Fest Preview 2009

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www.festmag.co.uk

the complete

festival guide

LAuRA SOLON RuSSELL KANE DAVID GREIG ARTHuR SMITH CAMILLE

rhod gilbert

blooming marvellous! plus... fest picks the best places to eat, drink & be merry across th e city

the fringe shows you can’t afford to miss

re! & much mo

the best shows, venues and more: your complete festival preview guide

Avalon Promotions Ltd present:

rabbit faced story soup written and performed by

LAURA SOLON world premiere

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PERRIER AWARD WINNER 2005

★★★★★ Metro ★★★★ The Times ★★★★ Scotsman ★★★★ Independent ★★★★ Chortle

The Times Edinburgh 2009 50 Best Shows Guardian Edinburgh 2009 Critic's Pick Scotsman Fringe 2009 Top 100

Assembly Rooms, George St, 6-30 Aug

www.assemblyfestival.com 0131 623 3030

5.05pm

festcontents contacts

welcome to the edinburgh festival

getting your ticKets

fest is your free guide to the edinburgh festivals

the fringe website

Fest will be publishing its festival guides throughout August.

Pick them up from venues across Edinburgh.

There is a myriad of ways to pick up tickets at the Fringe. despite the 2008 ticket fiasco, the most simple and stress-free way to book tickets is still online at the Fringe website (edfringe.com) here you simply search for the show you want to see, buy the ticket and then pick the tickets up from the venue box office before the show.

publisher SAM FRIEDMAN editorial

venues

editor Chris Williams deputy editor Simon Mundy contributing editor Evan Beswick

you can also buy tickets directly from venues, where they often have offers like The Pleasance “gimme 5” deal, where you can get discounts when bulk buying. as you will soon discover, however, the big venues are nearly always ram-packed and it is advisable to get in line at least 15 minutes before your show starts. at the smaller, less central venues it may also be better to phone ahead as it’s not fun to be stranded in the middle of nowhere at a sold-out show.

production

art director Matthew MacLeod picture editor Jay Sheldon subeditor Ben Judge cover image Carmel King

finding cheap ticKets Ticket prices at the Fringe have been steadily rising over the last few years and most shows will now set you back at least £10. however, prices do vary wildly (£5 to around £30) and there are a number of ways to pick up bargains.

sales & support

sales executive Lara Moloney

contributors Joseph Francis, David Stevenson, Fern Brady, Frank Lazarski, Nick Garrard, Nick Lewis, Evangelos Chrysagis, Jessica Winch, Lyle Brennan, Andrew Chadwick, Yasmin Sulaiman, Ed Ballard, Ruth Dawkins, Junta Sekimori, Oliver Farrimond, Tom Hackett, Nick Eardley, Baldvin Bergsson, John Sannaee, Anna Rebecca Hine, Rebecca Carey, Alex Baggallay, Rebecca Ross, Jasper Jackson, Neil Bennet, Jade Maddison, Jennifer Blyth, Claire McKim, Joe Constable, Rachael Cloughton, Alexandra Cory, Iman Qureshi, Karishma Char, Phil Gailey, Rhodri Williams, Lauren Quinn, Rea Cris, Anne Miller, Will Lyon, Fergus Weir, Gillian Loney

to contact fest hello@festmag.co.uk 0871 951 9551 published by fest media limited

one sure-fire way is to visit the Fringe during the first weekend when most shows run 2for1 offers to get people in early. Milling around the big venues during the afternoon is also a good bet, as flyerers will often give out free tickets for shows that are struggling to sell.

Perhaps the most reliable source of cheap tickets, however, is the Fringe half Price Ticket hut, which pretty much does exactly what it says on the tin. Located just off Princes St outside Princes Mall, this white tent is a goldmine for cheap tickets for every type of show and runs throughout the Fringe.

contact details edinburgh festival fringe

edinburgh art festival

7-31st august www.edfringe.com 0131 226 0000

5 august - 5 September www.edinburghartfestival.org

edinburgh JaZZ and blues festival

Registered in Scotland number SC344852

edinburgh international festival

registered address 30-38 Dalmeny Street, Edinburgh EH6 8RG

edinburgh international booK festival

edinburgh military tattoo

15-31st august www.edbookfest.co.uk 0131 718 5666

7-29 august www.edintattoo.co.uk 0131 225 1188

the festival of spirituality and peace

edinburgh mela festival

Every effort has been made to check the accuracy of the information in this magazine, but the publisher cannot accept liability for information which is inaccurate. Show times, prices and venues may be subject to change.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without the explicit permission of the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within this publication do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the printer or the publisher.

www.edinburghjazzfestival.co.uk 31 July - 9 august 0131 467 5200

14 august - 6 September www.eif.co.uk 0131 473 2000

9-30th august 0131 228 8146 www. festivalofspirituality.org.uk

7-9 august www.edinburgh-mela.co.uk 0131 332 2888

fest supports amnesty international at the festival

© Fest Media Limited 2009

NOMINATED

EnclosedM inIN every EDof Fest is your copy of the ATcopy NO International Amnesty festival guide.

Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights for all.

www.amnesty.org 4 fest edinburgh festival preview guide 2009

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festcontents comedy pages 6–30 laura solon page 8

returning for the first time since her 2005 Perrier-winning debut, Laura Solon talks to yasmin Sulaiman about overcoming her stage-fright anti-comedy page 10

Long pauses, excruciating silences; bad comedy can be a truly souldestroying experience. not so, says Tom hackett, as he explores the twisted phenomenon of anti-comedy rhod gilbert page 12

The wild Welshman returns on the back of an if.comedy nomination, a triumphant royal Variety performance and a sell-out national tour. chris Williams meets the man standing atop the comedy pile daniel sloss page 21

Frankie Boyle’s protégé, 18-year old stand-up daniel Sloss may be more than just a pretty face, says Fern Brady

theatre pages 34–51 ella hicKson page 36

Bright young thing ella hickson took last year's Fringe by storm with her debut play Eight. Back in 2009 with the tricky second album, Precious Little Talent, she tells yasmin Sulaiman how she's been handling the pressure david greig page 44

you don’t find many musicals at the Traverse. But then again david greig’s Midsummer is not your average musical, says yasmin Sulaiman david leddy page 48

Scotland’s king of site-specific theatre reveals his grand plan for 2009: cups of tea, garden parties, big white boxes and lasers celebrity confessional page 50

More performers than ever are descending upon edinburgh to bare all for anyone who will listen. Ben Judge charts the rise of confessional theatre

booKs pages 52-55

music pages 56-61

ewan morrison page 52

enter shiKari page 56

The author of hit 2007 novel Swung tells oliver Farrimond about the inspirations behind his career chronicling modern neurosis arthur smith page 54

artist and professional grumpy old man arthur Smith discusses life after booze and the autobiography he promised he’d never write

eif pages 62–69 harry christophers page 66

The classical superstar is set to conduct the long awaited debut of his period choral ensemble at the eiF. Talking to chris Williams, he gives away the secrets of his success dorris dÖrrie page 68

The german film-maker cum opera director talks about her historic production of handel’s Admeto

www.festmag.co.uk

'nintendo new rave' stars enter Shikari make time for a cuppa with gillian Loney camille page 60

Kooky, mysterious and every bit the queen of Fringe, chris Mccall gets candid with irish-French chanteuse camille

s... plu

more content online at

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find your way around...

festival map page 42 who will be taking your money...

venue guide page 43 satisfy your hunger...

restaurant reviews page 70 sit down and have a nice drink...

festival bar guide page 78

edinburgh festival preview guide 2009 fest 5

festcomedypicks festcomedy

safe bets: festival comedy that won’t disappoint

Stewart Lee

Rhys Darby

Emperor, figurehead and talisman of Fringe comedy, Stewart Lee attacks the Festival every year with the same unwavering creative zeal.

In a dingy Edinburgh flat in 2003, Rhys Darby sat down with two fellow Kiwis to record the BBC pilot for Flight Of The Conchords...the rest is history.

The Stand , 5-30 aug (not 17), 19:45, £10

Rhod Gilbert

Pleasance Courtyard, 5-31 aug (not 12 or 19), 20:45, £15

Bookies’ favourite for last year’s if.comedy award, many believe Gilbert was robbed by the judges. He’s not bitter, though, and this year will be aiming to go one better.

Udderbelly’s Pasture, 6-15 aug, 22:00, £15

Andrew Maxwell

Pleasance Courtyard, 5-31 aug (not 12 or 17), 21:00, £15

Andrew Maxwell’s recent turn towards the political has added another welcome layer to his playful brand of cheeky Irish charm.

Zoe Lyons

Pleasance Courtyard 5-30 aug, 20:30, £9.50

Probably the most impressive British female comic on the circuit, Zoe Lyons’ bolshy yet razor-sharp observational comedy has earned her many plaudits over the past two years.

6 fest edinburgh festival preview guide 2009

The Penny Dreadfuls

Pleasance Courtyard 5-31 aug (not 15 or 22), 20:30, £11.50

The multitalented Dreadfuls return to the Fringe this year with an intriguing sketch-based narrative set on a theme park island.

Daniel Kitson

Simon Amstell

Once again opting for the intimate dungeons of The Stand rather than the schmaltzy limelight of the big four, Kitson promises yet more bearded magic in 2009.

One of the few genuinely funny TV panel-show hosts, Simon Amstell is also a remarkably good stand-up.

The Stand, 9-30 aug (not 14,15,21,22,28,29), 23:59, £10

David O Doherty

Pleasance Courtyard 5-31 aug (not 17), 22:30, £12

Despite winning last years if.comedy award, there’s been no astronomic rise to fame for David O Doherty. Which is good news for us, as we get him and his plastic keyboard all to ourselves.

The Bongo Club, 14-30 aug (not 24), 20:40, £14

Sean Hughes

Gilded Balloon 22-30 aug (not 27), 20:30, £14

It’s a long time since Sean Hughes won The Perrier Award in 1987, but the veteran Irish comic still possesses one of the darkest and most intelligent comedy brains on the circuit.

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festcomedy take a chance: Gamble and find the hidden gems

Janeane Garofolo

Anna Crilly & Katy Wix

Daniel Sloss

Gilded Balloon 6-15 August, 20:30, £12

Pleasance Courtyard 5-31 August, 18:40, £10.50

Pleasance Dome 5-31 August (not 16, 24), £11

Hans Teeuwen

Tim Key

Tom Craine

Better known for acting roles in 24 and The Larry Sanders Show, Janeane Garofolo used to be one of America’s most highly rated stand-ups. Has she retained any of her old magic?

Brilliantly absurd, Anna Crilly and Katy Wix were responsible for the critically adored but publically underrated Penny Spubbs in 2005 and 2006.

Udderbelly’s Pasture 13,14,15 and 26, 27,28 August, 23:35, £14.50

To critics he’s close to comedy genius, but to the many who have walked in and then promptly walked out of his gigs, Han Teeuwen is at best obscure and at worse offensive.

Jim Jeffries

Udderbelly’s Pasture 17-21 August, 20:35, £15

The question is, will the artful and subversive Jeffries turn up, as he did in 2007, or will we get the shambolic and horribly misogynistic Jeffries who came last year?

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Pleasance Courtyard 5-31 August (not 17), 21:50, £10.50

An unrivalled commitment to creativity and a fantastic turn of phrase mean Tim Key is partial to moments of 5-star brilliance; but at other times his low-fi approach can completely lose momentum.

Jack Whitehall Pleasance Courtyard 5-30 August (not 11, 18, 25), 19:15, £11.50

Not another arrogant little upstart from E4? Jack Whitehall is indeed one of those shaggy-haired lotharios from TV. But, happily, he’s also quite funny.

For a comedian, fresh-faced Daniel Sloss is positively embryonic at 18. But Sloss’s sharp and accomplished comedy may make him a good outside bet for this year’s newcomer award.

Pleasance Courtyard 5-31 August (not 12, 19), 19:15, £12

After earning his stripes as Rhod Gilbert’s support act, Tom Craine looks like one of the most exciting young prospects at this year’s Fringe. Another Welsh Wizard in the making?

Cardinal Burns

Kevin Bridges

If the new project from Seb Cardinal and Dustin Demri-Burns is anything like their earlier Fat Tongue, it should prove one of the most exciting sketch shows at the Fringe.

Buoyed by a triumphant recent appearance on Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, Glaswegian Kevin Bridges’ Fringe debut is reputedly nearly sold out.

