Dean Owens and The Sinners, Traverse

 A first appearance for Dean with his new band, The Sinners.  Drums, bass, lead guitar (the excellent Craig Ross, a long time collaborator of Owens), with Kirsten Adamson and Dean himself on rythym guitar and vocals (and a bit of whistling).  The other two places in the line up reflected the roots of his latest album, Sinner's Shrine, which has a strong south-west US/Mexico feel to it, with a couple of trumpeters.  Perfect for recreating the new sound from the ever evolving Leither, and adding something new to some of his old favourites.

It's become something of a tradition for Owens to be the final act of the Soundhouse year, and the place was as packed and enthusiastic as ever.  The band launched straight into three songs from the n ew album, before a pause and Owens talked to the crowd.  Perhaps less at length than in times gone by, but he remains as entertaining as ever.  The rest of the evening mixed the newer material with some classics from his huge back catalogue, including a Buffalo Blood number, and nice bit of dueting with Adamson on Strangers Again.  And of course, the crowd pleasing Raining in Glasgow, complete with participation.  

Owens also did a few solo numbers, including the final one of the night, his voice seeming even better without the backing.  And excellent night, hopefully to be repeated next year, and the next...

The local boy done good.

Justin Moorhouse : Stretch & Think, Old Fire Station, Carlisle

 Moorhouse rolled out to do his warm up bit, interacting with the audience.  His choices proved a bit unfortunate, with a lot of local government workers and little of interest to really spark his flow, but he had fun and was entertaining, before bringing on his support act.  Jim Burke is a Weegie, now living in Leeds, but still with a strong Glasgow accent.  There was an extended riff about prostate cancer, which gives you an idea of his material.  Occasionally funny, but not consistently.

The second half was a big improvement, with Moorhouse's show which did very well in Edinburgh this August.  Although he strayed into the trans debate, mentioned Muslim terrorists and had a few minutes on menopausal women, there was little to say this was an edgy set, and there was certainly nothing offensive.  His trans contribution stood out for common sense - basically saying let people be who they want to be - and from where I was sat the menopausal women in the audience loved that material more than anyone.  

Otherwise it was standard observational comedy, well crafted, well constructed, sometimes pausing to deconstruct his own material and give the audience pointers.  There was a clever call back about fish and chips as his closing line.  Overall extremely funny, professional and enjoyable.  This guy knows what he's doing!

Living

Based on the storyline of a 1952 Kurosawa film, the setting has been transposed to London, in the drab postwar days of 1953.  Widower Mr Williams (Bill Nighy) works in County Hall, head of a small department.  He leads an utterly predictable, buttoned up and closed in existence, his work the primary focus of his life.  His staff are not his friends, but respect his consistency and dedication.  All this we learn in the opening couple of minutes from a couple of simple scenes.

Williams surprises his colleagues by leaving early one day, without giving reason. He is off to his doctor, who confirms the news he'd most feared - the cancer inside him leaves him only a few more months of life.  But what sort of life?

The colleagues are even more surprised when their boss doesn't show up the next day.  Or the next.  But Mr Williams is thinking about living, and what that means to him.

He tries the traditional approach to havingfun, of the 'wine, women and song' variety, aided by a louche playwright (Tom Burke) he meets in a seaside cafe.  But if that's not the answer then what is?  Finding the solution takes time, and he works it out from the unexpected source of Miss Harris (Aimee Lou Wood), the most junior member of his team, now working in a cafe.  Which in turn takes him back to work, a man on a mission...

From the off we know what the eventual outcome for our central character will be, but not what he can do before that ending comes.  It could so easily become a maudlin tale, slow and sad and predictable (and some people might see it that way).  But a superb script from Kazuro Ishiguro, and Nighy's portrayal of a man determined to dig deep to find who he really is, make for something totally uplifting.  There's constant humour from the inability of the characters to communicate, and the scene at the dinner table where Williams wants to tell son Michael one thing, Michael wants to say another, and his wife wants someone to say something, is a masterpiece of the comedy of awkwardness.  Sparely shot and cleverly structured, with a careful eye for human detail and the grotesqueries of paper shuffling in '50s local government, it's a world in which the small things dominate, where the red tape seems impenetrable and real people count for little.  Out of such unpromising beginnings Williams offers the hopefulness of the human spirit.

Living may well go down as Nighy's finest ever film performance.  He certainly moved this viewer.  Wonderful.

The Manfreds, Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh

Golden oldies.  The stars, the songs and pretty much the entire audience fitted the epithet, which was to be expected.  This is very much a nostalgia gig.

The show was tagged "hits, jazz and blues", and the six man line up included a couple of musicians from the original 60s band Manfred Mann.  Pete Riley on drums, Marcus Cliffe on bass, keyboards from Mike Gorman, and sax and flute courtesy of Simon Currie.  Plus the two veterans that most people had really come to see.  Tom McGuiness on guitar and mandolin, and vocalist, harmonicist and radio celebrity Paul Jones.  

Plenty of 60s hits, with three number one's, including Pretty Flamingo and 5-4-3-2-1, and the forgotten classic When I'm Dead and Gone from McGuiness, from his band McGuiness Flint.  A solo number from Cliffe, and a gorgeous instrumental from Currie and Gorman.  Blues numbers, including a stunning Howlin' Wolf song, some jazz, even a long jazz-funk number that showed off everyone's solo abilities.  They're a solid pro band, with no weak links and plenty of talent.  Currie's sax and flute work stood out for it's excellence.

But the front man can make or break a show like this, and Jones is still very much a star.  The vocals are starting to sound a little strained at times, but the tone is as distinctive as every and he can bring forth an impressive falsetto.  He is still a superb blues harmonica player though, that talent still undimmed.  The boyish good looks are still evident, even at 80, and he clearly keeps himself trim and fit.  But his biggest asset is the charisma that oozes from him the moment he steps on stage.  Jones knows exactly how to win over and control his audience, and had everyone joining in on the weel kent choruses.

So much for the show itself.  What should have been an enjoyable evening of nostalgic entertainment was marred by the inadequacies of the Brunton's sound system in the bass ranges.  I've been having a few hearing problems of late, and thought that might be the reason things didn't sound quite right.  But Cliffe's solo confirmed that the real issues weren't with me.  As he layered bass line upon bass line, via his pedal board, the sound distorted more and more.  Yet the superb sax and keyboard number came across much more clearly.  To be fair things were better in the second set than the first, so something must have been done, but it's a shame whatever it was hadn't been picked up at sound check.  

But otherwise this was a bit of fun, and confirms that the old men have still got it in them!

Jinnistan (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

Compelled to return to his native village to care for his dying mother, Malik (Taqi Nazeer) and his family find themselves still living and working there a year after the ailing parent's death.  While his wife Layla (Avita Jay) has buckled down and settled into their new life, daughter Asiya (Iman Akhtar) is not trying to fit in.  But what teenager is going to be happy being transplanted from her urban home in Scotland to a rural existence in Pakistan?  She's made no friends, hates everything and everybody.  A proper teenager.

But all is not as it seems.  Malik wants the two women to return home.  Layla won't leave without him.  And he won't explain his reasons.  Except that he will have to, as events spiral beyond his control and the couple risk losing their daughter.  Malik comes from a family with close links to the Jinns, the spirit world, and they will have their say.

A fast paced comedy horror, Jinnistan does scary, but not too scary, and delivers plenty of laughs.  What struck me most was the similarity between paranormal stories across cultures.  In one scene Nazeer could easily imagined as Cushing's Van Helsing, warding off Lee's toothsome Dracula.  There's a terrorised village, savage dogs, demonic possession and the traditional satanic laughter.  All so familiar.  And that only helps to make it funnier.

Written by Nazeer, Jinnistan is great cross cultural fun, and very enjoyable.  Mwahahaha...

Alföld (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

 On a train across Hungary Virag (Francesca Hess) and Jake (Benjamin Osugo) sit and bicker.  Two years married and on their way to see Virag's parents.  Nervous to see if, this time, they'll accept their daughter's choice.  A black man from Scotland.  

Enter a stranger.  Bela (Sam Stopford) is stranger than most, and probing their defences, engaging in the fake reality they construct for him, and bringing forth a strange proposal.  What is he really after?  Why is he so dismissive of Jake, and so ready to split the couple apart?  

As the dialogue starts and stutters along, as the triangle keeps altering shape, we see the realities of how misogyny and racism are normalised in Orban's far right Hungary.  And that sometimes Glasgow isn't as different as we like to think, a society that still commoditises women and makes black men live up to their own stereotypes.

In a world of make believe and unfinished sentences the truth is in there, a strong reminder of how easily the far right use othering to spread division and hatred, on the path of the dissolving of human rights and civil liberties.  Exactly what Braverman and co are doing with migrants right now.

 A clever script with a depth that would make a second visit rewarding, and strong performances, notably from Stopford as the unsettling, creepy Bela.  Fascinating.

The Banshees of Insherin

 "Years ago my mother used to say to me, she'd say, 'In this world, Elwood, you must be' - she always called me Elwood - 'In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.' Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me."  (Harvey, 1951)

The opening shots are a strong reminder of Craggy Island, all small enclosures and open seas.  And the equally fictional isle of Insherin has a range of characters just as bizarre as Father Ted has to contend with.  A busybody shopkeeper, a bullying policeman, a strange old woman making strange new prophecies, an echoing double act in the pub and a fine example of the village idiot.  It's early 1923, and over on the mainland men are killing one another in the civil war.  There's no shooting and explosions on Insherin, but that doesn't mean there isn't conflict.

Pádraig (Colin Farrell) turns up at the house of his friend Colm (Brendan Gleeson), as he does every day, so they can off to the pub together, as they do every day.  But not today.  Colm isn't coming, and his old pal has no idea why.  Have they been rowing?  He doesn't think so.  When the explanation comes it's simple enough.  Colm doesn't like Pádraig any more, doesn't want to listen to his endless babbling.  Life is short and he wants to do the things he'll be remembered for, like writing good fiddle tunes.  But that isn't so simple for Pádraig to accept.  His friendship with Colm was the best thing in his life and he won't let if go so easily.

