whilst the reworking of “The Wheels on the Bus” as “The Nihilists on the bus go What’s the point?” had me in stitches, a few furrowed brows and quizzical mutterings were inevitable. But you can’t expect to ‘get’ every joke with somebody as thoughtful and intelligent as Bill Bailey, at least in the first sitting. Which reminds me, I need to watch Part Troll again.
So we’re off again to the festival this afternoon. We’ve tickets to see “Strawberries in January” this afternoon, and hope to take in a few other shows, as well as some of the beer that’s rumoured to be somewhere in a beer festival that might be going on there. The weather’s a bit rubbish, but it should be good none the less, and it only takes an hour and a half to get there from here, so it’d be rude not to really 
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