Pleasance Courtyard, 5-31 August (not 17, 24), 17:45, £9

Pleasance Dome, 5-31 August (not 17), 20:45, £11

edinburgh festival preview guide 2009 fest 7

festcomedy

The Prodigal Daughter returns Tom Hackett speaks to former Perrier Award winner Laura Solon ahead of her first visit to the Festival City since taking comedy’s top prize With the Fringe’s big attractions looking glossier and more mainstream by the year, it’s easy to forget that the festival can still throw up talent from out of nowhere. When Laura Solon took her first solo show to Edinburgh in 2005, she had a lowly midday spot in the backroom of a small pub. Her tightly scripted, impeccably acted short monologues, with their very English mix of whimsy, eccentricity and sharp social satire, were clearly too good for the space, and word-of-mouth enthusiasm soon grew. Then Solon found herself the surprised recipient of that year’s Perrier award, in one of the most pleasingly obscure choices the panel has made in the award’s 28-year history.

But Solon has claimed that she dislikes performing live, and that it was always her plan to get into radio and TV as quickly as possible. The award proved “a real launchpad” and she got her wish: she’s currently working on the third series of her popular Radio 4 series and has had a pop at television, too.

8 fest edinburgh festival preview guide 2009

Which makes it somewhat curious that she’s back at the Fringe this year with a new solo show: a comic “multi-character narrative” loosely set in the world of publishing. What brings her back?

“Quite a lot of things, actually,” she tells me as we sip tea in a noisy cafe at Clapham Junction station, near her super-cheap rehearsal studio (she describes the discovery of this space, for £20 a day in a city where you can expect to pay £200 an hour, as “like finding a unicorn”). “I’ve only done one live show, and I only did that for two weeks in Edinburgh... And the first time I did it, I just did lots of monologues in a row. Whilst I really enjoyed doing that show, I don’t feel that I really used the live space. I mean, you could have recorded them all and just played them.

I had a tiny space, I couldn’t really do much with it. I think this time round I wanted to really create something that is intrinsically live: you know, it’s not like ten sketches, it really is in that environment talking to that audience.”

“I didn’t really used to like live shows at all… it used to make me feel quite sick”

This new-found enthusiasm for the benefits of live performance has a lot to do with Solon conquering one of her demons.

“I didn’t really use to like live performance at all,” she confides. “It used to make me feel very nervous and after Edinburgh I stopped enjoying it; it used to make me feel quite sick with stage-fright, or just nerves. I couldn’t really do it.” But this has improved with practice. Her radio shows are recorded in front of a studio audience, “obviously no costumes or props, just reading. It was really fun; and I thought, it’s actually really fun just to do a show. And in the live format you’re completely in control of it, you can do what you want.”

Solon talks fondly of her work on Talking and Not Talking, a sketch show whose tight writing and faintly loopy eccentricity have seen it settle very comfortably into Radio 4’s comedy schedule. “I think some people see [radio] as something to do before they do TV, but I think it’s a medium itself that I’ll always want to do. I think it’s a really fantastic way of presenting some of your work.”

Less successful was her excursion into television, the ITV2 sketch show Laura, Ben and Him – a combined effort with fellow comedians Ben Willbond and Marek Hardy.

Compared to the sharpness and wit of Solon’s solo work, it was a stilted and rather lame affair. Solon lapses into platitude mode when I ask about it, praising the hard work of the crew and cast and stressing that “it was a fun thing to do.” But she’s clearly aware that it’s not her finest hour, describing it as a “good learning curve, because you realise what doesn’t work.” It seems she was somewhat frustrated by the constraints of the format, especially as “budgets had come down, and we had to do a lot more in the timeframe.... We just did lots of little things, because we couldn’t really afford to do big set pieces. And, you know, I think about eight people watched it,” she laughs.

And so back to the Fringe, this time in a larger space more appropriate for her talents.

The new show is “more ambitious” than the last, taking advantage of the anything-goes spirit of a Festival where, last year, Solon says she went to a cabaret show where one of the acts was “just this guy putting eggs in his mouth.” The tale of a publisher whose star author goes missing after apocalyptically killing off all of the characters in her bestselling post-feminist series of novels, it features a host of interconnected characters, all played by Solon, and is narrated by a frustrated creative type who works in a call centre. “But it might have changed completely by the time I get there,” she says.

The Fringe’s transformation from experimental hothouse to bustling trade fair continues apace, and by the time you read this, the likes of Julian Clary may well have sold out. But if anyone doubts Edinburgh’s continuing ability to foster the weird and the wonderful, it seems Solon might be poised once again to prove them wrong.

Laura Solon: Rabbit Faced Story Soup Assembly Rooms 6-30 August, 5.05pm, £11-12

www.festmag.co.uk

late night at C venues the other 9 to 5

Hartshorn-Hook Productions

C presents... Dastardly Productions

The Rat Pack Take the Empire: - Live!

The Great Big Marvellous 5 - 31 Aug at 8.55 pm Victorian Game Show 8 - 30 Aug at 12.00 am

Hartshorn-Hook Productions

The Blues Brothers - Live!

5 - 31 Aug at 11.25 pm

Latino Hideaway in association with Hartshorn-Hook Productions

Brazilian Fever

13 - 31 Aug at 9.30 pm

Get Happy Comedy

Get Happy in Edinburgh 6 - 31 Aug at 11.00 pm

A festival feast of live entertainment

Night-time cabaret, bands, dancing and the best DJs Edinburgh can offer at C's main bar Enjoy late night jazz and a cocktail in the Cip bar Performance art, burlesque and variety at C central's chic Cabaret Bar

Electric Cabaret brings the best comedy acts from across the Fringe together every night at C central Kick back in the Urban Garden and enjoy an alfresco drink in the Terrace bar

Keep the party going late with improv, burlesque, cabaret, music, DJs and more stand-up than ever before. Open til 5am every day of the festival, C is the place to see and be seen.

C

venues vibrant vivacious variety

box office hotline 0845 260 1234 online programme www.CtheFestival.com

festcomedy

Upping the

anti Self-professed ‘anti-comedian’ Edward Aczel is building a career out of not telling jokes. Tom Hackett explores the philosophy behind his twisted comedy genre In comedy, the stuff that’s not there can be as important as the stuff that is. The long pauses, the awkward silence that meets a joke that doesn’t quite fly, the sight of a performer trying to wing it after their material vanishes from their memory; all of these things can be excruciating to watch, but employed creatively, they can also be among the most effective tools in a comedian’s arsenal. These techniques are the weird dark matter of stand-up, creating tension and contrast to give maximum effect to the humour that surrounds them. ‘Anti-comedy’, when you start to look for it, is everywhere.

Yet there are some who take these techniques to a whole other level, whose entire acts are based on frustrating the audience’s expectations of jokes, of entertainment, of even being amused.

One such self-professed ‘anti-comedian’ is Edward Aczel. His act contains no gags, no real observations or opinions, nothing that could easily be called a ‘routine’. And yet he can be very funny indeed, as the enthusiastic audiences and rave reviews for his first full-length show at last year’s Fringe attest.

He’s back this year to deliver, or perhaps not deliver, more of the same. So how does he do it?

“The idea of anti-comedy is, it’s the opposite of a confident stand-up telling jokes which the audience laugh at on cue,” Aczel explains, on the phone during a break from his decidedly non-comic day job at a marketing company. “With anti-comedy you make them laugh almost with the tension you’re creating by being there and the moments, the pauses, all that sort of stuff... I kind of strip away all the bullshit of, you know, telling a funny anecdote or being amusing in some way, or telling clever, complicated stories.”

It’s a style that Aczel developed almost by accident, stemming from his very genuine lack of material when he first started in stand-up four years ago, at the relatively

10 fest edinburgh festival preview guide 2009

advanced age of 37. “The act developed because I made strength of the fact that I didn’t have much confidence and I hadn’t done any real preparation,” he admits. He decided to point these weaknesses out as soon as he came on stage, a potentially disastrous strategy that would make most performers’ hair stand on end. But he found that the audience liked it. “If you tell everybody what’s going on, it does make people laugh. I think four years down the line, that’s started developing into a proper idea. Initially it was just being pushed out on stage and seeing what happened.”

Rather less accidental were the anticomedy activities of a group of young British comics in the mid ‘80s, who include the now-famous Fringe regulars Stewart Lee,

"You're just trying to make them laugh. And if you can make them do that by whatever means, by the opposite of humour, then, you know, they're still laughing"

top Stewart Lee RIGHT Simon Munnery Above Edward Aczel

Simon Munnery and Richard Herring. At that time, says Lee, “we had a sort of ‘scorched earth’ policy to comedy. You know, I’m not going to do any jokes, I’m not going to have a personality, I’m not going to do anything that could be construed as entertaining.” Inspired by the likes of Ted Chippington, a now mostly forgotten comic who used to come on stage and deliberately wind the audience up by doing one or two bad jokes over and over again, they decided to “reject everything and

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festcomedy Other anti-comedians

Andy Kaufman

To many the original anti-comedian, Kaufman confused and amused ‘70s America by appearing at comedy clubs and doing things that resembled nothing else at the time. His filmed performances, like the one where he just stands next to a record player and sings along to bits of the Mighty Mouse theme tune, still have a raw hilarity that Jim Carrey’s impersonation in the biopic Man On The Moon doesn’t come close to matching.

Charlie Chuck

A self-professed son of “the old-time music-hall and vaudeville circuit,” Chuck (real name Dave Kear) is a master of frustrating the audience’s expectations of joke structure and punchlines, to brilliantly funny effect. He claims ignorance of the anticomedy genre, but told Fest that “anyone can put on a red suit or a green suit, prop up the microphone and just read out gags...

It’s too obvious.” He’s taking ‘Chuck’ to Medieval England for this year’s Fringe show.

see what’s left when you stomp all over it.”

“We were just bored of jokes,” says Munnery, and wanted to see what else they could get away with in the context of a comedy gig. At the most extreme end of this philosophy were people like Jimbo – a short, slightly odd-looking man who, according to Lee, “used to come to the mic and just stand there until the audience got bored, and then walk off.” Although sometimes he went down terribly, it was such a counterintuitive thing to do at a stand-up gig that often the audience couldn’t help but giggle. “Part of the fun of it,” says Lee, “is making everything else around you look ridiculous by choosing not to cooperate with it.”

Aczel is keen to point out, though, that the same principles apply as in any stand-up gig. “You’re just trying to make them laugh” he says. “And if you can make them do that by whatever means, by the opposite of humour, then, you know, they’re still laughing.”

Simon Munnery concurs, and says that in fact this is easier than you might think.

“There’s something about the fact that a venue is set up and people come along to laugh, they’re sort of going to laugh anyway.

So almost anything can be funny.” His own gigs remain a case in point: a section of his last Edinburgh show involved him showing a film of himself, going round Scotland and tapping various railings with a spoon.

This threw a large part of the audience into unexpected hysterics, and Munnery explains that, despite appearances, there

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are some fairly typical comic techniques at work here. “A lot of comedy works on tension and then the release of tension,” he says. “So there’s tension when you see the spoon, and then whatever the sound is, there’s the moment of revelation, which is the equivalent of a punchline. So it has the right rhythm, and if they don’t laugh, that’s their problem.”

If it all sounds a bit high-minded and pretentious, that’s because it can be. But as Stewart Lee points out, “it’s like really extreme avant garde music or art – you might not like it, but it does at the very least help to define the edges of what’s possible.”

As for Aczel, the miracle of his act is that it doesn’t seem pretentious at all. The lack of jokes is part of an overall shambolic, everyman persona that, far from alienating his audiences, tends to bring them closer.

“There’s a group of people, and there is somebody standing there on the stage, and that’s about it,” he says. By destroying the dynamic of a brilliant comedian outwitting everybody else in the room, he creates a sort of egalitarian atmosphere that fits with his worldview. “What I try to do is to imply: here we all are, let’s have some fun. And that’s all there is.”

Edward Aczel Explains All the World’s Problems ... and Then Solves Them Underbelly, 7-30 Aug, 7.25pm, Stewart Lee The Stand, 5–30 Aug, 7:45pm, £10

Ted Chippington

“The most significant British anti-comedian,” according to Stewart Lee, Chippington had a particularly extreme attitude in that he deliberately set out to go down badly with audiences. “To call it an act would be do dignify it beyond what it was,” says Lee. “He just didn’t really have any material.”

He stopped performing 20 years ago when he became too popular, but is now back on the circuit.

Brian Gittins

Another anti-comedy character act at the Fringe this year, ‘Brian’ is a frustrated roadside cafe owner attempting to make it big on the comedy and light entertainment circuits. His complete lack of jokes and talent are his only drawback.