It's a ridiculous situation, and the resulting comedy throws out plenty of funny lines that would have sat well on Craggy.  But the laughing is replaced by something much more sinister and, despite the efforts of Pádraig's smart sister Siobhan (Kerry Conlon), spirals out of control into tragedy.  The switch from drollness to darkness makes this very much a game of two halves. 

This is a story about much more than a battle of will between two men feeling pushed to their limits.  The intense nature of closed communities, the fragility of male friendship, existential mid life crises, the origins of feuds.  And the eternal question posed in that opening quotation - is it better to be clever or to be kind?  What's better for one may be worse for the other, but it's lack of compromise that destroys.

Strong performance from all the leads, Farrell especially impressive as a simple man struggling to understand bigger questions.  Good soundtrack too.  Laughter, sadness and meaning.  What more could you want from a movie?

Dallahan, Traverse

 Back to seeing one of my favourite bands, now shorn of the Hungarian connection, with Benedict Morris now on fiddle, alongside Jack Badcock (guitar and vocals), Ciarán Ryan (banjo and fiddle) and Andrew Waite (accordion and backing vocals).  Different, but by no means worse.  Badcock's silken vocals are as smooth as ever, the musicianship and arrangements excellent.  A mix of familiar material and tracks which will be on their next (fourth) album, plus some crowd pleasing banter added up to a superb gig.

Mrs Harris Goes to Paris

 Based on a Paul Gallico novel, the plot is simple enough.  Ada Harris (Lesley Manville) is a cleaning lady in the grey London of the 1950s, traipsing round the houses of the rich and clueless to earn her keep, meekly putting up with employers who treat her like one of their most anonymous pierces of furniture.  She's (probably) lost her husband in the war, and what little entertainment she gets comes through her exuberant fellow cleaner Vi (Ellen Thomas) and twinkling Irish bookie Archie (Jason Isaacs).  But it's not much of a life.

In the home of Lady Dant (Anna Chancellor) Ada comes across a dress that takes her breath away, a Christian Dior that, her ladyship superciliously informs her, cost £500.  An impossible sum for a cleaner, but that won't stop dreaming and scheming.  After scraping and scrimping and working extra hours, and the benefit of a few ludicrous coincidences, Mrs H, as the title implies, is Paris bound.  She arrives in a city which, despite evidence of an ongoing strike by bin workers, is like a Hollywood creation.  A place of magic and dreams and romance.  Where she becomes a part of those dreams, and also sees what underlies them.  After various complications, she returns home with a dress, and back to reality, whatever that is.  I won't give away any more, but of course there's a happy ending, what else did you expect? 

If that all sounds like I'm going to suggest you give this one a miss then you'd be wrong.  Because, like the abovementioned Archibald Leach, what this movie delivers abundantly is charm.  Yes, the plot is often preposterous, and predictable, and cheesy.   But it's also whimsical, amusing, and, at the centre of the action, Manville is being as wonderful as ever.  Her Mrs H is put upon, resilient, warm, lonely, fanciful, practical. There's romance, conflict, friendship, heart break and heartwarming, individuality and solidarity.  Workers rights and the iniquitous class system.  Dreams and reality.  Even a spark of inspiration.  Don't look for depth, because that isn't what this film is about.  But it does deliver hope.  Is there anything we need more of right now?

Go along, suspend disbelief, and let yourself be charmed.

Made in China (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

Janet (Jo Freer) is at home in Wishaw.  Hui Ting (Amber Lin) is on the other side of the world, in one of a hundred factories in a hundred cities in China, and a long way away from her home village.  Janet is trying, against the odds of teenage angst, to make her daughter's sixteenth birthday party as perfect as possible.  Ting is trying, against the odds of a strict workplace regime, to earn enough of a bonus, start up her own restaurant, and get her fifteen year old daughter to return from the village.  Janet is buying all kinds of stuff that she's being told are essential, like dangling sparkly aubergines.  Ting spends long hours every day packing sparkly aubergines into boxes.  One box from Ting ends up on Janet's kitchen table.  But this one contains a scribbled note from the packer, and unleashes Janet's inner sleuth, taking her down an unexpected path.

A contrast between the consumer West and producer East, and what others suffer for the rubbish we all buy and don't need.  The expectations of the two teenagers couldn't be more different, but the women have more in common that just a note, trapped in a life that dictates to them, but in very different ways.

The action alternates between the pair, with the two intercutting more and more frequently as the plot unfolds.  While the underlying themes are serious, there's plenty of laughs, especially from Freer who displays great comic timing.  Lin is equally good, but there are times when her lines feel a bit too didactic, labouring the point being made.  Despite that this was very enjoyable, and makes the point well enough.  But what does a happy ending look like to two such different characters?

Another solid addition to the Play, Pie, Pint canon.

James IV : Queen of the Fight, Festival Theatre

 Two young Moorish women find themselves unexpectedly becoming 'guests' of the court of King James.  They hadn't been coming to Scotland, but piracy is commonplace in the early 16th century, and Scotland is where they will now live their lives.  The Lady Anne (Laura Lovemore) is to be the queen's companion, her servant Ellen (Danielle Jam) is to become an entertainer.  They are fortunate that there is already a black face in a prominent role at court, who can translate for them until they learn Scots, and makes them feel welcomed.  Peter (Thierry Mabonga) is one of the King's closest advisers, and ensures the women have the protection of James (Daniel Cahill).  Both Anne and Ellen become influential figures in their own right, but are also acutely aware of how vulnerable their position in this society really is, their combination of gender and skin colour making them easy meat to fall upon when the wind changes.

Through their interactions with others we see plots and policies of the time, and how personal relationships are governed by realpolitik - James is married to Margaret Tudor (Sarita Gabony), and any heir she produces could potentially become monarch of both Scotland and England (as a later descendant does, a century on).  The loneliness of kingship, the constant undercurrent of racism, the precarious nature of living in a court where whims can change, all show up in a maelstrom of a plot that moves along at a barnstorming pace and leaves the audience wondering how an hor has passed by already.

It's exciting, with some brilliantly choreographed fight sequences.  It's hilarious funny at times, with the best lines going to the obsequious Makar, Dunbar (Keith Fleming), and Dame Phemy (Blythe Duff), with Duff clearly relishing the chance to explout arch-bitch mode.  Her comic timing is impeccable.

Ellen begins and closes the play with a monologue, tying in he reality of our time with that of the characters.  Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. But in the closing minutes of the drama there is one line resonates above all others.  "Scotland - remember who you are."

Superb theatre, an entertainment as well as a serious drama, and a great achievement.

He Who Opens The Door (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

 Vera (Louise Stewart) likes her job, down in Morgue No.5.  The 'patients' don't make a fuss, don't talk back, and certainly don't walk about.  Until Vika (Yolanda Mitchell) turns up.  It's hard to say which of them gets the bigger fright.  But once they waken up to the reaity of their situation there are a lot of questions to be asked, and a lot of scenarios to be imagined.  Is Vika dead or alive?  Is Vera? And beyond those all-of-a-sudden locked doors, who or what is waiting?  Why are they making cryptic phone calls to these to uncertain women?  And how do you face danger with only a stranger for support?

Set in contemporary Ukraine (and written by leading Ukrainian playwright Neda Nehzdana), where taking political sides is a serious business, this is a reminder of the confusion and unpredictability of a war zone, and how our minds swiftly move towards the worst possible option if given little information to work with.  There's plenty of (black) humour, tension and mystery, even a bit of song and dance.  Strong performances from the cast, excellent technical support and a sense of familiarity from so many war reports, make for a gripping fifty minutes.  And, as in real life, it leaves the viewer with many unresolved issues to ponder.  

Well worth a look and deserves bigger audiences than we saw there today.

Break My Windows (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

 At the office of Uber-alike Bring My Wheels, Brandon (Ross Baxter) is getting annoyed with Eric (Tom McGovern) for trying to tell him how to do his job.  But arguing with Eric isn't easy, because he's not only Brandon's boss, but his dad as well.  To complicate things Brandon wants to introduce his father to Sam (Jamie McKillop), both as a potential employee of the firm, and as Eric's prospective son-in-law.  And he knows just how Dad is going to react...

Things start badly, and only get worse, with Eric and Sam becoming more and more opposed to one another.  Brandon is stuck in the middle, but where do his loyalties lie, especially when the issues are as much political and legal as they are personal?

Dave Gerow's script is smart and funny, with plenty of little call-backs and contemporary references.  On one level it's comedy about relationships and loyalties, on another it's a satire about the increasing polarisation of our political scene.  Three excellent performances help serve up the laughs and nuances, with perfect timing and pace.  Hugely enjoyable and well worth grabbing a ticket if you can.

A perfect example of how clever these fifty minute plays can be.

Sally (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

 A one-woman show based on the character of Cabaret's Sally Bowles has gone viral when the actor playing the character, also called Sally (Sally Reid), starts ad-libbing and insulting her audience.  So viral that a big name producer has signed her up for the Festival Theatre. And then?  Who knows?  London's West End and New York's Broadway beckon...

So the producer sends in Tyler (Sam Stopford) to be Sally's PA.  Because every big star big star needs a PA, right?  Juliette Binoche loved Tyler, didn't she?  Sally isn't convinced.  So it's Tyler's job to do the convincing, to turn a small town mentality into a big stage ego.  And Sally is fertile territory, and prey to conspiracy theories. But what else is the ambivalent Tyler there to do?

This show wears it's anti-fascist credentials proudly on it's sleeve.  Resulting in a script that feels like a wallop to the head too often.  It foghorns political references to the increasingly sinister tory policies we're seeing, and squeezes in bucket loads of 'names' (mostly 'celebrities' or extreme right wingers like Dorries and Trump, but there's a neat joke about the First Minister too), all of which gives a clunky, heavy handed feel to the script.  But with some good laughs along the way.  And it does manage to deliver something of a twist in the end, and it's always good to have reminder of what a powerful anti-fascist message the 1972 film delivered.  

The cast do a good job with what they've been given.  Reid's Sally is living up to her new celebrity status, but still clinging to her socialist principles, and that conflict comes across well.  Stopford's Tyler is camp, creepy and sinister, increasingly the latter, and is impossible to warm to.

Far from the best I've ever seen in the A Play, a Pie and a Pint series, but Sally has it's heart in the right place and enough comedy (and artificial flowers!) to be worth a watch.  And the pies are better than last time...

Luke Wright: The Remains of Logan Dankworth, Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Logan Dankworth is about to make it. His career as a stand up wasn't really going anywhere, but now he's writing a well paid column for a big newspaper. Make it funny, make it controversial, make it large.  But when you make a living from bating public opinon, and lose your own sense of what you really do believe in, what's left?

Set against the background of the UK political scene over the past decade, it's a strong reflection of the amorality that appears to dominate so much of public discourse, and the damage that does to society and individuals.    A storming performance from Wright, with not just a play for our times, but a lyrical treat, his poetic impulses shining through in sudden couplets and shifts of rhythm and mood.  

Excellent.

 

Dave's Edinburgh Comedy Awards, Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

 Returning after a couple of years of pandemic related absence, this was a recording for Radio 4 to introduce the contenders for Best Show and Best Newcomer.  Each contender was given a three minute slot to give some inkling of their style and the content of their shows.  

Russel Kane, a previous winner, hosted, and did an excellent job.  Professional, calm, but swiftly able to whip an audience into laughter and improvise to fill in the inevitable gaps you get during a show of this nature.  But also moving thigs along swiftly, for time was tight.

The Best Show contenders were Larry Dean, Lauren Pattison, Seann Walsh, Amy Gledhill, Colin Hoult (as his alter ego Anna Mann), Alfie Brown, Jordan Gray, Josh Pugh and Sam Campbell.  And the Newcomers were Vittorio Angelone, Emmanuel Sonubi, Emily Wilson, Josh Jones and Lara Ricote.

You can't tell a lot from such short stints, but, for what it's worth, Dean and Pattison impressed me most in the first category, with Alfie Brown the most intriguing.  And Angelone, Sonubi and Ricote all made me laugh a lot.  While Hoult, Campbell and the timewasting Wilson seemed best forgotten.  But what do I know?  The results will be announced this Saturday.

Stand Up for the Bin Workers - Gala, New Town Theatre, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

 A benefit gig, laid on at short notice by mark Thomas and The Stand, to help fund the striking refuse workers.  A large audience were treated to ten minute sets from a star studded comedic line up.

The first half was MCed by Mark Nelson, always a reliable opening act to get the audience in the mood.  He introduced Kiri Pritchard-McLean, who talked about her plans to almost adopt and why four was better than one; Danny Bhoy with an alternative and much funnier speech for Queenie to come out with; Shazia Mirza on how little influence us older white men have in society; and the incredible Jason Byrne who riffed out a hilarious set from one audience interaction.

The acerbic Jo Caulfield took over the introductions after the interval, with her own take on the class distinctrions of Edinburgh - and Leith!.  First to be brought on was another local luminary, Vladimir McTavish, and his confessionally awful haircut; another Scot, Sisie McCabe, whose accent probably baffled a large section of the audience, which only enhanced the laughs for the rest of us as she talked about trying to bring her parents into the twenty first century; Rachel Fairburn on her Mancunian accent; and Mr Thomas himself venting his ire against the tory government by taking the piss.  The gig ended with an impassioned speech for solidarity and the upholding of workers' rights from Chris Mitchell of the GMB, and reminder of what the evening was all about.  

In Conversation With... Andy Burnham, New Town Theatre, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

 The interviewer was Neil Findlay, a Labour MSP until last year and seen as being on the left of the party.  The interviewee was Andy Burnham, now Mayor of Manchester but a Labour leadership contender not so long ago, and also seen as being on the left.  So this was always going to be more cosy chat than probing questioning.

Burnham's a good speaker, fluent and amusing, but always making his point.  He had valid criticisms of the current Scottish Government, especially over their mania for centralisation.  His plea for more cross party dialogue and cooperation, but excluding the tories, makes sense in our partisan times.  It was good to hear someone telling the truth about the disasters of the eighties and how we are now reaping the problems sewn back then by short termist populism.  And he outlined some of the excellent initiatives taking place in Manchester, particularly around homelessness.  His genuine hatred of the current breed of ukip-soundalike tories is something we need to see more of. If the Labour Party was a bit more in his image I might even consider them a viable alternative for my vote.  But it's not.

And sometimes what's not said is as important as what is.  Burnham has a dubious past voting record, such as favouring the Iraq War, and not voting to properly regulate fracking.  In questions from the audience he tried to glaze over Labour's refusal to contemplate negotiating with the EU to at least return to the single market, saying that those arguments were over - seeming happy to effectively disenfranchise the growing majority that favour reversing the 2016 disaster.

And there were hints of yet another southern politician who thinks he knows better what Scotland wants than the people who live her.  Funnily enough almost all of the audience members who asked questions came from down south - including the man weho welcomed Burnham to Edinburgh, having just said he was up here from Herts!  What strange times we live in.

I liked Burnham as a speaker, he has a lot of sound ideas in his social policies, and he would be a far better labour Leader than Starmer.  But he still feels out of touch with people in this country.

Marjolein Robertson : Thank God Fish Don't Have Hands, Stand 2, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

 What's this show about?  Robertson is good at telling us what it's not, but doesn't reveal the real point until near the end.  Along the way she chats to the audience, tells of her childhood on Shetland and student life at uni, the year of the men and the best and worst of lockdown, and a diagnosis that helped her make sense of her world.  Several good visual gags, plenty of decent punchlines, and a flirtatious energy drive the show along.  And yes, the show title does get to make sense, sort of.  Far from a waste of an hour of your time.

Marjolein Robertson : Thank God Fish Don't Have Hands is on at 16:00 in Stand 2 until the 28th.

Myra's Story, Gordon Aikman Theatre (George Square), Edinburgh Festival Fringe

 Myra's in bed and under the covers.  Myra's being told to get up and leave the hostel.  Myra isn't too keen on leaving that lovely warmth - but she needs her 'medicine'.

So begins Brian Foster's one-woman drama with Fíonna Hewitt-Twamley as middle aged alcoholic Myra, and several other parts besides.   She's out on the street, begging from strangers, and ready to tell us the tale of the life that brought her to where she is now.  Her father an alcoholic, so it was in the blood.  Her life strewn with obstacles to be overcome, until the biggest of them all arrives and she can no longer cope without the bottle.  Father, husband, neighbours, friends and a stolen garden gnome people her life, and Myra brings them all to life in her storytelling.  There is comedy, tragedy, sadness, accompanied by the underlying knowledge of where this story will end up.

It's an impressive performance from Hewitt-Twamley, not just for providing so many different voices, but melding into the physical attributes of each, with every character well delineated. The script is direct, with little subtlety or ambiguity.  More polemic than conventional drama, it makes it's point by wielding a sledgehammer and a ten inch spike.  It's theatre for people who don't usually go to the theatre, and, by attracting such big audiences and highlighting just how easy it can be for people to fall prey to addictions and/or homelessness, none the worse for it.  (I did see one critic suggest that the humour was Mrs Brown's Boys level - but it was never close to being THAT bad!)  Myra's Story is a message that comes across loud and clear.  And manages to throw in an effective dig at the British military for their part in creating the violence in Northern Ireland in the seventies.

Deserves to be seen for the strong performance and a truth that deserves to be spoken over and over.

Myra's Story is on at 13.00 in the Gordon Aikman Theatre (George Square) until the 29th.

George Egg: Set Menu (The Best of George Egg), Piccolo George Square, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

 Egg has developed a very specialist niche in the stand up world, showing audiences how to cook proper meals in the most unlikely of environments.  This show builds upon three of his past successes using the sort of items you might find in your own workshop, or on a train, or in a hotel room.  He cooks as he speaks as you laugh.  A non stop parade of gags and physical comedy, with the bonus culinary tips and tempting aromas.   

So George turned out kippers and poached eggs using workshop tools; grilled aubergine salad (featuring his own very special 'laptop') as you would do it on Avanti; and pancakes with hazelnuts and blueberries as done in a hotel room.  Proper recipes too, with some flair to the presentation - not easy to manage when you have to keep up the comic patter at the same time.  So it's impressive as well as very very funny.  

Best of all, the audience gets to try out his creations as they leave.  Bon appetit.

George Egg : Set Menu is on at 16.25, in the Piccolo in George Square Gardens, until the 28th.

The Ballad of a Great Disordered Heart, Filmhouse, Edinburgh International Film Festival

 The audience entered to live music from Aidan O'Rourke (fiddle) and Brìghde Chaimbeul (Scottish smallpipes), followed by an EIFF introduction and Aidan talking about the background to the film and the neighbours who has inspired him in lockdown.

He lives in a part of Edinburgh's Old Town which was once known as Little Ireland.  Lockdown, and the break it gave him form the life of a touring musician, allowed him to connect with people around him, especially the Three Margarets, who had lived in the area for many decades and were from the Irish immigrant community that provided the label.  It's a place set right by the main tourist trail, but comprising a warren of closes and courts that outsiders rarely venture into. 

These stories from the past got O'Rourke thinking about his own Irish connections, and what traditional music meant to communities.  The film takes us on his journey, from making those initial connections, through to a small community concert for the neighbours, in one of the sheltered wee courtyards their residences overlooked.  

It's a very intimate film, both in subject matter and in the tightness of the filming, with talking heads filling the frame.  There are some sequences from old Edinburgh, when the Margarets might have been young girls, but mostly it's shot in those closes and courts.  There is graffitti and dirt and untidiness, all a welcoming contrast to the fakeness of the tourist tat that abounds just a short distance away.  Aidan is joined by several musicians, who treat us to solo songs and tunes (with baffled passers by coming in and out of shot...), and come together for the concert.