Simon Munnery’s AGM09 5–31 Aug, 4:05pm, £8

edinburgh festival preview guide 2009 fest 11

festcomedy

hot rhod After a busy year insulting Prince Charles and promoting Welsh tourism, rhod gilbert won’t be satisfied with anything less than perfection at the Fringe, he tells Chris Williams

12 fest edinburgh festival preview guide 2009

“when i started out, i was very quiet, very deadpan, very surreal. There were lots of pauses. Mainly pauses. There was more pause time than word time. and now i’m just this ranting... raving... shouting... screaming... lunatic.” as is the wont of those in the enviable possession of a Welsh accent, rhod gilbert luxuriates in the delivery of his adjectives— r’s rolled, vowels longer than the nile—as he relates the tale of his rise to prominence. in the time since his 2008 Fringe show ...Award Winning Mince Pie was nominated for the if.comedy award, gilbert has launched a sell-out national tour—we’re talking the whole uK now, not just Wales—as well as fitting in TV appearances on Live at the apollo, the royal Variety Performance and headlining Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow.

Though a man seemingly approaching the summit of the stand-up mountain, gilbert remains philosophical about the concept of success: “2006 and 2007 were just sort of… i mean in edinburgh terms they were good. They were four star sort of shows across the board and they all sold out – but there was no major buzz. in 2008 there was a real buzz about the show. But i’m still at a loss to understand these things – how it all works. it’s a complete mystery to me.”

Tonight, prestigious awards, huge telly audiences and brushes with royalty must seem a distant memory as the hurried comic chomps into a BLT before a low-key preview of his new show. 2009 offers a chance for fans to hear another meticulously arranged “fucking rant” against the strains of modern life, inventively stitched together by the theme of a cat resembling nicholas Lyndhurst. But finding time to write new material in amongst his many commitments has clearly become an issue for gilbert: “it doesn’t get any easier,” he concedes. “The first year i went up to edinburgh, 2005, i’d been doing stand-up for three years and the show was just all my greatest hits cut into a story. Last year i wrote the whole thing in six weeks. This year i have five writing days between now and edinburgh.” i suggest that sending his jokes out to millions of viewers at prime time, Saturday night must turn up the pressure to develop new material: “it eats it up. it totally eats it up,” he admits, “and some comedians, they get to a certain profile and they do use writers. But the joy for me is writing something that i think is funny – and then it works. i don’t think i’d find it as satisfying to go out there and perform something that somebody else had written. i haven’t used any writers yet – i hope i won’t have to.”

Perhaps best known for being the first comedian to make jokes at Prince charles’ expense at a royal Variety show, it is the big moments on the small screen that clearly drive gilbert on. Was it fun to have that freedom to dig into Prince charles? “definitely. it was a real gamble though. it could have been the stupidest thing i’d ever done.”

Told by producers only the morning

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festcomedy PREVIEWS stand-up Highlights

Alun Cochrane Alun Cochrane is a Daydreamer at night

Alun Cochrane offers a blend of the mundane and the fantastical. Taking his material from all corners of his mortgage-paying, newspaper-flicking, Skoda-driving life, expect stories rich in intricate detail and a mastery of simple and astute punch lines that belie a level of expert observation. His daydreaming promises to veer from the innocent to the sadistic which, when coupled with Cochrane’s spontaneous delivery style, should produce great results. He has, over the past years, developed a warm, genuine style of performance which tends to leave audiences happy to indulge him in whatever erratic and silly manner his mind happens to be wandering off in. Everyone likes to daydream; Alun Cochrane just happens to be better at it than most. And if you’re lucky he might tell you about his Yurt. Evidently it’s a very special tent. [David Stevenson] XX The Stand III & IV, 7-30 Aug, 10:50pm, £9

Sean Hughes

Photos Carmel King

What I Meant To Say Was ...

“The Royal Variety Performance was a chance to interact with the Royals in a way that’d never been done... but if it goes wrong then I’m buggered and it’ll be the biggest mistake I ever made”

Two years after his return to the stand-up circuit following a decade’s absence, former Perrier winner and Never Mind the Buzzcocks captain Sean Hughes is back in Edinburgh this summer.

Hughes’ quick-fire audience engagement and dark, often edgy style have earned him a reputation as one of Britain’s most intelligent and impressive performers, and he has been hailed as one of the top comedians of his generation. His 2007 show at the Fringe was seen as a triumphant return to stand-up, and this year’s eight-night stint will no doubt see the 43-year-old delve inventively further into the problems facing men of a certain age.

Appearances on the Last Detective and Sean’s Show have made him a household name, and this year’s appearance at the Gilded Balloon is bound to be popular. [Nick Eardley] XX Gilded Balloon Teviot, 22-30 Aug (not 27), 8:30pm, £14

before the performance that cameras would be focused on the spotlit Royal box for the first time in Royal Variety history, Gilbert rushed to change his act to take advantage of the new arrangement: “I just went ‘Ping!’

This is a chance to interact with the Royals in a way that’s never been done. I thought, if I do it well and it comes off then it will be the thing that everybody remembers. But if it goes wrong then I’m buggered and it’ll be the biggest mistake I ever made.”

Gilbert becomes particularly animated talking about what he undoubtedly regards as a defining moment in his career: “I was backstage—McIntyre denies this but I’m sure he said it. He gave me a row the other day for saying it but I’m going to say it again—he said there are eight million people watching on TV, there are 2,500 people out there, if you screw this up at the top of your gig and they don’t particularly go for it then the next seven, eight minutes are going to be hell. But something in me just made me do it.”

Thankfully for his legions of fans, accusations that Princes William and Harry had vandalised Gilbert’s local bus stop didn’t

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fail to raise a royal chuckle and no charges of treason have yet been levied: “In the end, I think it paid off. But if it hadn’t, I would still be losing sleep over that, I would still be kicking myself all over town.”

A perfectionist to his core—his preview shows regularly include a slot for audience feedback—it is refreshing that the art of stand-up clearly holds much greater significance for Gilbert than any panel show ever could: “I’m a little bit ambitious,” he acknowledges. “When I go on tour, I want to go to bigger rooms, I want to get more audiences. And I guess I’m insecure enough to need that reassurance and that ego boost. But I’m not one of these super ambitious, got to be on TV, got to have my own show types at all – the integrity of it is much more important to me.” Such integrity will no doubt ensure another sell-out year in 2009, and with the awards formerly known as the If.comedys under new management, perhaps one more shot will be all he needs.

Rhod Gilbert and the Cat that Looked like Nicholas Lyndhurst Pleasance Courtyard 5-31 Aug, 8.45pm, £14

Jon Richardson This Guy at Night

While hosting the second-best mid-morning weekend comedy programme on the not-hugelysuccessful BBC6Music digital radio station has not brought Jon Richardson nationwide celebrity, his is a name that comedy fans should take note of.

Richardson is fast making a reputation for himself as one of the UK’s most promising young comedians, and he certainly has the potential to be one of this year’s Fringe highlights. His 2009 offering looks set to follow the path laid down by his two previous, highly acclaimed Fringe shows, with the lion’s share of material revolving around his self-imposed isolation (he lives alone in his Swindon flat) and the strange, absurd thoughts he entertains while keeping himself company.

Although not a cosy member of the TV panel-show circuit, with an array of awards under his belt Richardson is definitely one to watch out for this August. [Ben Judge] XX Pleasance Courtyard, 5-31 Aug, 8:30pm, £11

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festcomedy

Nuremberg Trial and Error

Richard Herring’s evolutional approach to comedy writing is proving a little uncomfortable in light of this year’s Nazi-inspired theme, finds Bario Toole

Richard Herring is facing the closest thing to the nightmare of being naked in the middle of an exam that a professional comedian can have. There’s fifteen minutes to go until the first showing of what will develop into his Edinburgh show and he is preparing to unleash material which, as yet, has been only really been performed in his own head.

But Herring, casually sipping on his drink, has had worse things to present to the public of late. “I walked around London with a Hitler moustache as research for the show. It only took a week before I decided I had to shave it off”.

Most would find the prospect of sauntering onto a stage nerve racking, let alone rollicking around London sporting a tuft of facial hair likely to incite physical violence. Herring is not only a grizzled veteran of the British comedy circuit, he has also developed into one of the most dexterous stand-ups operating in the UK. He also deals with hecklers like Idi Amin presumably dealt with trick or treaters, but we will come to that later.

However, anyone worried that Herring has suddenly been transformed into some sort of basement-dwelling fascist loon can relax.

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“The thing about actually wearing a Hitler moustache is that you can’t tell if people either think you are mad, or just a bit of a dick” Hitler Moustache, the name of his embryonic Edinburgh show, promises to deal with the stupidity of biological racism and the ripe comic fruit of white-van man reactionary politics.

Speaking the day after the British National Party won its first seats in the European parliament, and after Herring had jousted in several poling day Twitter debates, it is a subject in which he sees clear comic potential.

“The thing about actually wearing a Hitler moustache is that you can’t tell if people think you are mad, or just a bit of a dick. I tried for a week and then realised that people were starting to stare at me on the tube. In London though it’s not as if people are going to come up to you and say something if you have a Hitler moustache so it is really just the looks you get. They might be thinking you are a racist monster, or they might be thinking you are just a bit of a twat.”

Herring first rang the nation’s comedy bell

alongside Stewart Lee in a set of mid-90’s BBC sketch vehicles where he assumed the naïve yet often charmingly perverse foil to Lee’s cool scepticism, before the pair eventually split to persue solo careers.

A parade of Edinburgh outings in the early 2000’s were at first met with a lukewarm critical reception, but over time he has demonstrated his ability to mix the puerile with often touching autobiographical narratives, and last year’s The Headmaster’s Son widely praised as one of the best comedy shows to appear at the Fringe that year.

While his erstwhile partner Lee went on to co-pen Jerry Springer: The Opera, that Herring’s success was a slower-burning affair was frustrating at first.

“There was a point a couple of years ago when I was actually a bit angry about the way I was being received,” he says when asked about the tricky transition from double act to solo comic grafter. “I think it might have coincided with when I turned forty, but felt that after the shows I had done on my own I still wasn’t getting the level of recognition I deserved.

“I soon thought about it again and realised that I was actually doing pretty well. Most comics come up to Edinburgh, comics who are well known on the circuit, and they struggle to sell enough tickets to break even”.

His second round of recognition has made Herring an increasingly busy man. After the success of The Headmasters Son, for which some critics had predicted he would take the If.comedy Award, he has been busy writing a book, maintaining his cult blog and recording his podcasts. But his approach to tonight’s show, far from stemming from a lack of preparation, is actually a part of his well-worn compositional process.

“Its always like this,” he says. “At this stage I have been reading a lot and researching to build up ideas but there is nothing you could call a show right now. I will try out material over the run up and through a process of trial and error a show will come about”.

And if a foolish audience member attempts to derail his train of joke-discovering thought in the run up to the fringe, a quick search for Herring on YouTube would likely see them reconsider.

Though he plays it down—“I don’t usually get heckled and that guy had just had too much to drink”—Herring displays a frightening yet brutally funny skill for dismantling pissedup punters in the video.

Aside from the subject of heckler-assassination, Herring seems calmly confident that he will be able to continue to steadily build on the progress he has made at the 2009 Fringe.

“I am now at a stage where I am known at the festival and can pull in an audience every year, and I don’t have to worry so much about losing money. It’s not like I get recognised everywhere I go but I have toured across the country and have built up pockets of audiences and that is why I feel things are getting better”.

Richard Herring: Hitler Moustache Underbelly, 8-30 Aug, 8.40pm, £9.50

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festcomedy

Sketchy progress Given its resurgent popularity, sketch comedy may no longer be considered stand-up’s poorer cousin, finds Nick Garrard Consider the lowly thespian; where once he dominated the festival, the comedian now rules supreme. Selfish really ­– all those empty stages and only a single person at the centre, clinging to a microphone. Yet in amongst the stand ups, skirting the endless quips about airline food and mothers-in-law, sketch comedy is making something of a welcome return.

Often seen as the poor relation to stand-up in the comedy family, sketch shows are frequently overlooked at the Fringe.

Indeed, despite Fry, Laurie and Thompson’s Cambridge Footlights claiming the inaugural Perrier Award for sketch-land back in 1981, not a single one of these sought-after accolades has been won by such a troupe since.

Most aspiring comedy writers would agree that it’s easier to put together a passable sketch show than a coherent hour of stand up but many hopeful sketchers, it seems, have in the past failed to appreciate the high standards required to pull off a successful Fringe run – often to the detriment of the art form’s reputation in the eye of the comedy going public.

Still, the genre has been looking healthier in the last few years: successive Fringes have turned up a groundswell of talent, as acts like We Are Klang and the Penny Dreadfuls walked away from festival runs with major awards and strong industry interest.

Ever curious, Fest approached a number of up-and-comers for a whistle-stop tour of the scene. And in true sketch comedy style, we’ve gone for a rapid-fire approach. What are the demands of an hour-long show? How does an Edinburgh crowd treat them? And what the hell do they do for the rest of the year?