Lockdown affected us all in different ways, and the changes it brought to O'Rourke are resonant for us all.  If you are interested in how experiences change lives, or the link between traditional music and community, or friendship and creativity, or simply seeing a bit of the city you might not have investigated before, then this is very much worth seeing.  This was a one-off showing, but I'd recommend seeking out a screening or seeing if the film becomes available online.  

Visiting Cézanne, Hill St Theatre, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

 "The whole is greater than the sum of the parts" is a phrase often attributed not quite correctly, to Aristotle.  But it's one that works well in describing this play.  It was a performance that's easy to criticise, but manages to overcome the flaws to deliver something that lingers in the mind for some time after.  The acting is very competent, but without anyone threatening to turn in a really notable performance.  The script has plot holes aplenty, and flags a bit towards the hour mark.  The accents are all over the place and it isn't always clear if the characters are meant to be speaking in French or English at some points.  And the lighting effects look cheap and tawdry.  But when the end came round suddenly I was genuinely surprised that ninety minutes had flown by, and felt impressed by what I'd watched.

We begin in a Degas exhibition in a New York gallery.  Among the famous artist's works lurk two portraits by the almost unknown Paul Cézanne, as examples of the kind of work which influenced the great man.  The paintings, one a self portrait (Mark Coleman) and the other of his gardener (Fergus John McCann), are in conversation.  The selfie persuades the other to mingle with visitors, choose one, and present them with a few quickly written notes and a special paint brush.  He chooses Nora (Elaine McKergow), a painter feeling bitter about her own lack of success.  She receives the notes, takes the brush and... is transported back to Aix in 1900, in Cézanne's studio.  Once she and those she encounters get over the shock the impact of the notes come into play.  Will the Frenchman understand his own voice from the future?  Will Nora ever make it back to her own time?  And what part does Bessie (Serena Doran), an American writing about French artists, have to play in the proceedings?

The plot holes are excusable in the complex issues that time travel raises.  The lighting effects were no doubt constrained by budget.  And the audience quickly settles into trying to understand the relationships between the four protagonists and how their futures are influenced by one another.  The time travelling trope is well worn, but feels fresh here by looking at the impact of outside influences, even the smallest of changes, on artistic endeavour and the drive for creativity.  We wonder how the intervention of Nora will turn Paul from an unknown in the 2016 she left, to one of the most famous artists of his period in our reality.  And are left with some answers and fresh questions.  Along the way there are laughs, there is sadness, and a real sense of humanity.

Very definitely greater than the sum of those parts, and well worth seeing.  I get the feeling this is one of the Fringe shows that will still be in my head when the month comes to a close.

Visiting Cézanne is on at 14.50 in The Hill Street Theatre until the 28th.

Jim Smith ; The Hills Have Ayes, New Town Theatre, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

 ales from a farming life, with punchlines.  Perthshire's Smith wants the 'City Slickers' to understand more about the 'Teuchters', and vice versa.  So there are plenty of jokes about farming, and family life on the farm, often at his own expense.  And a few explanations of the Teuchter terminology along the way.  He's good at impressionsd and accents, and his Andy Murray doing an advert for potatoes was lovely.  It's all amiable stuff, funny without ever becoming hilarious, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Jim Smith's run at the Fringe has now ended.  

Lemn Sissay : My Name is Why, Parliament, Festival of Politics

 Posing the questions was Parliament's Presiding Officer, Alison Johnstone.  Not that she had to do much, for it took little to set Sissay off in full flow.  And sometimes he even managed to answer the questions!  His passion for his subject was obvious, and kept the audience enthralled.  His treatment within the care system as a child, what that has meant for his later life, and how our society continues to let down children in care were the main themes.  Not from any desire to be pitied, but because sharing his experiences helps others, and is important in campaigning for improvements.  Scotland's First Minister came in for individual praise from Sissay for her statements on children in care, and how well that reflects on this country compared to the rest of the UK.  

Fascinating, disturbing and compelling

This was the final event of the 2022 Festival of Politics.

Mark Thomas : Black and White, The Stand, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

 Most of Thomas' recent Fringe shows have been beautifully crafted theatrical polemics, with clever audio-visual segments intricately woven in.  This isn't.  This is Thomas back to his roots, raw stand up with no props or screens, just one man and his mike.  And his anger.  

The initial few minutes can be summed up, quite appropriately given the almost still PM's love of 3 word slogans, as Fuck The Tories.  Any of them daft enough to be in the audience could go and get a refund as they weren't wanted.  While Scotland (and Wales) would be better off running away asap.  And that set the tone for the rest of the hour...

The vapid emptiness of Truss and Sunak and tories generally.  The nonsense the right spouts about immigrants.  The importance of strike action in combatting the spiralling cost of living.  And why he's not overly keen on Mr Starmer either.  There are some inspired comparisons and images in the midst of these explosive sweary rants - if Johnston is Posh Spice then Putin must be Sporty?  

All this while also having to deal, patiently and hilariously, with one of the most stupid hecklers on the Fringe.

There's a brief singalong musical moment (yes, honest), but otherwise it's all expositions and mockery of the evils of the right, inspiration to fight on, and non stop laughs.  

If you hate what the tories are doing to our society you will love this.  Utterly brilliant.

Mark Thomas' Black and White is on in The Stand at 13.30 until the 28th.

Jack Badcock, Acoustic Music Centre, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

 The Dallahan front man has produced several solo releases over the past few years, highlighting his song writing ability and purity of voice.  Tonight's set was mostly self penned, including a couple of songs derived from poems by others, and a Euan MacColl number in there too.  He's chatty, with interesting explanations of what lies behind his compositions and choices, and sings beautifully, with clarity and excellent phrasing.  More than decent guitarist too.

A small but appreciative audience joined in when requested and the hour ended all too early.

There are gigs on in the Acoustic Music Centre throughout the month.

Aidan Goatley : Tenacious' ZOO Playground, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Once upon a time a middle aged man had a dream of becoming a stand up comedian.  He could see himself up on stage of London's Apollo, before an adoring crowd.  So how's the dream going?  Might there have been a few obstacles along the way?

A show for anyone who wants to follow their dream, even if it does mean moving to Middlesbrough.  He talks about the big break that wasn't quite what it seemed, the trials of real life getting in the way of his comedy career, and how he's haunted by the now big TV star who got his first break into comedy from Goatley.  You get the sense of frustration of someone with all the talent, but not enough of the luck, and there's an edge at times that stops any blandness creeping.

Aidan is an immediately welcoming performer, chatting to his audience as they arrive and swiftly building a rapport.  He has some great stories, an engaging delivery and a well crafted routine.  I laughed far more than I have at some big name comedians' shows and he deserves to be much better known.  

Goatley is a Fringe veteran now and reckons this is his best show yet.  He's probably right.  You really, really should go and see it.  (Unless you're a fan of Gammon Broadcasting or the Daily Fail, in which case it's best avoided.  In fact just stay away from Edinburgh please...)

Aidan Goatley's Tenacious is on in the ZOO Playground (Infirmary Street) at 19.00 every day until the 28th.

Breaking The News, BBC Spiegeltent, St James Square, BBC at the Edinburgh Festivals

 A recording of the BBC Scotland comedy panel show, on one of the hottest days we've had this year.  There was no warm up act (warming up was the last thing the audience needed!), but one of the producers explained what was going to happen, what was expected of us, and read out a few funny comments to get the laughter going.

Then on with the show, and chair Des Clarke promising to get it over as quickly as possible to get everyone out of the sauna.  A few sound checks for applause levels and bring on the guests.  Jim Smith and Sophie Duker 'against' Val McDermid and Andrew Maxwell.  All weel kent faces.

The show's well established format brings up recent news stories in various forms and asks the panellists to comment.  Today the subjects included the Scottish schools exam results, the cost of rising energy bills and much more.  Plus a lot of Liz Truss gags (but they almost write themselves).  You can listen to the half hour edit of the show from tomorrow to get a flavour, but there was so much more to the live version which lasted well over 90 minutes.

Smith was his usual laconic self, relating everything back to farming (handy hint - if you can't pay for your heating in the winter take in a cow or sheep, instant heat and you can cuddle them as well...).  Duker remained bubbly despite the oppressive atmosphere, and produced some unexpected slants.  McDermid was sharp, almost sensible compared to the others, but threw in some great one liners.  And Maxwell was... Andrew Maxwell.  Rambling non sequiturs, firing off at tangents and occasionally saying something that actually related to the question being posed.  And so, so funny.  He talked and talked and his 20 plus minutes of comedy should make for a wonderful 25 seconds in the final edit!  But long before the end he was beginning to flag from the heat and that gave rise to some of his funniest comments.  

That was the show.  There are plenty more BBC shows on this month, but most will have had all their tickets allocated by now.  If you are going to the Spiegeltent I'd advise getting there at least 90 minutes before the show and get registered early; find somewhere to go for a while, out of the sun; and if it's still anything like this hot, take water in with you.  Lots of water...

Alasdair Beckett-King : Nevermore, Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

 We enter to find ABK already on a semi-darkened stage, sat on a deck chair and casually waving to arrivals.  But if you miss a more traditional entrance, well he has those as well.  He also has a suitcase, of a size that might belong to Paddington Bear.  

The seaside, swimming and going on holiday are constant themes in a rambling monologue full of call backs and recurring punchlines.  Plenty of decent jokes, red hair, self deprecation, and frequent video interludes, including a beautifully worked cartoon.  All in an unthreatening yet slightly off centre delivery that rewards careful attention.

On the day there was a bit of a technical issue (self inflicted, as he readily admitted), quickly resolved, but which could easily have thrown the structure of the show.  No such issues and he was swiftly back into his stride and delivering the laughs.  He's such a likeable performer anyway that you'd forgive him most things.

Very enjoyable, if less surreal than past ABK shows.

Alasdair Beckett-King's Nevermore is on at 19.00 in Pleasance Dome until the 29th (not 22nd), and there are two performances at Pleasance Courtyard at 22.40 on the 19th and 26th.

Fun Lovin' Crime Writers, New Town Theatre, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

 Let's face it, the audience weren't there for the quality of the music, but to see some of their favourite authors letting their hair down.  So it seems fair to review this as an entertainment, rather than a music gig.  The FLCW are six well known authors of, obviously, crime fiction.  Mark Billingham on acoustic guitar, Chris Brookmyre electric guitar, Stuart Neville lead guitar, backed by Doug Johnstone as drummer and Luce Veste bass, all finished off with Val McDermid giein it laldy on vocals.  

They play covers of well known rock and pop songs from several decades.  But mostly the seventies.  Almost entirely the seventies.  Some sixties, some eighties, and one foray into the twenty first century with the Kaiser Chiefs I Predict A Riot.  Bowie, Stones, Alex Harvey, Pretenders, Proclaimers and many more.  All with some link to crime, however tenuous.  

Intriguingly the set began with an unaccompanied solo from McDermid, the classic Scots murder ballad The Twa Corbies, but quickly ramped up the pace and energy from there on.  Wordsmiths are good with words, so there were some amusing moments, and plenty of effort to get the audience involved.  Above all else, fun.  They had fun, so we had fun, and the calendar slipped away.

What of the music?  Johnstone is an impressive beat anchor, and Neville showed off some fleet fingered finesse with his solos.  It won't have Jimmy Page looking over his shoulder, but still better than we might have expected.  The same goes for the singing, Billingham, Brookmyre and Neville all taking their turns at lead vocals.  And none of them were remotely close to terrible!

Go for the craic, be surprised at how good the music is, and enjoy the fun of the whole thing.  Recommended - if you remember the seventies.

The Fun Lovin' Crime Writers are on in the Stand's New Town Theatre every day at 21.15 until the eleventh.

Stewart Lee : Snowflake, New Town Theatre, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

 This show should have been at the Fringe in 2020.  But we all know what happened to that.  So it's now three years old, has been performed many times, and been updated along the way.  There's a neon sign with the word itself, a backdrop of stylised snowflakes, and a guitar.  And the man himself.

The Snowflake in question is Lee, and other comedians of like minded liberalism, now being accused of the made-up 'crimes' of 'political correctness' and 'wokeism'  (or trying to be considerate and kind towards others, as normal people would say).  So he takes effective aim at Tony Parsons, one time decent human being, now right wing shock jock, and turns his accusations inside out.  And there's a physical comedy routine showing why it's literally impossible for the like of Ricky Gervais to 'say the unsayable'.  The guitar comes out at the end, with Lee proving surprisingly adept on the strings, for a short song summing up the inherently daftness of the 'anti-woke' brigade.

As ever Lee is always ready to abuse his audience, point out our failings for not getting the joke, and yet critiquing his own set, and breaking down the elements of the comedy interaction.  But the abuse seemed genuine enough, and well deserved, for members of the audience who got their phones out or had omitted to put them on silent.  Lee even got down of the stage at one point, to berate the hapless individual who had a phone out, even after hearing the comments made about two earlier in the show.  The comedian complained that these interruptions had ruined the build up to the next section, which in turn spoiled the flow of the entire show.  Well, he would say that, wouldn't he?  He's Stewart Lee.  But this did feel like he was being sincere, for the flow didn't feel quite right after that, and the show was, by his usual high standards, still funny but a bit flat.  That could have been down to the interruptions on the day, and maybe there's an element of tiredness to such well worn in material.  

I've seen Lee enough times to give him the benefit of the doubt and still recommend this show.  But switch your bloody phone off!

Stewart Lee's Snowflake is on the in Stand's New Town Theatre at 13.50 until the twenty eighth (not fifteenth and sixteenth).  But many of those dates are already sold out.

In Conversation With... Mark Thomas, New Town Theatre, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

One hour, an interviewer, an interviewee, and an audience. The simplest format of the chat show. And for this interviewer the easiest job possible. No need to coax answers from his subject, simply light blue touch paper and retire.

Thomas in full flow is an impressive beast, with an endless well of stories to draw from and the talent to find the laughs in even the darkest topic. The conversation (monologues...) covered a variety of stages in the activist's life and career. Memories of childhood exposure to christian preachers which turned him into a life long atheist from an early age. Tales of his earliest vantures into stand up, and how the comedy and the politics were always interlinked. The comedians who inspired him early on, with big names like Dave Allen, Jasper Carrot and Les Dawson featuring. His admiration for the comics who can adapt their whole bodies to the needs of their craft, as Alexei Sayle does. The radical events and campaigns he's been a leading part of, and constant fights against the powers that be - and disdain for a Labour party that fails to do the same.

At the end the audience gets a the chance to pose a few questions, and once again the fuse is lit. What was he proudest of about his TV work? (The changes they helped bring about.) Have his actions ever got him into physical danger? (Sometimes...) And then the hour was gone, so quickly. The In Conversation With series is an excellent start to your Fringing day. Pick some of the people who interest you most and get to know a bit more about them. And maybe some will even be as funny as Mr Thomas.

In Conversation With... is on in the Stand's New Town Theatre every day at midday.

Stewart Lee: Basic Lee (Work in Progress), Stand Comedy Club, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

10am on the day before the Fringe officially begins.  The Stand is packed out, standing room only, with the queue to get in having started forming almost an hour before kick off.  There have been a lot of stories about relatively poor tickets sales for the 2022 festivals, compared to pre-pandemic levels, but not for Stewart Lee.  Lee fans are loyal.    Lee fans are very loyal.  And this isn't even his 'proper' show, but a work-in-progress, much of it read from sheets of paper.  

The subject mix is eclectic, still waiting to be connected into a coherent piece.  A doorstep question from an evangelical christian.  Speculating if JK Rowling becomes a man when she's being Robert Galbraith.  A doctor asking mental health questions.  The connections between improvised jazz and comedy.

All in Lee's trademark style.  Repetition (but never, quite, for too long), call-backs, self referencing, and always questioning the nature of comedy and the relationship between performer and audience.  It's disjointed, rambling, smart, sharp, thought provoking.  And always, always funny with underlying craftsmanship.  Lee knows what works, even when it doesn't, and he won't let you down.

Highly recommended.

Stewart Lee: Basic Lee (Work in Progress) is in the Stand Comedy Club at 10am each day until 28 August (not 15th/16th)

Blues Afternoon (Blue Milk, Blind Boy Paxton, Brandon Santini with Mud In Your Ear), Spiegeltent, George Square, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

 A young Glasgow based blue quartet for openers.  Dulux Dog lookalike Jonny McGiffen on guitar and lead vocals, Ike Malinki on bass, Taylor Whyte as the drummer and Leo S Glaister blasting out harmonica.  They didn't say much to begin with, just threw out a couple of numbers to show what they could do, and became chattier, funnier and more relaxed as the set went on.  McGiffen's vocals don't do clarity, but have an edginess and directness that's engaging.  The arrangements are richly textured and solos nicely matched.  They play to a high standard but have the sense to stay within their own limits.  I liked that on Black Magic Woman there was no attempt to out-Carlos Mr Santana, and the result was excellent.  The harmonica gave a real blues feel to the music, and the drum solo from Whyte was a highlight.  Even from his position at the back of the stage it was clear he's a charismatic character.

I'm sure I wasn't the only new fan the boys picked up on the day. 

Things quietened down for the middle act, a solo performance from Blind Boy Paxton.  What a character!  A naturally laconic comedian and raconteur, multi instrumentalist, with an unmistakably Mississippi Blues voice.  Anyone who enjoys the blues, and a good time, would love this man.

From the off he's engaging, dryly humourous and laughing at his own jokes.  Around him he has guitar, 5 string banjo and fiddle.  And from his voluminous overalls produces a variety of items - harmonicas, jew's harp, clackers.  There's a piano over the the right of the stage.  Looking back it's amazing how he managed to fit all those in, whilst singing and joking and storytelling too.  A genuine all round entertainer in the most laid back style.

And the music?  Of a very high standard, with his fiddle solo being a special treat.  Great singing, great playing, and a great time for the entire spiegeltent.  Not to be missed if you ever get the chance.

Another American to end the afternoon, harmonica master Santini and  with hugely experienced Edinburgh blues duo Mud In Your Ear.  The latter consisting of Allan Jones on guitar and Richard O'Donnell on keyboard and guitar.  Slow and mournful, fast and driving, quirky and funny - an eclectic mix of tunes and songs and tempos.  All three took their turns as lead vocalist, all three bringing different styles and qualities.  Jones has a never ending well of stories about the blues, Santini can also tell a good tale, and this was another set where the audience were drawn into involvement.  All three are excellent and imaginative soloists, but there was no doubting Santini's star quality when he made that tiny instrument wail and warble like an extension of his voice. It was all over too soon.

A comment that applied to the whole afternoon.  This was the best Blues Afternoon I went to in this festival, and maybe the best I've ever experienced.  Three great acts, all with very varied approaches to the blues, with the constant thread being that most essential blues element, the harmonica.  Wonderful.

James Brown is Annie & The Hamish Stuart Band, Assembly Hall, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

 Edinburgh's own funk and R&B band is a slick outfit, here playing as a septet with three decent lead vocalists to choose from and the ability to swap instruments around to suit each song's needs.  Drums, bass, guitars, keyboard plus both tenor and alto sax.  Another outfit to mix up classic numbers from the genre, plus some of their own material, and lots of variety in style and tempo.  A friendly bunch too, full of enjoyment, happy to interact with their audience and have a good time.  Some impressive solos, especially from the guitarist who started out as the bass player, and the alto sax.  A really fun set and I'd have been happy if they'd been on all night.

Confession time.  I hadn't really heard of Hamish Stuart, although, of course, I did know of The Average White Band.  So I wasn't quite prepared for the legend treatment he received for a clearly adoring audience.  But he knew exactly what to expect and traded on it with some charm.    Stuart certainly has stage presence, and I can't fault anyone who expresses their dislike for tories and admiration for the videos of Janey Godley!