First up is Pappy’s Fun Club. Mixing silly with, well, sillier, and fast becoming a festival highlight, the London-based foursome have been together since 2004, winning an if.comedy award nomination two years ago and walking away with the Chortle award

Really good stand-ups can work the circuit for a long time but still wait years before television picks up on them. In sketch humour, the route to television is much quicker

Above Pappy’s Fun Club, winners of the 2008 Chortle award for best sketch left Lady Garden received a twelve-month BBC development deal after the 2008 Fringe

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for best sketch at the 2008 Fringe.

What, I ask them, does an Edinburgh crowd demand?

“In Edinburgh,” they reply, “the audience arrives expecting a show. They want a narrative, and to be taken on a journey.” Fair enough, but where does “funny” fit in?

“The plot is maybe what makes the shows more satisfying... but it’s so much better to have a series of sketches that work, and are funny, than an overarching plot.

People don’t leave comedy shows saying: ‘I didn’t laugh once – but wasn’t the script involving!’ For last year’s show, the comedy was written in May, but the story didn’t emerge until July.”

Smart men, these Pappies. But doesn’t

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A musical for children with puppets and actors.

Max is moving home but he doesn’t want to. He has a fear of the unknown.

Maybe his friends Duck, Pig, Hare, Rat and Frog will calm his fears?

Based upon the ever popular illustrated books, Frog will touch young and old!

Frog is an inspired creation GUARDIAN Enjoyed by parent and child alike MAIL ON SUNDAY

PLEASANCE COURTYARD 11am

festcomedy PREVIEWS sketch shows

Superclump

The line between stand-up and sketch comedy is often thought to be policed more strictly than the Berlin Wall. But like so many David Hasselhofs, this newly formed group of nine up-and-coming solo performers is planning to grind that barrier into the dust. Featuring 2008 if.comedy newcomer nominee Mike Wozniak and Rhod Gilbert’s tour support acts Elis James and Henry Widdicombe, this Welsh-flavoured sketch group look set to provide the GRV with one of 2009’s biggest hits.

Several of the performers already boast voluminous comedy writing CVs—work having been shown on BBC3, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Radio 4—and with plaudits rolling in from The Guardian (“brilliantly acerbic writing and performances from rising stars”), a tipping from the Independent and talks of a BBC radio series in the offing, it looks like Superclump will be adding on those extra dates pretty smartish. [Chris Williams] XX The GRV, 6–30 Aug (not 19), 2:40pm, £2.50–£5

Cardinal Burns

Seb Cardinal and Dustin Demri-Burns, two-thirds of comedy sketch trio ‘Fat Tongue’ bring their first full show to this year’s Fringe under their new auspice of Cardinal Burns.

Edinburgh seems to be the perfect setting for the duo’s first full run of their new act, being where they met whilst studying film and photography, before forming their current partnership in November 2008.

The signs are all there that the pair are destined for big things – they featured on this year’s comic relief programme, and appeared with the likes of The Mighty Boosh’s Julian Barret and The Office’s Martin Freeman on an Aids Awareness programme for Channel 4.

Cardinal Burns promise their trademark colour, energy and imagination mixed with both spontaneity and sharp character observation when they bring this eagerly anticipated show to the Pleasance Courtyard this August. [Nick Eardley] XX Pleasance Courtyard, 5–31 Aug (not 17,24), 5:45pm, £8-£9

Anna & Katy

“So funny you’ll think they’re men,” reads the blurb for this duo’s return to the Fringe after a four-year hiatus. Since their 2005 performance of Penny Spubb’s Party, Anna Crilly and Katy Wix have been busy appearing on TV – Crilly’s highestprofile role being Magda, the deadpan Eastern European housekeeper in Jack Dee’s BBC show Lead Balloon, while Wix landed a part in sitcom Not Going Out. Now the ladies are back with more character-based silliness, and will be hoping to repeat the success of previous visits to Edinburgh, which saw them nominated for a host of awards. Highlights include two myopic women from the Midlands attempting to explain what’s on the box; recovering alcoholic quizmaster Alistair Parry; and Mamma Zucchini, worth seeing for her baggy tights alone. [Joseph Francis] XX PleasancE Courtyard, 5–31 Aug, 6:40pm, £10.50

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“it’s so much better to have a series of sketches that work, and are funny, than an overarching plot.

People don’t leave comedy shows saying: ‘I didn’t laugh once – but wasn’t the script involving!’” the sketch have its limits? That fourth wall isn’t going anywhere, surely? “We try to talk to the audience as much as possible,” comes the firm response. “We’ve always envied the way stand ups can address what’s happening in the room right at that moment. The best thing is when the audience gets involved, and forgets they’re not one of the four people on the stage.”

Two Left Hands, also known as Charlotte Hudson and Leila Hackett, are relative newcomers in Edinburgh, debuting in 2007.

Both have a history of stage and television appearances, but embraced sketch humour as a safer option. “We started out thinking of sketches as a sort of low-risk strategy. They run at maybe three minutes a time, and if one fails – well, you have another along in a minute.”

And the immediacy of sketch comedy can translate into rapid career progression, as Hackett explains: “Really good stand-ups can work the circuit for a long time but still wait years before television picks up on them.

In sketch humour, the route to television is much quicker.”

It’s a theory borne out by Manchesterbased troupe Lady Garden. Last year brought their first appearance at the Fringe, and a flood of subsequent approaches – including the offer of a twelve-month BBC development deal, which they readily accepted.

“Really,” they tell me, “it’s a roof over our head – they give us rehearsal spaces and producer

support, but we wouldn’t want to be putting something out there before we felt ready.”

Edinburgh would seem to be quite the launch pad, but how does the rest of the comedy circuit treat them throughout the rest of the year? “In Manchester, there isn’t really the platform for sketch comedy, so when you put on a night it has to be under your own name. The pressure’s really on; but you can’t reflect totally on that, because you have to be putting out the chairs, setting up the stage, and so on. But then, that’s what it’s all about – we’re all in it together.” Not so easy after all then.

This seems to be a common experience.

“You either do five minutes on a mixed bill, or your own night. That’s pretty much it,” says Hudson of Two Left Hands. “You need a different sort of space to a stand up – a single mic doesn’t tend to cut it. But there are sketch-only nights out there and the scene is definitely changing – hopefully for the better.”

Lady Garden Pleasance Courtyard 9-31 Aug, 5.20pm, £9.50 Pappy’s Fun Club’s World Record Attempt: 200 Sketches in an Hour Pleasance Courtyard 9-31 Aug, 7.20pm, £13 Two Left Hands: Another Mouthful Pleasance Courtyard 8-31 Aug, 4.00pm, £10

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festcomedy

The Apprentice After being taken under the wing of Frankie Boyle, Daniel Sloss has already learned much of the comedian’s craft, says Fern Brady

“Maybe you could go along and just really patronise him about his age” suggests the editor of Fest prior to my interview with 18 year old Daniel Sloss. Roughly 90 seconds into Sloss’ stage act—one in which he effortlessly outshines his older peers at Edinburgh’s Stand comedy club—I realise this angle is doomed to failure and hastily begin to score out questions like “Does your mummy get angry when you say bad words?” and “Who’s your favourite character from the Beano?”

Sloss’ baby-face and gawky adolescent frame belie the fact that he is already a skilled stand-up with over two years experience of writing (for Frankie Boyle’s appearances on Mock the Week, no less) and performing (countless gigs across the UK, not to mention his Fringe appearances).

Accepted into Dundee University to study history, Sloss wisely deferred entry after becoming a finalist in the So You Think You’re Funny? contest last summer. This year’s Fringe sees the debut of his solo show Teenage Kicks, which will no doubt increase the mounting buzz of excitement that has been building during the last year.

Indeed, with only two years left before he leaves his teens, Sloss is keen to exploit the niche label of “teenage comedian” while he can, reasoning that “it’s an untapped goldmine of comedy. Older comedians reminisce about being young whereas I can go on stage and go ‘guess what I did yesterday’ and the audience relate to that, to the darker stuff in their teenage years.”

Sloss’ early success comes as a result of a mixture of precocious talent and plain luck. Following a chance meeting between his mother and Frankie Boyle at a corporate gig in 2007, Sloss “quite cheekily” asked for work experience and was subsequently taken under the wing by the Glaswegian to begin an apprenticeship of sorts. “During the 2007 festival, I was following him around and watching his shows: he would teach me how to write jokes properly, how to sit yourself down and force yourself to write.”

Over the course of this period, he was introduced to successful Fringe acts including Andrew Maxwell and Glenn Wool, and was encouraged to question them about their craft. Like a comedy racehorse, Sloss has been primed from day one to succeed, something reflected in his skilfully executed stage act and his evident sense of feeling at home within the comedy circuit, even as a schoolboy: “If I ever gave a wrong answer in class the teachers would always go ‘Is that one of your jokes, Mr Sloss?’ No, why would

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edinburgh festival preview guide 2009 fest 21

festcomedy previews fringe newcomers

george ryegold trample the weaK, hurdle the dead

if ever there were a year for the Fringe to act as the launching pad for a gaggle of fresh, new (and rather youthful) talent, 2009 would appear to be it.

From the looks of things, the venues in which to spot the ‘next Big Thing’ are changing too, with Medina and negociants—situated a stone’s throw from the hub of the action in Bristo Square— hosting george ryegold’s gloriously-titled Trample The Weak, Hurdle The Dead.

Since george made it to the semi-finals in the amused Moose Laugh off 2008, the hype surrounding his “wicked” humour and knowledge of a startlingly wide range of subjects has been steadily increasing. chosen by Time Out as one of five comedians destined for great things in 2009, ryegold’s morose exploration of the human condition has been described as “twisted and deliciously dark…not to be missed.” [Fern Brady] X medina, 7-30 aug, (not tuesdays), 10.15pm, £5

elis James

the most cautious little boy in wales elis James is such a cautious little boy that this year will be the first solo offering from this cheeky and irreverent bilingual Welsh comic. appearing as part of the Five Pound Fringe line up, James represents serious value for money. having enjoyed the comfort of a sheltered rural upbringing his show recounts his attempts to shed his ‘better not’ attitude and replace it with the manly aroma of rebellion and adventure. Find out if he succeeded or if the smell of chicken still lingers on. he may not have your back in a fight, don’t ask him to try the escargot, and if you’re proposing a charity parachute jump you have the wrong man. But for a great hour of spontaneous, light-hearted comedy banter, James should be at the top of your list. [david Stevenson] X the grv, 6-30 aug (not 19), 8.20pm, £5

tom deacon indecisive

at first glance, Tom deacon’s range of subjects for his debut solo show Indecisive stick rather stubbornly to the everyday concerns of today’s young men – women, games consoles and baseball caps. nevertheless, as winner of the chortle Student comedy award and presenter of the BBc’s yoof-oriented Switch programmes, the 23 year old looks set to be a rising talent on the uK circuit. deacon’s first Fringe appearance last year was significantly bolstered by the fact that it was as part of the highly-respected comedy Zone, the festival’s longest-running group comedy show, responsible for launching the careers of big name acts like Stewart Lee, ross noble and harry hill.

Facing a crisis of masculinity, deacon’s set grapples with the advice doled out by his alpha-male dad while simultaneously navigating his way through the often daunting experience of living with his girlfriend. [Fern Brady] X pleasance courtyard, 5-31 aug, 8.30pm, £8.50

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“there’s that whole thing about ‘if you can maKe a girl laugh you can maKe her do anything’ – it’s fucKing lies. i maKe up to 200 girls laugh at a time when i’m on-stage and fucK all happens” all my jokes be the wrong answer, how fucking shit a comedian do you think i am?”

Further, his unconventional entrance into the world of stand-up—writing jokes for Boyle before going on to perform his own material—has meant he’s been fortunate enough to sidestep the invariably daunting prospect of being initiated via a comedy club’s amateur night. “Someone who’s a 16 year old comedian that asks for a gig will be told to fuck off, but the second you mention Frankie Boyle they’re like ‘yeah, we’ll give you a chance.’ “i’m rarely heckled. i don’t know whether it’s cause people fear that if they heckle me i’ll break down and cry on stage. My favourite part of a gig is always walking out on stage at the start and seeing the look of disappointment on everyone’s face. it is literally ‘oh shit, it’s a child.’”

Surely the combination of fresh-faced youth combined with the usual appeal of stand-ups has opened up a whole world of sexual adventure? “no, not in the fucking slightest. i do have a few fans and stalkers but they are fucking [manly] women.” at this point he leans forward, eyes widening in horror: “Like proper beasts.”

Sloss continues to describe two of the worst incidences of this he endured while performing at The Stand: “i did a joke about

being a virgin and some girl had written on a card: ‘daniel Sloss is the hottest virgin i’ve ever seen,’ and i’m sitting in the audience with my mum. The compere asked who wrote it and this absolute [butch] woman came out going ‘BLargBLargBLarrr.’