But his singing voice is clearly suffering as he ages, although the phrasing is good and he can muster an impressive falsetto.  He was backed by a talented band, most, like the man himself, in the veteran category.  Drums, bass, lead guitar, keyboard.  The latter was the youngest of the bunch and by far the best soloist, although I enjoyed the bass player's too.

The afficionados were in heaven , and would disagree with me no doubt, but JBiA were the highlight of the evening.

Blues Afternoon (Dixie Fried, Kara Grainger, Grainne Duffy), Spiegeltent, George Square, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

 First up were the local rocking blues duo with Craig Lamie on guitar and vocals, and John Murphy on Drums.  There wasn't much chat, just launched straight into an energetic set.  Lamie makes up for the lack of a bass player by having his top string tuned deep, and it works well.  Only a short set, but, even with just the 2 of them on stage, they still managed to have a disagreement about the set list!  Not that it made a lot of difference.  Lamie has a decent enough voice, but little inflection, and most numbers lacked a truly discernible melody.  The musicality was a good standard though, and Murphy is highly entertaining to watch, so it certainly wasn't all bad.

Kara Grainger is a US-based  Australian singer and guitarist, here accompanied by Sam on keyboard, Marcel on bass and Luke on drums.  They played a mix of classic blues numbers and some of her own compositions.  Grainger's got a strong, distinctive voice and good guitar technique, including a bit of slide, so both vocals and solo are a pleasure to get into.  A real rocker having a good time, with an excellent backing band.  Keyboard solos were wild, bass and percussion solid, and the audience got involved.  A highlight was one of the best versions of A Good Day For The Blues I've heard live.  

Headliner was Irish singer/guitarist Duffy, with Paul on guitar, Mickey playing bass and Gavin as percussive anchor at the back.  She asked if we were ready for some rock and roll... then, remembering where she was added "and the blues".  Which gives some clue to the approach.  Loud and rocking and none the worse for that.  Duffy has a gritty voice with a wide range, and uses it well.  Her version of I'd Rather Go Blind was impressive, with a soaring long note held well at the end.  Paul took most of the guitar solos, and is a real rocker with fast fingers, while Duffy is not far behind him, and did some nice work with the slide.  

A rocking afternoon, with the Australian being my pick of the gig.

Katie Whitakker sings Etta James, Piccolo, George Square, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

 Does what it says on the tin.

Perth Based Whittaker belted out Etta James songs, with a Bessie Smith thrown into the mix, with passion and feeling.  She's got a voice that's well up to paying tribute to one of the all time greats of blues, jazz and soul, and the personality to put on a good show.

But.  She deserved better than the five piece band - guitar, keyboard, piano, bass and drums - were able to deliver on the day.  The wonderful percussionist Signy Jakobsdottir did a sterling job of trying to hold it all together, but there was always a feeling of being under rehearsed as an outfit, and a little shambolic at times.  That doesn't mean they were bad, but not up to the standard we've come to expect from JazzFest bands, and the one Whittaker's vocals deserved.

On another night this would probably have been a much better gig, but on this occasion I left underwhelmed. 

Les Violons de Bruxelles and Rose Room, Assembly hall, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

 Scotland's top gypsy jazz band, Rose Room, opened the show.  Old stagers Jimmy Moon and Tam Gallagher on upright bass and rhythm guitar respectively, new boy Conor Smith on lead guitar, fronted by renowned fiddler, singer and arranger Seonaid Aitken.  A mix of 20s, 30s and 40s jazz and swing standards, mostly in the Django style, but with varying influences creeping.

It's a compliment to say you'd notice the rhythm section most if they weren't there - nothing flashy or obtrusive about their play, just the perfect backdrop to allow the soloists to do their thing.  Smith plays with remarkable clarity of tone and plenty variation.  Aitken sings well, holding the high notes without waver, enunciating clearly and showing true jazz sensibilities in her phrasing.  Her playing is pure, a strong homage to the great Grapelli, without his vast range of invention maybe, but how many have?  And nobody in the room looks like they're having a better time than Seoniad does, her grin permanent and infectious during the performance. A joy to watch and hear.

If you say gypsy swing quartet you immediately think of the classic line up offered by Rose Room.  But Les Violons de Bruxelles break all the rules of the genre.  It was clear something very different was to be served up even before they hit the stage.  The stage set up was unusual, with a couple of overhead mikes , a couple almost at floor level, and another pair near the piano stool for a band that doesn't have a keyboard.  Either this was to be an entirely acoustic set, or they'd sneaked Highland bagpipes into the line up!

No pipes of course, and the band assembled before us, 5 very serious looking middle aged men, with a lot of serious hair going on, in a tight little group mid stage.  They swiftly launched into their first couple of numbers and while the facial expressions changed little the music was galvanising.  

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  Three men under the overhead mikes, one on the piano stool, one at the back.  The latter was Sam Gerstmans, on double bass, while Renaud Dardenne got the seat with his guitar.  The opposite of the preceding act, both play complex rhythms much of the time, weaving a pattern underneath the leading strings, while also contributing  excellent solos.  The tight three were Alexandre Tripodi on viola, violinist Renaud Crois, and band leader, spokesman and vocalist Tcha Limberger with his violin.  The set included a few jazz standards, some lesser know tunes and a few from around the world.  While the gypsy swing genre was predominant, there was great variety in the styles, and I found myself imagining I was in a Middle Eastern souk, watching a Brazilian samba, or absorbing the delicacy of a chamber quartet.  The arrangements are tight with a distinctive LVdB character, full of unanticipated departures and byways, and the solos from every one of the quintet are always a delight. 

But there's no doubting who is the real star.  Limberger's an charmingly amusing raconteur, his singing voice might not be technically all that great but it has character and wonderful phrasing, and his violin playing is top drawer, with as sweet a tone as you'll hear.  No wonder that Aitken described him as one of her heroes.

They left to a well deserved standing ovation, and at least one new fan in your critic.

Stephanie Trick and Paolo Alderighi, Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

 How many fingers do you need to play the piano?  Two for Chopsticks.  Ten for real.  So how about fifteen?  Or twenty?  Husband and wife duo Trick and Alderighi have spent years perfecting their four handed act and the result is a joy not just to listen to, but also to watch. 

The melodies are early twentieth century - jazz classics mostly, with tributes in there to the likes of Bessie Smith and Duke Ellington.  And, just to be different, a stride arrangement of a bit of Edvard Grieg.  A simple formula.  Set out the melody in the first few bars, then turn it inside out, upside down and round in circles.  The theme remains, the delivery changes constantly.  Whether it's either musician performing a solo, or the pair working together, the key is unpredictability.  Surprise and delight, with notes appearing where notes have no business being, and balladeering mixing with jazz and boogie woogie (Trick's speciality).  

Is one of the pair better than the other?  Who knows?  They play as one so much of the time.  You think the high notes must be coming from the dancing fingers of the one seated on the right, when you see hands and arms flitting between one an other.  Then one stands and moves around to take over.  It's as mesmeric to watch as it is to listen to.  

The musicians have fun, the audience has fun.  On top of their virtuosity they have developed (and clearly rehearsed into perfection) a smart line in physical comedy, a carefully choreographed performance that matches the surprises in the music and demonstrates their intuitive teamwork.

Wonderfully diverting.

Blues Afternoon (Lisa Mills, Cinelli Brothers, Stacy Mitchhart), Spiegeltent, George Square, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

 A solo act to get things going.  Mississippi's Lisa Mills belts out blues, gospel and soul, in a mix of original songs and covers.  No finger picking fanciness, but she's an excellent chord guitarist, has a powerful voice that brings a hint of gravel, a heavy punch and a sense of soulfulness, and an engaging smile and personality that makes an audience feel a part of the show.  It's hard work being first on in an early afternoon show, but Mills did a fine job.  With the highlight being a stunning unaccompanied gospel number aided by the audience clapping along.  A ggod staert to the show.

The Cinelli Brothers are a powerful 4 piece band inspired by the Chicago Blues of the sixties and seventies, with R&B, soul and funk influences.  The eponymous siblings are Marco on lead guitar and keyboard, with Allesandro on drums.  They're joined by bassist Stephen Giry and Tom Julian-Jones on guitar and harmonica.

Initial impressions weren't all that encouraging.  Largely unsmiling, little attempt to engage the audience, and a couple of songs that suggested this was little more than a good quality pub band.  But that soon changed.  A longer piece saw three solos from Marco on piano, Julian-Jones on guitar, and Giry's bass.  The first two were decent enough, but not inspiring.  But Giry sparked into life and showed off his feel for the capabilities of the four-string, and his own musical imagination.  How often do you see the spark that lights up a gid being provided by a bass solo?!

Something seemed to click with the entire line up because they were like a different outfit after that.  Effervescent, filled with enjoyment and feeding off one another, they got better and better over the fifty minutes.  Mostly covers, some original material, with a tight rhythm section and strong vocals.  Largely from Marco and Tom, but both the others showed they had decent voices.  Arrangements were smart and the solos improved, keys, guitar and harmonica.  At one point Giry handed his bass over to Marco and played a mean slide guitar, while Allessandro had his chance to shine near the end, with a drum solo lasting a a few minutes.  Which proved to be one of the best of the set, and I was sad to see it come to a close.  

The Cinellis provide rowdy fun with some classy touches.

Even before he reached the stage there was no doubting who the star of the afternoon was.  With an empty spot in the middle of the stage, the drums, bass, keyboard and sax started up, quickly joined by the sound of a wailing blues guitar, and Stacy Mitchhart swaggered in from the back, saying hi to the audience along the way.  Charisma is hard to define but easy to spot.  Mitchhart has an abundance.

He's probably not everyone's cup of tea - a joker, a showman, a flirt, with some questionable attitudes to women being evinced - but he's very much his own man, a larger than life creation of his own making.  While we and the band sweltered in the increasingly humid Spiegeltent, Stacy's fedora and suit jacket remained in place with no ill effects.  As he said, that's what living in Tennessee does for you.  