“There’s that whole thing about ‘if you can make a girl laugh you can make her do anything’ – it’s fucking lies. i make up to 200 girls laugh at a time when i’m onstage and fuck all happens, it’s only middle-aged women that talk to me after gigs for two reasons: either a) they have their mothernurturing instincts in place or b) they’re cougars. My favourite ever chat-up line was from a 38 year old woman and i won’t tell you the whole story but the first five words were ‘i’m not a paedo, but...’” accordingly, it’s a little hard not to feel that, despite his obvious talent, Sloss ought perhaps be shielded from the worst that clubs and venues can throw at young comedians. and so, as we finish the interview, i mention speaking to Sloss’ unusually protective manager. he looks amused for a moment before admitting that “what she failed to tell you is that my manager is my mum.” daniel sloss: teenage Kicks pleasance dome 8-31 aug (not 16 or 24), 7.00pm £9.50

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edinburgh festival preview guide 2009 fest 23

festcomedy

a new beginning Having found success with tales of her acrimonious split with a cheating husband, last year’s Best Newcomer sarah millican tells Frank Lazarski how she’s exploring new frontiers in 2009 five years ago Sarah Millican’s husband left her. her floral print blouses spoke of her comfortable security: the rewarding work at a newcastle Jobcentre, the man at home and the simple pleasures of everyday family life.

Millican’s divorce—an unexpected catastrophe for the 29-year-old civil servant—was the incident that inspired her tentative first steps into stand-up and provided the material for her Fringe debut, Sarah Millican’s Not Nice, the well-received solo show for which she claimed last year’s if.comedy Best newcomer award.

But despite her late start in stand-up, edinburgh success has rewarded her with some serious, high-profile exposure. “it was quite nerve-racking really,” she says of her recent appearance on Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, “but it’s encouraging to know that people want to watch stand-up, whether at home or in a club.” Television audiences are drawn to gag-heavy material, and Millican’s quaint but filthy set-pieces have an appeal which, in TV-land, is almost universal.

That is not to say she hasn’t had her fair share of exponents on the comedy circuit: she has consistently been acclaimed as a comedian to watch, blessed with a shrewd comic mind. undoubtedly, Millican’s oft-quoted biography has a certain romance; a kitchen-sink realism which is tantalising to say the least. if she were a playwright, she might be lauded as the female voice of the north, or possibly likened to the playwright caryl churchill by the broadsheets. But her biography only goes so far – she is a comedian, and her work doesn’t involve itself, necessarily, with social commentary. Last year’s show concerned life after marriage: the issue of trust, nerves about dating again and the shortcomings of the man she had loved.

This year’s follow-up, Typical Woman is, she says, a definite change of direction. “it’s about men and women yet it won’t involve any of those ‘what’s the deal with male drivers’ observations – i certainly want to get beyond basic stereotypes.”

Typical Woman promises to be a kind of statistical study into gender, a census of sorts, being based upon a survey carried out by Millican herself. Presumably the questionnaire would have enquired into the sexual and personal lives of her subjects; a theme which remains a firm favourite in her stand-up. it’s the affairs of the heart which seem to be of interest – the private turmoils and insecurities of others and herself. But, says the comedian, she has tried to make this year’s offering less thematic. “i’m trying to move away from talking about my ex-husband,” she professes, a

24 fest edinburgh festival preview guide 2009

certain relief in her voice. The black cloud of her divorce has undoubtedly loomed large in her material to date. in an interview with Lauren Laverne last year, following her Best newcomer win, Millican spoke almost exclusively about her failed marriage and the fallout from it: a retelling of the tragicomic biography and the inspiration suddenly found in single life. indeed, one can’t help but wonder what else there is to Millican when everything seen of her so far has been so rooted in the “meek but dirty divorcee” persona. She mentions feminism fleetingly in our conversation, but seems eager to move on from the term and its manifold—and possibly fascinating—implications. Puzzled, i ask what performing means to her: “There’s complete freedom on the stage; i can say anything. it’s an empowering experience, always.” interestingly, though, there’s a trade-off in this freedom which seems to bother her. Millican talks at length about the merits of her comedy in comparison with her past life in the Jobcentre. “i think about the people i’m not helping anymore,” she admits, seemingly anxious about the lack of practical benefits her new career brings to Joe Public. “it is worthwhile though, making people laugh, helping them relax for an hour.” There is a studied simplicity to Millican’s answers – her responses are persistently plain, straightforward and befitting of a woman whose cultivated stage manner is so uncomplicated.

Perhaps, then, Millican’s popularity stems from the forthright candour with which much of her material is delivered. When i enquire into the idea of gender in her work, she again shirks from prolonged dissection. could it be that she wants to evade “themes” and preserve a certain honest naturalness in her comedy? one is reminded of the punch line to her “space cakes” monologue: “i might not know drugs, but i know cake.” Savouries or separation: Millican, it seems, is a comic who speaks best about what she knows. [Frank Lazarski] sarah millican:typical woman pleasance courtyard 5-30 aug (not 12), 7.30pm, £10

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THE STAND COMEDY CLUB presents

JERRY

SADOWITZ

COMEDIAN, MAGICIAN, PSYCHOPATH 2009

'Often shocking, stand-up comedy's only genius... compelling, hilarious, unpredictable and unmissable... the funniest comedian in the country' Guardian

12.30pm Monday – Friday (not Aug 17th)

thestand.co.uk

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB 0131 558 7272

Sat 29 August 11pm Edinburgh Playhouse 0844 847 1660 0131 226 0000

www.edfringe.com www.thestand.co.uk www.edinburghplayhouse.org.uk

festcomedy

Kaning it Armed with a bag of jokes and a love of iambic pentameter, Russell Kane tells Chris Williams how he’ll be mixing stand-up with Shakespeare at this year’s Fringe

Storming onto the Edinburgh scene in 2006 with his hyperactive brand of observational comedy, Russell Kane was rapidly propelled to stand-up fame.

Every Essex mums’ favourite, the loquacious cockney rogue has wooed radio, TV and live audiences alike on his path to multimedia comedy success.

“Jesus, it looks like Robocop’s sex toy!”

Kane is jumping around in his seat like a kid on Haribo as he stares peculiarly aghast at my Dictaphone. “The furry mic only comes with the deluxe model. It’s really hard to get off to the standard model actually, it’s just a rubber probe. They didn’t produce many of

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“Actually, that is the only thing I am untruthful about on stage – the extent to which my dad is still alive” them – too many injuries.” Perhaps he’s had a few too many of this Starbucks’ golden roasts for one day?

Having just got off the phone to Reader’s Digest, Kane looks a little on edge: “It’s really weird. I’ve been talking about myself all day and all night as well. I’m starting to go a bit crazy.” Oh dear. Nervously, I entertain the idea of asking a question: “How are you?”

As the comic launches into his spiel about

Edinburghs past, present and future, I’m certain I needn’t have worried. Always one of the Fringe’s hardest workers, Kane has lots to talk about; this year offers not only the usual premier of a brand new stand-up show but also the latest in his Fakespeare line of iambically pentametered commentaries on modern life.

Apparently, as with many of Kane’s greatest conceptions, the Fakespeare series was born accidentally out of a gag ending in the cryptic punch line, “Thou art a crow.” A few adjustments and extensions later and The Lamentable Tradgedie of Yates’s Wine Lodge— an hour long poem in blank verse—debuted at the Fringe for a limited run.

“I don’t know where it all came from,” he pleads. “It all just started coming out of me and now this is the third play. I’m just really comfortable writing in 10 syllables with lots of similes and using old English. Just genuinely totally comfortable.”

Having put off staging the second play owing to the “mega” cast it would involve, Fringe audiences will this year be treated to a full run of The Tragickal Saveings of King Nigel, the credit crunch tale of an Essex banker’s unspoken lust for his PA, framed by the darkness of his financial ruin.

Yet despite having taken …Yates’s Wine Lodge to the RSC’s main stage in Stratford, Kane remains remarkably modest about his achievements: “I just get into a rhythm with it—using similes and imagery to express thoughts—and it starts to make sense. The actual metering of it, the ten syllables, I don’t do automatically. But in English, most sentences are in iambic pentameter anyway – not that one.”

It’s a small slip-up. In reality, Kane has had a very successful year since Edinburgh 2008’s If.comedy nomination. Touring from Brisbane to Hull whilst keeping up commitments to radio and TV, the comic has had a tough time of it: “It’s been a bit too busy really.

I pushed it a bit and then I was struggling in Kilkenny – I had a bit of an energy crash and scared myself.

“I went to Australia for nine weeks; I’d been writing every day, taking calls, staying up till three in the morning, things going on and on. I landed in Kilkenny and this throat infection I had went to my ears and I just folded basically.”

Still fidgeting in his seat and jotting down ideas for jokes at regular intervals, Kane is clearly back on form now and ready for another Edinburgh show. Talking about the themes he’ll be covering this year, I wonder if his much maligned Dad will get another mention?

“Oh God...” Touchy subject? “I don’t know how much longer I can mine that. It’s been heavily mined!”

Jokes about his Dad’s right-wing views and restrictive beliefs on the activities permissible for a “real” man have peppered Kane’s comedy throughout his career: “All the stuff about my dad, what’s tragic is that there’s hardly any embellishment. Like when I talk about the only time I’ve ever seen him cry, when the Akash Indian restaurant closed

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festcomedy PREVIEWS stand-up legends

Hans Teeuwen Introduced to the Fringe in 2007 with the delectably bizarre Amsterdam Comedy Collective, Hans Teeuwen returns to Edinburgh again this summer with new and revised material that is certain to excite the critics and set chins wagging for the third successive year.

As a close friend of Dutch filmaker Theo van Gogh—murdered

by Islamic extremeists in 2004 for his views on the treatment of women in the Muslim world—Teeuwen employs his comedy to question our reasoning on the matters of free speech and political correctness. One suspects that the comic and his publicity people are being deliberately coy about this year’s subject matter – the show is one of the few at the Fringe not to have a title. But knowledge of his previous work would suggest that more absurdist, nonsensical probings of that subjective line between the inoffensive and the disturbing are to be expected.

Though certainly not a straightforward political show, this may be one to take in when feeling a little more cerebral. [Joseph Francis] XX Udderbelly Pasture, 13, 15, 26-28 Aug, 11:35pm, £14.50

Jason Cook Fear

down in Potters Bar. Most people would think, oh that’s very clever he’s made that up. But it’s exactly what happened. My friend remembers the door opening and my dad sitting there crying. And it was such a crushing moment for me in my childhood. I realised then where his priorities were. There wasn’t this big mystery buried inside him that I was going to uncover one day. It really did begin and end with money and food.”

Having discovered that the Akash in question actually moved just five miles down the road, I think myself a little clever in bringing this to Kane’s attention. Something to tell his Dad about? Looking a little shifty, he confesses, “Actually, that is the only thing I am untruthful about on stage – the extent to which my dad is still alive.”

In fact Kane’s father died the month he began his career in comedy, and his troubled relationship with this powerful figure in his life clearly still consumes him: “I’m not scared of him. He never physically abused me, he never touched me. But he had such an authority over me that there’s no way I could have said this stuff while he was still alive.

It’s ridiculous. He never even raised his voice to me. But he was such a powerful man in every other sense that it’s just impossible.

“Sometimes I feel really guilty that I started comedy the month he died. To what extent are those two events linked? Who would chose for their dad to die? No one.

But then would I be sat here with you if he’d lived? It’s a horrible thing to ponder, but it might just be true.”

Stuck with a father who valued the primordial pursuits of curry-eating and racism above all else, Kane found an odd form of teenage rebellion in the collecting of long words on small white cards, and the

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inhalation of literary classics by the ream.

A little unconventional for a North London lad? “Exactly, that’s the point. That’s totally the point. You get anyone who can be funny or smash up a bus stop but there was no one round my way who was doing what I was doing. No one was teaching themselves the meaning of the word impudent when they were 11 – there’s an irony in there somewhere.”

But whilst some solace could be found in the annoyance a Penguin Classic on the coffee table would cause his Dad, Kane certainly doesn’t view his formative years as the genesis of his success: “I fucked up my whole education. Outside my school, that way was for amphetamine,” he gesticulates, “that way for cannabis and opposite for the rest. I was 12 years old with a crushing desire to be popular in a comprehensive full of scum bags and drug dealers. How do you think my education finished?”

Picking up his love of literature again at the age of 21, Kane went on to earn a 1st in English at university before finding his feet in comedy: “Between 11 and 21... it’s not like I got heavily into drugs. Nothing bad happened. It was just empty. An empty childhood I suppose. I wasn’t lonely, I wasn’t sad. Just nothing. Boring. It was just me and my imagination and I suppose my Mum didn’t really understand what I was like. I wasted 10 years. But I’m making up for it now.”

Russell Kane: Human Dressage Pleasance Courtyard 9-31 Aug (not 17), 9.20pm, £9.50 Russell Kane’s Fakespeare:The Tradgikal Saveings of King Nigel Pleasance Courtyard 9-31 (not 17, 24), 2.10pm, £8.50

In 2008, the prodigious talent of Jason Cook seemed to burst out of nowhere. Although his debut the previous year had received a number of glowing reviews, few predicted the near-universal praise for his spectacular follow-up, Joy: the lank-haired Geordie’s affecting, hilarious, tear-jerking and uplifting paradox of a show that dealt with the pain of losing his father. This year, Cook tackles the oppressive consequences of fear in a show (aptly titled Fear) which promises a similar juxtaposition between the comic and the tragic.

“Fear is used to control us,” he says “and ultimately prevents us from doing things, from striving to make every day different and really explore this thing we call life. Fear ultimately leads to regret, and a life filled with regret is no life at all.”

A comedian with a message, this year Cook sets out to convince us that no matter how scary life can be, we are not alone. [Ben Judge] XX The Stand III & IV, 2, 5 & 7-30 Aug (not 17) , 3:20pm, £7.00

, David O Doherty , David O Doh-party

David O’Doherty has come a long way since his days spent hosing the insides of shipping containers at a German supermarket distributor.

Fresh from tours of the UK and Australia, the self-proclaimed “marble fawn of tiny keyboard-based musical comedy” returns to Edinburgh with a book of made-up Panda facts and an appearance in a feature film written by his brother under his belt.

After taking last year’s If.comedy award, O’Doherty has a lot to live up to. Yet his ninth consecutive Edinburgh show seems destined to be as compelling as ever, chock full of songs which varyingly see the Irishman attempt to romantically entice his entire audience or imagine all the people who have ever wronged him return to apologise during his final hours of life (forecast in the year 2070).

Expect another hour of musically driven-comedy expertly performed on eBay-purchased plastic keyboards, don’t be surprised by digressions. [Nick Eardley] XX Pleasance Courtyard, 5-31 Aug (not 17), 10:30pm, £10

edinburgh festival preview guide 2009 fest 27

Standing Up

for Freedom The relationship between Amnesty International and stand-up comedy has always been a strong one. And, as Evan Beswick discovers, it is as important as ever

“I wish to register a complaint...” it began.

In 1976, John Cleese opened Amnesty’s first major comedy event, Pleasure at Her Majesty’s, alongside Michael Palin and a deceased Norwegian Blue. It’s hard to underestimate the significance of that late-night show, cementing the position of the dead parrot as one of British comedy’s greatest ex-muses, and single-handedly kick-starting Amnesty International’s meteoric rise in becoming one of the most significant human rights NGOs in the world.

Indeed, the numbers are impressive by any standards. In 1976, when Amnesty staged the first show that would later become known collectively as the Secret Policeman’s Balls, UK membership languished at around 3,000. Within three years of Pleasure at Her Majesty’s this figure had shot up around 700 per cent. Others couldn’t fail to follow suit, hence the string of copycat charity galas which flowered—most famously in 1985 with Bob Geldoff’s Live Aid—and “sowed the seed” of humanitarian activism in the mind of singer-cum-campaigner Bono.

And yet it’s an odd task, embarking upon an interview when one can’t shake a

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Above Amnesty veteran John Cleese with relative newcomer Eddie Izzard Below Peter Cook lampoons Justice Cantley in one of Amnesty’s most acrimonious scetches

sneaking suspicion that it might be tasteless to do so. On the day I’ve arranged to speak to Amnesty’s head of events, Andy Hackman, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has lashed out during Friday prayers, throwing his weight behind President Ahmadinejad and issuing veiled threats against those protesting against the election result. While Iranians are beaten—and, later, shot dead—on the streets, I’m getting ready to chat about Amnesty’s major comedy gala at the Fringe, and I’m struggling to see how the two are entirely connected.

“The whole association between Amnesty and arts and entertainment I suppose started with the Secret Policeman’s Balls,” explains Hackman. “The thought, really, was that freedom of expression is such a powerful thing. It moves us all and gives us all such joy and laughter. And it’s terrible when that’s taken away.”

Indeed, it’s somewhat unfair to treat Amnesty’s presence at this year’s Fringe as little more than a chuckle-fest. On top of the two Stand up for Freedom gigs, Amnesty have expanded this year’s programme to include, amongst others, a lecture from a former Sudanese child solider, a continuing campaign for jailed Indian doctor, Binayak Sen, the launch of a book of stories based on individual chapters of the declaration of human rights, and the return of the “Imprisoned Writers” series at the books festival. “I’ve been scaring myself with the amount of stuff we’ve got going on,” Hackman jokes.

What’s he’s very clear about, though, is that there is a point to all of this: “Freedom of expression was restricted in 81 countries last year. So we want to use something like comedy or music or art in all its forms to show what a shame it is when it’s taken away. And so, at the Edinburgh festival—the largest arts festival in the world—it makes total sense for

us to be loud and proud there, on one hand revelling in the support that we have from the arts and entertainment industries as a whole, and on the other hand using that to bring people together and to campaign for a specific cause.”

So the news from Iran, I suggest, simply underlines the need for such events: “Totally, absolutely,” asserts Hackman. “It just shows again how important it is to maintain human rights. You know, we can talk words about freedom of expression and various rights, but it’s people that are at the heart of it. That’s what we can see in Iran, people organising together, standing up and and using especially new digital technologies to get the message out across the world. People are connecting with that, and it shows that common humanity, I suppose, and how we want to stand up for each other and protect those rights.”

Indeed, the involvement of comedian Shappi Khorsandi has particular poignancy.

Born in Tehran, her family were forced to flee after her father published a satirical poem deemed to be critical of the new Islamic regime. But, in a sense, Amnesty has always tried to give it’s comedy shows a unique edge. Back in 1979, Peter Cook’s courtroom satire of Justice Cantley’s horrendously biased summing up during the murder trial of former Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe sent shockwaves through the largely anti-gay establishment.

More often, though, it’s curious groupings of performers that have kept Amnesty fundraisers head and shoulders above water in a seemingly endless sea of charity events.

“I suppose what we try and do for whatever event or whatever project we’re running is keep certain principles in place but not try and repeat all of the time,” Hackman explains.

“So one of the principles with the Ball is to try and combine unusual combinations, and I suppose we are fortunate enough to work with the most creative minds and the best people in whatever industry we want to work with. So, yeah, we’re keen to keep that tag as... well, we don’t want to be cool for the sake of it; we want to use our creative friends to reach new audiences and bring people to us.”

But “charity fatigue” is not an unknown phenomenon, and I’m just as keen to find out what has kept Hackman with the organisation since 1989. In response, he provides a perfectly reasonable expression of his enthusiasm for helping people. Fine.

A few days later, though, Hackman e-mails me. He’s clearly dissatisfied with his own answer: “You also asked why I’ve stayed at Amnesty for so long and I said it was about the people. JK Rowling used to work at Amnesty and unsurprisingly her words are much better: to paraphrase, she said that at Amnesty you see the depths of what humans can do to each other but you also see the heights humans can reach and the positive impact that we can have when working together – in case you want to use that thought instead.”

Stand up for Freedom Assembly @ Assembly Hall 12 & 19 Aug, 11.59pm, £18.50

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Photos © Amnesty International

festcomedy

festcomedy

The Fool on the Hill Pint-sized Irish superstar Andrew Maxwell is set to tear up the form book for this year’s Fringe, he tells Simon Mundy. If only people would stop taking him so seriously “Here’s to legitimate excuses for drinking!” declares Andrew Maxwell as we grab a table in a Camden beer garden.

The Irishman has done well out of pub banter in recent years: a routine centred around a bar stool and a pint of stout saw him nominated for the If.comedy Award in 2007, and he enjoyed more rave reviews at last year’s Fringe with another show transparently inspired by the Dublin boozers of his youth – “just drinking and lying.” Fifteen years on from his Edinburgh debut, however, Maxwell’s clearly itching for a change of direction. “I want to destroy that,” he says.

“There’ll be no bar stool, there’ll be no fucking anecdotes. I’m gonna have to be physical, move around the stage.”

This emphasis on reinvention is a recurring theme. For all the youthful exuberance radiating from his 5’ 6’’ frame, at 35 Maxwell seems haunted by the prospect of drifting into a stagnant, middle-aged comfort zone.

“It’s maintaining that hunger, making sure you don’t get that slow creep of contempt into what you do. You see guys who become dead behind the eyes – just churning it out. Become a mortgage comic. That’s the real fucking hell, man.”

Maxwell’s eagerness to keep busy has drawn him into a range of ventures: a regular night at London’s Comedy Store, Fullmooners, complete with breakdancers and werewolf howls; Altitude, a comedy festival in the Swiss Alps going strong after its second year; a new internet business aimed at bringing in fresh comic blood to address a perceived dearth of youngsters in stand up. But he looks set to

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throw as much energy as ever into his 2009 Edinburgh show.

Entitled The Lamp, this year’s offering hangs loosely around the principle that we should be careful what we wish for. “The big event since the last time I did Edinburgh,” reflects Maxwell, “has been Obama – it’s this massive piece of wish fulfilment, on all sorts of fucking levels. But Osama bin Laden was wish fulfilment for the Americans in the 80s; they were like, ‘We’ve got this cunt that’ll fight the Russians for us.’ They didn’t think that once you rub the lamp and the genie comes out he’s not going back in. And the consequences of actions can fucking go on for fucking ever.”

Amid the endearingly instinctive profanity (Maxwell says “fuck” roughly as often as most people blink) lurks an unmistakeably passionate political voice. Indeed, according to comedycv.co.uk, the Irishman is not so much a comedian as “an intrepid social commentator and political protagonist on a mission to liberate minds.” Such accolades don’t go down well with their subject. “The last thing in the world I wanna be is taken fucking seriously,” insists Maxwell. “Just ‘cause you have a salient political opinion, you have people saying—and they mean it as a compliment—‘you should go into politics.’ But they have no idea what a cunt they’ve just called you! I’m the fool on the hill, like,” he concludes cheerfully.

That modest self-assessment is belied by the remainder of the interview, which sees Maxwell holding forth on political issues from apartheid South Africa to the empowerment of the mob during the Allied invasion of Sicily.

“A comedian is the little kid in the crowd, going: ‘The emperor’s fucking naked. It’s the general instinct to point out the absurdity of the serious, of the grownups as it were.”

“This has nothing to do with comedy,” he says at one point, almost apologetically – adding to the sense of a self-declared “clown” labouring to maintain his light-hearted credentials.

Fortunately, Maxwell’s funny enough to get away with it – as when he pulls back from a heartfelt assault on the BNP to declare: “Human beings have an enormous sexual desire for each other. So even if we can have a massive distaste for each other’s cultures, our loins will join!”

Maxwell’s political awareness is unsurprising, after his upbringing as a Protestant in a resolutely Sinn Fein-supporting area of Dublin – “during the hunger strikes, there were black flags on every lamp post,” he remembers. The more carefree world of BBC light entertainment gave the young Maxwell his break in the mid-1990s, with warm-up duties for Jonathan Ross and work for the short-lived Sunday Show that included a sample of life as a male escort. But it’s the Fringe, as much as anything else, that got him where he is today.

“There’s nothing even remotely as intense in the world of performance,” he says. “Your mental and physical health are impaired to fuck – but that’s all part of it. It’s intoxicating.

You put 100,000 fucking showoffs into a medieval city for a month, there’s gonna be a lot of debauchery.”

Won’t the debauchery be slightly more restrained this year, and the crowds stingier, what with all this ‘Age of Austerity’ business?

Maxwell sounds bullish. “If anything, in a recession, people don’t necessarily spend less, they just spend with more regard to what the fuck they’re doing. If something’s good, they’ll go see it.”

Maxwell’s no more impressed by that other Edinburgh controversy, the Edinburgh Comedy Festival – a venture launched by the four biggest Fringe venues that, according to traditionalists, spells the beginning of the end of Edinburgh’s humble values. “A lot of in-house nattering,” he sniffs. “No-one on the outside gives a shit. What we now know as Edinburgh could be a fucking village compared to ten years time. My only concern would be that the festival would stratify too much – a talented act could be a smash hit but there would be no way to break through to the league above. But I don’t think that’ll happen.”