The set was a mix of blues classics, some original songs, and his inventive arrangements of a Beatles song (Come Together) and a Led Zep rocker (Whole Lotta Love).  Mitchhart played electric guitar, steel guitar, and one of his home-made cigar box three-strings.  Lots of chat, some funny stories, and one very moving tale when he introduced the cigar box.  And plenty of great music.  Mitchhart has a fine blues voice, less distinctive than Mills, but equally powerful and full of inflections.  His guitar playing is at another level though, and we were treated to some wonderful solos.  He's also generous to his band, and everyone got their chance to shine.  Beautiful, soulful sax work, keys with a sixties feel to them, and decent bass and drum solos (albeit not in the same class as the spectacular offerings from the Cinellis).  

But the focus remained with the star of the show, an imaginative musician and great entertainer.  He left the way he came in, walking off through the audience and doing what he does best with his fingers...

Martin Harley, Piccolo, George Square, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

 Harley came out alone to begin with and played a couple of songs on his Hawaiian lap guitar, showing off his slide mastery.  To break us in gently he said, and it was a restful beginning, but with that wailing slide bringing complexity.  Then he was joined by the remainder of the band, Harry Harding on drums and backing vocals, and Rex Horan, a man of considerable hair, on electric bass and backing vocals.  And what Harley called 'the elephant in the room'.  Sitting patiently on it's stand, waiting to play a starring role later in the gig, was Horan's sousaphone, unavoidable in shiny Armitage Shanks white.  

Other than one Tom Waites song, which came with one of Martin's funniest intros, all numbers were Harley compositions, which was both good and bad.  The good was the personal link he had with his material, and the stories that lay behind the writing.  The bad, or maybe less good, was some blandness in the material, with no truly memorable melodies or lyrics.

But that's not to say this wasn't a thoroughly enjoyable 90 minutes. Martin has a a good voice and excellent musical technique.  Not quite in the top rank for imagination, and some of the solos lacked any sense of surprise, but he's a solid professional who is also an excellent entertainer, connecting well with his audience.  A great drum solo from Harding, tons of personality and fun from Horan, and Harley's punchlines make for a great live act.  The perfect warm up for the week and a bit ahead of this year's long awaited festival.

Brian and Charles

You might have heard the expression "Like a wet weekend in Wales" to signify dreariness.  The setting for this movie is very much from that idiom, the skies grey and threatening, the landscape bleak and foreboding, the rain never far off.   From this dismal background springs a fairy tale for the twenty first century.  And, like most fairy tales, with an element of morality at it's heart.

Middle aged Brian (David Earl) lives, alone, lonely and off-centre, in a remote farmstead in the Welsh mountains, and makes for his lack of human companionship by inventing (and eating a lot of cabbage).  Using whatever bits and pieces he has lying around, or garners from the rich source of fly tipping, he comes up with the weird and the wonderful and the downright dangerous.  Anyone need a belt to carry their eggs in?  And if one fails, then there's always something else to have a go at.  Brian has a fertile imagination.  Heath Robinson meets Wallace and Gromit.

His most ambitious project is a robot, with artificial intelligence.  The head of an old shop window mannequin, the body of a busted washing machine, random bit of this and that and, hey presto, Brian finally has a friend.  Charles Petrescu (Chris Hayward) turns out to be every bit as eccentric as his creator, and far more prone to getting into situations.  Eddie (Jamie Michie), the local bully, threatens, while Brian finds the android an aid to developing a stuttering relationship with the equally lonely and downtrodden Hazel (Louise Brealley).

It's shot as a sort-of of mockumentary, but doesn't cling slavishly to the format.  This is a free form low budget kind of a film, and that's a big part of the charm.  There's romance, bromance and, as the Film Board suggest, 'mild threat'!  Suspend disbelief, go with the fantasy, and there are plenty of laughs, a redemptive storyline and lots of daftness.  And if you're looking for a moral, then the message that human relationships, and love, can take many forms is something we all need reminding of.

If you do go to see Brian and Charles, and I think you should, do yourself a favour and stay right through the credits at the end.  You'll be rewarded, visually and aurally, for your wait.

Le Vent du Nord, King's Place, London

 "Folkies, eh - what are we like?"  Even now there are still those who associate the term folk music with something staid, moribund, old fashioned.  Maybe they need to see Le Vent du Nord, who blend traditional Quebecois tunes and techniques with modern instrumentation and arrangements.  And explode with life - this is a band that connects with it's audience the moment it walks out on stage.

Plug electric keyboard and bass into the mix of traditional instruments - fiddles, accordion, guitar and mandolin, jew's harp and the wonderful hurdy-gurdy.  Then add the Quebecois tradition of podorythmie, where the feet beat out complex rhythms, and five fine harmonising voices, including a triple choice of lead vocalist.  That's Le Vent du Nord.  Most of the songs are old, with a few modern additions to the canon, but the presentation is bang up to date, and almost theatrical at times.

The set list was heavy on tracks form the recent album, 20 Printemps, celebrating their two decades as a band.  Audience participation is encouraged.  It's hard to pick out highlights, but Ma Louise swings from joyous to heart wrenching, even if you understand little of the lyrics, and the mouth music of Turlutte du Mai, where two pairs of percussive shoes accompany an acapella rendition, makes you wonder how such rich harmonies can spring from only five voices, like a mini male voice choir.  Then there was the comedy turn of the drinking song L'Auberge, where four drunks surround soloist Simon Beaudry and sway in formation around him.  Or the podorythmie 'duel' between the two fiddlers.  Meanwhile the music accepts influences from jazz and classical and pop genres, featuring dazzling solos from all the band members.

The gig ends with the audience on their feet, dancing and whooping, and grins on every face.  A good time guaranteed.

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande

 The tart with the heart of gold is an ancient literary device, and a well travelled Hollywood trope.  Leo Grande manages to bring some novelty to this cliched contrivance by making the tart a young, very intelligent, young man, while the person paying for his services is a prim and repressed retired RE teacher.  Is that enough to overcome the overworked origins of the relationship?

Set largely in the one hotel room, the action takes us through the first and subsequent meetings of widowed Nancy Stokes (Emma Thompson), looking for some spark she never found in her long marriage, and (unbelievably) gorgeous sex worker Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack).  Hiring Grande has been a long contemplated act of bravery, of trying to break out of the character life has created for her.  And the man offers her whatever she wants from him.  Whether that's the simple release of physical sex, or something more, not even Nancy knows at first.

Leo becomes as much counsellor as lover, while Nancy questions him about his job, his family, always probing as if he were one of her pupils.  There's some discussion over the role of sex work in society, and hints of how women of 'a certain age' become almost hidden, but there's no real depth or answers.

The script, by Katy Brand, feels more suited to the stage at times, but the pair make the best of what they've been given.  McCormack does a good job of overcoming the too-good-to-be-true persona he initially projects and delivering some vulnerability to that perfect exterior.  But this is mostly another Thompson masterclass in character creation and building.  The opening ten minutes are a delight, Emma excelling as a bundle of anxiety and embarrassed awkwardness, while reminding the audience of the great comic timing she has always possessed.  And it is refreshing to see such an honest warts-and-all physical performance from a sixty-something leading lady, something that's still all too rare on our screens.  

All of which could make this film sound like a bit of a dud, which is far from being true.  It's very funny, exhibits genuine pathos, and has great performances.  If the inevitable moment of epiphany seems a little trite, it's also a message that we need.  Learning to love ourselves, being honest about our own flaws, is something that still remains so hard for so many.  Ignore the clunky title and go and see a movie that offers something for everyone. 

(As I left I found myself thinking about the budget for this production - no outdoor locations, no special effects, only 2 sets and a tiny cast, so I wonder what % was spent on the big star name?!)

Hannah Rarity, Queen's Hall

 Critics have been giving Rarity's second album, To Have You Near, very positive, and at times effusive, reviews, and this official launch gig showed why and confirmed that she sounds even better live than recorded.  For the first half she was joined on stage by Scott Mackay on drums, Euan Burton playing both upright and electric bass, the wonderful Anna Massie on guitar, and Rarity's long time co-conspirator John Lowrie at the piano.  This set only briefly touched the new material, instead delivering songs from her earlier work, and some fine covers.  Including a gorgeous version of Joni Mitchell's A Case of You, always a good test of range and ability to hit sustained high notes.  Lowrie's sparse accompaniments and jazzy solos a perfect foil to the clarity and purity of Rarity's vocals.

The second half focussed on the new songs, and a string quartet joined the band on stage, to reproduce the lushness of the studio versions.  Led by Seonaid Aitken, who did many of the song arrangements, it featured Kirsty Orton on second violin, Patsy Reid on viola, and the ever smiling Alice Allen on cello.  The album features a mix of Rarity's own compositions, traditional material, and covers from songwriters as diverse as Tom Waits and Boo Hewerdine.  A lot of thought has gone into the arrangements, and into highlighting Rarity's ability to phrase and shape lyrics into her own style.  With one haunting solo from the singer accompanying herself on tenor guitar.  

Hannah is an engaging speaker, self deprecating and highlighting her own mistakes (she jumped the set list at one point), but always amusing and interesting.  She said when her dad first heard the new CD his first comment was "not a happy album then".  And it's true that many of the themes, inevitably inspired by lockdowns and the pandemic, have an underlying sadness.  There are no upbeat tracks, yet the tone is one of hope, of survival, of getting through things.  None more so than the closing number, her version of Davy Steele's Scotland Yet.  Rarity was happy to declare her support for Scottish Independence , a Scotland fee of "the ninnies doon the road" as she put it, and it seemed that most of the audience enthusiastically agreed with her.  It's a song of possibility, of what could and should be the future, and is in tune with the optimism that she brings to even the saddest lyrics.

Highly recommended.

Bill Bailey : En Route to Normal, Playhouse

 Two hours of Bill Bailey and my chest muscles ached.  That's the best possible sign of a good comedy gig.