It’s a characteristically measured assessment from a comic who—for all his denial of any political agenda—apparently sees crap-cutting as part of his job description. “A comedian is the little kid in the crowd, going: ‘The emperor’s fucking naked!’ You don’t have to be overtly political in the way that Mark Thomas is, or occasionally I am. It’s the same with Morecambe and Wise – the general instinct to point out the absurdity of the serious, of the grown-ups as it were.

“People try to deconstruct comedy all the time,” Maxwell continues; “it’s like pulling Santa’s beard off. We all know this cunt hasn’t rode in on a sleigh!”

Andrew Maxwell: The Lamp Pleasance Courtyard 8-31 Aug (not 12 or 19), 9.00pm, £15

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festfeature

When the going gets tough For all her quiet professionalism, Kath Mainland must have wondered what she was getting into when she took up her position as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s first chief executive. Behind the scenes, the 2008 Fringe had been an embarrassment: ticket sales were down by nearly 10 per cent, thanks largely to the mortifying failure of the electronic box office on the first day of sales. A humiliated Jon Morgan, Mainland’s predecessor as Fringe boss, paid for the fiasco with his head.

In the weeks preceding Mainland’s February appointment, bad news rolled in thick and fast: corporate sponsors deserted in their droves; Fringe Sunday, the festival’s biggest event, came under threat due to lack of funding (it was subsequently axed); and the Fringe was reported to need emergency funds of up to £600,000 to meet its basic running costs. Even by the financial standards of 2009, Mainland’s new stomping ground looked a mess.

Speaking to Fest four months into her new role, however, Mainland seems pleased with the progress so far. “There are more people taking part in the Fringe this year than ever before,” she points out (albeit by the slenderest of margins, with ten more shows than last year). “The arts don’t necessarily do badly in a recession – people need cheering up, and our job is to make sure those people come here. I think we’re cautiously optimistic at the moment.”

Mainland’s cautious optimism contrasts with the brutal realism on display in other quarters. William Burdett-Coutts, director of the Assembly Rooms venue, agrees that advance ticket sales this year have comfortably outstripped expectations. But shortfalls elsewhere will leave venues in trouble, he suggests. “It’s going to be a very tough year for Assembly. We normally raise about £200,000 in sponsorship. This year we’ll get less than half that. It’s absolutely down to the recession: most of our sponsors are being hit by the financial situation.”

Burdett-Coutts’s lament points to an uncomfortable chink in Mainland’s sunny tidings: however strong the audience turnout, the Fringe relies heavily on commercial sponsorship to make ends meet – a source which has rarely looked less reliable. It was the failure to find a sponsor that did it for Fringe Sunday, a free show that attracted a quarter of a million people last year. The founder of the prize formerly known as the Perrier Award has this year had to invest £150,000 of her own cash to keep the iconic comedy awards from going under, after online bank Intelligent Finance pulled out of a deal. And after all the fuss over the foundation last year of the Edinburgh Comedy Festival—a “breakaway” venture by the Fringe’s biggest four venues designed largely to attract a major-league corporate

32 fest edinburgh festival preview guide 2009

Photo: Jay Sheldon

With funding streams drying up amid economic meltdown, this has been predicted to be one of the Fringe’s toughest years.

Simon Mundy asks if Kath Mainland, the new woman in charge, has what it takes to weather the storm

the Fringe relies heavily on commercial sponsorship to make ends meet – a source which has rarely looked less reliable partner—its founders had to announce in January that no such client had materialised.

With many firms set to be licking their financial wounds for some years to come, the Fringe’s income from conventional sponsorship is unlikely to regain its former levels any time soon, says Joe Goldblatt, executive director of the International Centre for the Study of Planned Events at Queen Margaret University.

Instead, the festival should aim to exploit companies’ eagerness to improve their image in local communities – by encouraging them to fund free Fringe tickets for schoolchildren, for instance.

However strong the input of the festival organisers themselves, Goldblatt argues, public funding must also do its part. “All festivals—especially the prestigious ones in Europe, and Edinburgh in particular—require core funding from government,” he says. “The question is how much?” More, please, reply many leading Fringe figures as they gaze hungrily at the annual £2.3 million in public funding enjoyed by the Edinburgh International Festival. The Fringe , by contrast, receives no direct support.

Still, the big Fringe players must bear some blame for their collective difficulties. The bitter in-fighting over the Edinburgh Comedy Festival is symptomatic of the communication breakdowns that have stymied real collaboration at the Fringe, at a time when it is struggling just to maintain its national profile.

And it’s not simply that established rivals like Glastonbury “have got bigger and better,” notes Goldblatt; “everything has. The media demand something that is newsworthy. The fact that Edinburgh has been around for 63 years can count against it, as it competes for media coverage against new, breakthrough events.”

Happily, Mainland appears to have made a strong start in channelling the Fringe’s disparate egos and mojos towards securing its long-term future. Her job title alone suggests a new, more businesslike approach to running the festival: previous incumbents were styled as “directors”, a name with overtones of artistic control that coincided with accusations, from venues and promoters, of high-handed interference. For Underbelly’s Ed Bartlett, critical of the Fringe Society in the past, the future looks good. “The Fringe Society,” he says, “has two primary functions: to produce the programme, and sell the tickets. Last year threw up a huge number of things that were wrong with the system. But Kath Mainland is already doing great things – she’s the right person to be running the Fringe.”

With a CV including Fringe work as a freelance producer and as manager of the Assembly Rooms, Mainland seems keen to continue her involvement at a grass-roots level. “The priority,” she says, “is to get out and see as many shows as possible, and really get an idea of what it’s like out there.”

“I mean that variety is the beauty of the Fringe. You can see someone off the telly in the same day as you see an emerging theatre group in a swimming pool – where else can you do that?”

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T H E

COMEDY CLUB Isma Almas • Niall Browne • Stephen Carlin • Jo Caulfield • Alun Cochrane • Jason Cook • Bruce Devlin • Wilson Dixon • Michael Fabbri • Francis & Power • Stewart Lee • Gary Little • David Longley • Daniel Kitson • Jeff Kreisler • Vladimir McTavish • Elaine Malcolmson • Seymour Mace • Carey Marx • Simon Munnery • Phil Nichol • Topping & Butch • Jerry Sadowitz • Mick Sergeant • Paul Sinha • Stu & Garry • Jo Jo Sutherland • Mark Thomas • Ava Vidal • Gavin Webster • Jason John Whitehead ... and many more

7 - 31 AUGUST 2009 COMEDYATHEART

FRINGE THE

OF THE

“Although the Cabaret Bar at the Pleasance has its supporters there is a general consensus that The Stand is the best space for comedy in Edinburgh” Scotsman, July 2008

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festtheatrepicks safe bets: festival theatre that won’t disappoint

Beachy Head

Pleasance Dome 5-30 August (not 17, 24)

Two years after their spectacular Fringe First success, Mile End, theatre troupe Analogue return with a project inspired by the notorious suicide spot.

Bully

Gilded Balloon Teviot 5-31 August

Another chance to witness last year’s stand out show: Richard Fry’s play about one man’s struggle to fight a life of brutality and subjugation.

Murder Mystery Musical

Precious Little Talent

As well as an eye-catchingly naff title, this new musical boasts an array of A-list production talent, including Oscarnominated designer Barry Purves

After last year’s Eight became one of the most successful debuts in Fringe history, Ella Hickson returns with a tender love story moulded around the theme of graduate uncertainty.

Musical Theatre @ George Square 7-31 August (not 11, 18, 24)

Bedlam Theatre, 6-29 August (not 9, 16, 23)

Susurrus

Orphans

Staged amid the serenity of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Sussurrus is among the most intriguing pieces of theatre at the Fringe.

The flagship Traverse play, Dennis Kelly’s latest work is a disturbing story about estranged siblings which looks set to shock and impress in equal measure.

Royal Botanic Gardens 4 August-6 September

The Last Witch

Royal Lyceum Theatre 23-29 August (not 25)

A one-off collaboration between the EIF and the Traverse, this fascinating new play examines the macabre tale of Janet Horne, the last Scotswoman to be executed for witchcraft.

34 fest edinburgh festival preview guide 2009

Traverse Theatre 8-30 August (not 10, 17, 24),

My Life With The Dogs

Pleasance Courtyard 5-31 August (not 11, 18)

The true story of a Russian boy who left home to live with stray dogs on the streets of Moscow presented by innovative theatre company NIE.

Faust

Lowland Hall, Ingliston 18-22 August

Staged in a colossal agricultural hall near Edinburgh Airport and featuring a cast of 110, this is arguably the most exciting show in the EIF programme.

Midsummer (a play with songs) Traverse, 6-30 August (Not 10, 17, 24)

With David Grieg’s fantastic script and songs from Ballboy’s Gordon McIntyre, this funny and tender love story will surely be one of the hits of this year’s Fringe.

www.festmag.co.uk

festtheatre take a chance: Gamble and find the hidden gems

Inua Ellams

Party

Die Roten Punkte

Even by Fringe standards, there seems to be a multitude of comedians turning their hand to theatre this year. Tom Basden’s Party looks like it may be the pick of the bunch.

A massive hit at Fringe festivals across Canada and Australia, this mock German rock duo could either be tacky nonsense or inspired parody of Europop trash. Eurovision scoring cards at the ready.

Pleasance Courtyard 19-29 August (not 23)

AssembLy @ George Street 6-31 August (not 17)

Icarus 2.0

Faust In A Box

Tipped as one of the main highlights in this year’s British Council Showcase, Nigerian-born spoken word and graphic artist Inua Ellams may well be one of the finds of the 2009 Fringe.

Pleasance Courtyard 5-31 August (not 18, 25)

Courtesy of the immensely talented Sebastien Lawson and Jamie Wood (winners of a Fringe First last year for Paperweight), this intriguing new work follows the story of a geneticist who sets out to grow a child with wings.

The Girl of Slender Means

Assembly @ George Street 6-31 August (not 10, 17, 24)

This adaptation of Muriel Spark’s novel follows a group of young women running on empty in the period running up to the end of WW2.

www.festmag.co.uk

Underbelly 6-29 August

Only at the Fringe could you pay money to see a Berlin cabaret artist perform the whole of Goethe’s Faust in a small wooden box using puppets and carefully selected rock music.

A Stroke of Genius

Pleasance Dome 5-31 August (not 17, 24)

A true story, this production follows the bizarre plan to create a generation of geniuses by capturing the DNA of Nobel Prize winners.

Pleasance Courtyard 5-31 August (not 17)

Hotel

Assembly @ George Street 5-31 August (not 17)

It’s a wonder Mark Watson has the time to write a play, what with his stand-up, 24-hour shows and Magners adverts.

Still, if this piece is anything like his other work (Magners aberration aside), it’s likely to be a real treat.

A British Subject

Pleasance Courtyard 5-31 August (not 18)

Luck

Underbelly’s Hullabaloo 7-31 August (not 17)

The remarkable true story of the only journalist allowed to interview Mirza Tihar Hussein, the British man who spent 17 years on death row in a Pakistani jail.

This may well be the most entertaining confessional theatre of the year. Megan Riordan recounts the fun and fury of a lifetime of scamming her way through the casinos of Las Vegas.

edinburgh festival preview guide 2009 fest 35

festtheatre

Tough at the Top Following on from 2008’s award-winning debut, Eight, young playwright Ella Hickson returns with a new production. But as Yasmin Sulaiman finds out, the pressure to achieve continued success is ever present With the unemployment rate soaring and graduates being urged to consider a spell working abroad to ride out the worst of the recession, 24-year-old playwright and University of Edinburgh graduate Ella Hickson can count herself lucky to have landed so firmly on her feet. Unexpectedly propelled into the world of theatre last year by the success of her Fringe debut, Eight, she’s since clocked up several awards and enjoyed an off-Broadway run in New York.

Add to that a three-week stint in the West End in July and the upcoming premiere of her new play, Precious Little Talent, at the Fringe this August, and Hickson’s career seems to have successfully bucked the

36 fest edinburgh festival preview guide 2009

downward trend over the last 12 months.

Having spent some of her time at university either working on short stories or acting as producer for Fringe Victoriana favourites, The Penny Dreadfuls, Hickson’s first foray into theatre came after she won a free slot at the festival courtesy of the Edinburgh University Theatre Company.

With only six weeks to write her offering after graduating last summer, the result was Eight – a collection of monologues that aim to provide a cross-section of modern Britain, which was performed at the Bedlam Theatre. Hickson remembers the experience well: “It was the first thing I’d ever written, so I expected a few average

“At the moment, society is fascinated by 'the debut', its novelty & newnesS; 'the second' doesn't have the same commercial power”

audiences. For the first two weeks, it felt like it had gone quite well but nothing was going to come of it. I thought I’d probably end up going into PR for the rest of my life.

But then we were awarded a Fringe First and the play snowballed into this crazy, massive beast.”