Of course he walked on to huge applause from a sold out Playhouse audience, desperate for live entertainment, as we still are after the past couple of years.  But he immediately endeared himself further with a five minute rant about eh UKGov cabinet and the bizarre nature of it's occupants.  Truss as the human incarnation of Error 404 struck the perfect note.  He loathed them all, and so does Scotland, so he was on safe territory.  A Boris randomiser popped up from time to time as a reminder.

While his stated primary theme was the return to some kind of post pandemic normal, and the subject did keep cropping up, the show is largely a vehicle for Bailey's surreal imagination and musical inventiveness, kept fresh through audience interaction.  Subjects included saving the Polynesian tree snail, a musical about cockneys climbing Everest, skydiving in Oz with a forgetful fan, adapting pop and rock songs to a ragtime style, a French Eurovision entry and the awkwardness of meeting Chris Martin after slagging him off.  Every story carries the listener into some alternative universe, every musical episode shows off his skills.  There are some deeper moments, on the reality distortion of fame and threats to biodiversity, there if you want to find them.  But the roller-coaster of laughs always remains dominant.

His achievements on Strictly got a mention, and it's clear how much his innate musicality and gift for physical humour must have been assets.  Five stringed instruments, three percussion, three keyboards, a theremin and an iphone.  A tableful of cowbells and an array of car horns.  Music dominates the Bailey universe, and if he doesn't have the greatest of singing voices his diction makes sure the lyrics aren't lost, while his playing is often impressive.  Who couldn't love Nessun  Dorma on cow bells?

I'd love to be able to pick up on some faults, to demonstrate that I was being a critic.  But I was laughing far too much for that.  

 

Frigg, TradFest, Traverse

 A fun-loving, frolicsome Finnish folk formation, with a four fiddle frontline. Behind the bowing quartet there's upright bass, guitar and cittern/mandolin. Undeniably Nordic in style, but, even in the material written by the band, pulling in influences from all over.  Asturian folk tunes, AC DC inspired rock, bluegrass and Scottish music, all mixed into a complex interplay between the fiddlers, and constantly changing rhythms from the back three.  Exuberant, funny, and keen to get the audience involved, Frigg are wonderful entertainment.

Come All Ye, Tradfest, Traverse

 The gig opened with Phil Alexander and the Edinburgh Youth Gaitherin' Big Band. Phil on accordion, two other tutors on fiddle, 3 kids on fiddle plus flute, harp, guitar and bass. A nervy start suggested this might be something to be endured. But that soon gave way to enjoyment, with some good solos on flute and harp. Promising group.

The Come All Ye project was started by Phil as a celebration of the diversities of culture in modern Scotland. featuring new compositions mixed with folk tunes from around the globe, the band featured Phil, an Englishman with Polish roots, and musicians from Brazil, India, Jamaica, Nigeria, China, Hungary and Kurdish Syria. With Mr Alexander playing piano and accordion, there was a huge mix of stringed and percussive instruments, both the familiar and the strange to our Scots eyes, and excellent vocals from the three women in the line up (representing Jamaica, Nigeria and China). An incredible mix of styles and sounds melding together, giving the whole show a sense of unpredictability and built in excitement. Highlights included the middle eastern tones of the oud, and a Chinese song that increased in intensity and speed as it built up. Wonderful stuff.

Lau Unplugged, Queens Hall

The tickets said Fri 22 May 2020.  And, nearly two weird years later, here we were.  The trio Lau were back.  They looked as pleased to see us as we were to see them.

This was Lau Unplugged, the show I reviewed from Kings Place in London, back in January 2020.  With two significant differences.  There was no bird based soundscape.  And this was The Queens Hall, in Edinburgh, the band's home gig, their favourite venue, and the place where they are most loved.  It was a special night.

In the first half the guys sat centre stage, introduced and played songs and tunes from all periods of their deep history.  For The Cruel Brother they brought three backing singers from the audience - no less than Karine Polwart, Inge Thomson and Kirsty Law.  But otherwise this was genuine Unplugged - accordion, fiddle and guitar, Drever's voice, with occasional vocal contributions for Green and O'Rourke.  A reminder that, without the electronics, Lau is comprised of three virtuosos, and that the three together are capable of producing layers of incredible complexity.

The second half was... different.  Theatrical, flowing, wondrous.  No introductions, just segue after segue, movement that took in the whole stage, background soundscapes from the strangely beautiful audio cassette machine, and some ticktocking rythms from a couple of metronomes.  Plus a hilariously physical sequence involving four improvised bits of electronica, each a sound box with large cardboard coffee cup gaffertaped on. The standing ovation this 45 minute sequence received was fully deserved.

The finale brought us the wonderful, ever relevant, Ghosts, and ahppy trio Lau walking off to tumultous applause and cheering.  In a long list of outstanding Lau gigs I've been to, this one tops the lot.  

My Doric Diary (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

 It's Hogmanay 2010, and Daisy turns 17 tomorrow.  Tonight she wants to go and welcome in her big day at a party, in the glamourous surroundings of the Fraserburgh Liesure Centre.  And if she's not being allowed to go, can an unexpected discovery in the wardrobe do anything to help?

Want to hear Whitney Houston lyrics sung in Doric?  Experience time travel?  See the dead come back to life?  As Daisy tells us, anything can happen in the theatre, and here it does.  There's nods to Judy Garland and Charles Dickens and other elements of popular culture.  Written by Katie Barnett and James Siggens, Barnett herself plays Daisy, and all the other parts, with Siggens and Gavin Whitworth providing musical and vocal accompaniment.  It's not always easy to catch all the lyrics, but Barnett has a good singing voice and is an engaging and energetic performer.  The script is witty, moves along at a strong pace, and the songs are kept short and snappy.  There's even a bit of a moral in the ending.

Funny, frothy, sentimental, a bit of a tearjerker, and always entertaining, My Doric Diary brings out the smiles and if there's little of real substance to the piece, that's entirely forgivable in a performance that's so much fun.  A worthy ending to this season of A Play, a Pie and a Pint.

Daniel Getting Married (A Play, a Pie and Pint), Traverse

 Covid-19 strikes again.  From a cast of three we had two hit by the virus, and two replacements drafted in at very short notice.  Told on Monday, they were given minimal chance to rehearse and found themselves on stage on Tuesday lunchtime.  So this was their third performance.  Both were still, for obvious reasons, script in hand, but were working to improve their performances day by day.  Under the circumstances both Emily Winter and Michael Dylan did a fine job, and it was easy enough to forget the big wodge of paper in their hands.  

Fortunately Neil John Gibson, playing the central character of Daniel, has the adaptability to cope with these new presences on stage.  He told me after that they were now on their third run of the play, and had their third Joy and fourth Gabriel.  None of which was allowed to spoil the entertainment, or take away from the central message.

Daniel is getting married to Zac, and enters his dressing room in the church to adorn himself with a few 'products' and his smart suit.  Gibson sets a light tone, teetering between fear of the day and the campness he wants to introduce to the occasion.  His nerves aren't helped by the arrival of Joy, his mother, who isn't beyond giving her own son a bit of a wind up, including reminiscing about Gabriel, his great love who he spilt up with about four years before.  Daniel asks her to leave so he can get back his equilibrium.  But then Gabriel turns up.  Unexpected, uninvited, and still a huge contrast to the stable figure of Zac.  So what is Daniel to do?  Is he still getting married?  And if so, who's the lucky man?

J D Stewart's script can be a little predictable at times, but has more than enough laughs and tension to keep the action flowing and the audience engaged.  As well as the will he/won't he dilemma, and a bit of underlying conspiracy, it delivers an impassioned plea for the normalisation of all queer cultures - gay, bi, trans - in society, via an excellent monologue from Gibson.  An enjoyable story and a timely reminder, what more can you ask for from a fifty minute drama?

Man's Best Friend (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

 Ronnie is a dog walker.  Not a 'proper' one though.  He's an amateur, taken it on in lockdown as a favour to the neighbours.  Ronnie is looked down on by the real pros.  So he avoids them as best he can and gets on with enjoying the park, and the dogs, and that old feeing of being useful.  But then the day comes when the dogs get the better of him, rush off into the distance, and Ronnie has to set off in pursuit in a panic.  Which takes him out of the moment, where he so much wants to be, and into contemplation of past and future, and the fears that they hold.

A mesmerising solo performance from Jonathan Watson, which switches to and fro from comedy and pathos, immediacy of people and places, and deep emotions.  The humanities and inhumanities (and strong echoes of 'Partygate') of our recent pandemic times are there on display, with both expected and unexpected tragedies, and a strong sense of empathy for the fragility of our mental health.

Watson makes it all feel like a cosy, intimate chat, as if you've met him down the pub and asked him to tell you his story.  It's  all so natural, with a script from Douglas Maxwell which leaves the actor plenty room for a wide variety of emotional deliveries, and a clever set that takes into the outdoors and along wandering pathways.   

The experiences and difficulties of the past couple of years are going to be rich artistic territory for some time to come, and Man's Best Friend is a shining example of the genre.  Highly recommended.

Kris Drever, Brunton Theatre

 At last!  Originally booked for October 2020, this was the sixth time of asking for this pariticualr gig.  

Kris was joined on stage by Euan Burton on double bass, Louis Abbott plying electric guitar, and Rachel Lightbody providing backing vocals.  And how happy they all looked to finally be before an audience in the Brunton.  One thing the pandemic has done for live music has given us all, performers and audiences, a greater appreciation of what we had before it was all taken away, and this was joyfully reflected in the sense of warmth the performance brought to everyone in the auditorium.

Drever has retained his wry sense of humour, but for the most part he lets the music do the talking.  A great selection of songs, old and new, and a chance to show of his finger picking prowess in a guitar version of a Shetland wedding march written for fiddle.  The band brought a freshness to old favourites, with Abbott's guitar work standing out, often adding a jazzy feel and a sense of improvisation, and it was largely his doing that this was the best version of the wonderful Capernum that I've heard to date. Scapa Flow 1919 felt very special, and ending with the haunting relevance of Ghosts was a perfect ending.  

Well worth the wait.