As well as the much sought-after Fringe First, Eight overcame stiff competition to snatch up the Carol Tambor Award, which offers its winners the chance to perform in New York. Precious Little Talent, which will also run at the Bedlam, was inspired by the time Hickson spent in the city during Eight’s tour and offers a much more conventional, dialogue-driven format than its predecessor. The play is set in New York at Christmas and explores the relationship between a father and daughter, with a smattering of Anglo-American love story in there for good measure. And while Hickson admits that her new play is “sweet, very lyrical and a fairy-tale type story”, she also claims it has important things to say about her generation.

“Droves of my friends have either gone into jobs [since graduating] and then lost them, or just can’t get them,” she says.

“We are a generation that was born into and bred through decades of abundance and we’re graduating into a world where we were promised that choice and options were something that worked on a meritocratic basis. It has become very quickly clear as the recession hits that that isn’t true and we’re a generation with sixteen grand of debt round our necks. So Precious Little Talent is about having to face up to our own mediocrity – that we can’t all be superstars and we won’t be.”

Hickson appears to sympathise with her generation’s current loss of opportunity to an extent, but there’s a lot of anger here too.

She explains: “We’re a very apathetic bunch and we don’t really believe in things. And thanks to the likes of [E4 TV series] Skins and so forth, we’re generally disregarded as drug-munching no brainers. But I think we do have things to say for ourselves – now, that’s become increasingly true and our political and social conscience will grow.”

Ultimately, while Precious Little Talent seems to be encased in a saccharine veneer (Hickson says, “It’s set at Christmas so there’ll be fairy lights on stage and everything”), it promises a brave message for anyone that has been affected by the recession, graduate or not. And in a move that seems to overlap the play’s aspirations with real life, the casting of John McColl— former assistant editor of the Edinburgh Evening News—in one of the lead roles bodes well for the enduring truthfulness of its ethos.

“John is an incredibly good actor,” Hickson says. “I love the idea that he had always wanted to be an actor when he was young, but then went into newspapers because there was more money in it. Now that the money has fallen out of newspapers, he’s become an actor again. So he’s fulfilling his dream courtesy of the recession, which is

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www.festmag.co.uk

edinburgh festival preview guide 2009 fest 37

festtheatre previews tricKy second albums

beachy head

icarus 2.0

having been awarded a Fringe First and short-listed for the carol Tambor award for their first play Mile end in 2007, expectation surrounding analogue’s follow-up, Beachy head, is high this year. This will be the second installment in the acclaimed multi-disciplinary theatre company’s trilogy, and the work utilises 3d animation, object manipulation and physical performance in order to dissect the aftermath of a man’s suicide.

Penned by the same writing team—dan reballato, Lewis hetherington and emma Jowett—as Mile end and moulded by the same directors, hannah Barker and Liam Jarvis, Beachy head promises to be one the theatrical highlights of the Fringe in 2009. Mile end’s technical dexterity was widely lauded two years ago and the group look set to bring the same imaginative skill to their new outing. and with the cliffs at Beachy head still living up to their reputation as the country’s most notorious suicide spot—the deaths of neil and Kazumi Puttick and their five-year-old son in May being just the latest example—the story’s enduring relevance should combine with analogue’s many accolades to draw audiences throughout august. [yasmin Sulaiman]

Sebastian Lawson and Jamie Wood won a Fringe First in 2008 for their bleakly humorous office drama Paperweight. This year, the pair are back with Icarus .0, a play which promises to be cut from the same funnyyet-poignant cloth. in an inventive take on the greek myth of daedalus and icarus, it explorers the relationship between a geneticist and his jar-made son using video and physical performance to drive the story on.

Following up Paperweight, an all too realistic depiction of the banality of office life, will prove tough but Wood and Lawson—both of whom are accomplished performers and co-artistic directors of two separate theatre companies—are certainly up to the challenge. in addition to performing in Icarus .0, Wood is directing another show, Graceless from all-female theatre company Petticoats rip. and if both Graceless and Icarus .0 can live up to expectations, he may establish himself as one of the most versatile theatre-makers on the Fringe this year. [yasmin Sulaiman]

X pleasance dome 5–30 aug (not mondays), 5:25pm, £9

X pleasance courtyard 5–30 aug (not 18, 25), 3:25pm, £9-£10

very much what the play is about as well. it might seem like things are going wrong but actually it’s a chance to regroup and work out what it is you actually want.”

But what about the young playwright’s prospects? has last year’s hit really positioned hickson to scoop a follow-up success this year? despite her relative lack of experience in the theatrical world—or perhaps because of it—hickson shows a remarkable degree of levelheadedness, a quality that’s essential when you’re following up a significant debut hit. “i think a lot of Eight’s appeal the first time round was that it pretty much came out of nowhere,” she says. “at the moment, society is incredibly bewitched and fascinated by ‘the debut’, and its novelty and newness – ‘the second’ simply doesn’t have the same commercial power as ‘the first’.” nevertheless is she dealing well with the pressure? her composed, balanced side persists but her confidence shines through: “The pressure is definitely on and if Precious Little Talent doesn’t do well, it will be a good learning curve for me. But this is only the second play of what will hopefully be many and, irrespective of what the world makes of it, i think it’s wonderful.” precious little talent bedlam theatre 6-29 aug, 2.30pm, £8.50 (£6.50)

THE LINCOLN COMPANY

TEATRO DEI BORGIA, ITACA and

from The Lincoln School of Performing Arts

THE LINCOLN COMPANY

Critic

Cool Cutz

The

by Richard Brinsley Sheridan

adapted by Darren Tunstall and Andy Jordan

by Stephanie Doyle, Laura Lowndes & Jody Williamson

The perm solution is mixed, the wax is melted and the hair dryers are plugged in ready for a new day at Cool Cutz Hair

Critics, writers, directors and actors – no-one escapes the satirical scalpel of theatre insider, R. B. Sheridan, much-loved writer of The Rivals and The School for Scandal. Pretension, fraudulence, envy, plagiarism. Is this satire, farce or documentary?

Come find out…

THE

A respectable 1960s couple spice up their marriage by pretending to be adulterous lovers in the afternoons: he plays the lover for her, she plays the whore for him. The only problem – role-playing sex games often get out of hand…

By Harold Pinter

L O V E R

After Magritte

by Tom Stoppard

and Beauty Salon; but hair and makeup can only hide so much. With music, songs and laughter, this new comedy reveals why the truth must out.

WEEPIE An early play by Chris Goode

‘Everyone has the right to be beautiful’

A dynamic play of startling originality, inspired by a real murder. A radical analysis of male violence.

And surprisingly funny. Explicit language, nudity and, best of all, adult themes!

miss landminE angola 2008

“The dialogue bristles with aggression and wit... courageous and brilliant.”

The Australian

The Shade Ain’t Right

Sometimes the surreal can really make sense. One of Stoppard's best farces. Absurdity, wit, tubas, ballroom dancers, bras and bumbling coppers. The brainiest romp you'll ever see.

“Theatre of surprise, with abounding and intricately concocted idiocies” The Guardian

How black is too black?

Harlem, 1922. This new play, inspired by black artists such as Josephine Baker and Billie Holiday, powerfully explores black on black racism. What does it mean for black performers – then, and now?

UndErbElly, cowgatE 6 - 30 aUgUst (not 17 aUg) 17.45 (18.45) tickEts: £6.00 - £10.00 box officE 0844 545 8252 www.underbelly.co.uk

38 fest edinburgh festival preview guide 2009

AJP_missland_135x93festmag.indd 1

7/7/09 7:07:21 www.festmag.co.uk

festtheatre

Riding the tides Former Pick of the Fringe winners and founders of contemporary dance group The Kosh, Michael Merwitzer and Siân Williams tell Ruth Dawkins how to get your show noticed at the world’s biggest arts fair

www.festmag.co.uk

“There’s just such a great buzz at the Fringe,” says The Kosh’s co-founder Michael Merwitzer who, having first brought a production to Edinburgh in 1983, is a true Fringe veteran. “It’s a fantastic trade fair. You get to burn the candle at both ends for four weeks, and it provides the opportunity to show your work night after night in a place where people come with enthusiasm and an open spirit.”

The Kosh’s other leading light and star of their physical-theatre “thriller” The Storeroom, Siân Williams agrees: “You rarely get to put on a show for three weeks in London, whereas in Edinburgh you can let the momentum build and build.”

Indeed, the pair suggest that a large part of Edinburgh’s unique appeal lies in the fact that, even now, a show can be made or broken simply by word of mouth reviews.

“It’s interesting to pitch your work against others,” says Merwitzer, “not necessarily in a competitive way, but word of mouth can beat anything. It’s not just a question of how you’re reviewed in the papers. People find out a show’s good and pass the word on. There’s so much choice when you pick up the Fringe guide that sometimes a personal recommendation is the best place to begin.”

For a small company, that word-of-mouth promotion has proved crucial at Fringes past when competing with the better funded outfits. When they first appeared in the eighties, The Kosh was a larger outfit – more dancers, more performances, more cash. But after a well-publicised spat with the Arts Council and the complete withdrawal of their £200,000 of annual funding (the council said they didn’t deserve it; 5,000 fans wrote to say they did), the company was reduced to the founding two.

Merwitzer tries his best not to sound bitter: “The Arts Council gave us some money towards this show, which we are very pleased about. We hope it has opened the doors again and it’s the beginning of them funding us in the way we feel we’re entitled to. You really can’t mount a physical theatre production without subsidising it.”

Both Merwitzer and Williams believe that there are significant issues with arts funding that need resolving, although Merwitzer confesses that he has been “banging on” about that for too long already: “There’s such a rarified view of what’s working and what’s not,” he says, sounding exasperated. “How do you get audiences interested? How do you reach them? How do you fund companies in an open, available way, and make sure the money is getting to people with a good record of work?

“To be harsh about it, there are middle class, politically correct views about what constitutes making arts accessible, and they’re so bound up in the idea that ‘we must do community workshops’. For lots of people, that’s the last thing they want to do. What they want is the opportunity to go and see a show that is entertaining, exciting, draws them in, and maybe takes place in a venue where there wouldn’t normally be performances going on. I don’t think it’s so wrong

edinburgh festival preview guide 2009 fest 39

festtheatre “To be harsh about it, there are middle class, politically correct views about what constitutes making arts accessible, and they’re so bound up in the idea that ‘we must do community workshops’. For lots of people, that’s the last thing they want to do”

you get schools coming in,” she says. You get young people who have previously only experienced Shakespeare through studying the text in their English Literature class, but when they come and see the show in this wacky venue it all suddenly lifts off the page for them and provides a real stimulus for their study.”

Despite the challenges of financing a physical theatre production, particularly in the current economic climate, The Kosh have recently completed a successful tour with The Storeroom – a show which stretches Williams’ considerable talents to the edge, combining theatre, dance, acrobatics, music and even ventriloquism. And it’s perhaps this ability to provide an immersive, engaging theatrical experience that have kept Kosh off the dole and in dancing shoes. Not unreasonably, the success of the tour thus far has left the pair optimistic that the show will fare equally well at the Fringe: “Some people,” says Williams, “are reporting a drop in audience numbers, but it’s possible that we’ll see the opposite.

The arts can flourish in hard times because people want some entertainment. We all need a bit of escapism.” Politically correct or not, it’s the bottom line that counts; and Kosh seem to know exactly how to keep above it.

to suggest that the best way to get people interested in the arts is in getting them to see a show that they enjoy.”

Williams agrees, criticising what she calls “an obsession” with audience participation.

“People can be passionate about theatre and what happened to them as an attendee, without having to go through other experiences,” she says. “It’s problematic that lots of companies have to prove the value of their production by then saying they’ll do lots of related workshops. That’s not what all theatregoers want.”

As choreographer for The Globe, Williams sees numerous audiences for whom the magic of witnessing the performance, without the addition of any further participation, is enough: “It’s so exciting when

A N D Y

J O R D A N

The Kosh in The Storeroom Gilded Balloon 7-31 Aug (not 17 or 24), 1.30pm, £8.50

P R O D U C T I O N S

‘And now for something completely fantastic...‘ The Johannesburg Citizen

by Roy Smiles Directed by Michael Kingsbury

‘fiercely witty, gloriously silly and wilfully ridiculous....‘ Cape Town Argus E4 UDDERbElly PAStURE CowbARn 7 - 31 AUgUSt (not 18 AUg) 12.45 (14.05) box offiCE 0844 545 8252

AJP Pythonesque_135x93_festmag.indd 1

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29 25

2 15

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Key venues 1 assembly - assembly hall Mound Place, 0131 623 3030

11 udderbelly's pasture Bristo Square, Edinburgh, 08445 458 252

21 sweet grassmarket 61 Grassmarket, 0870 241 0136

2 assembly - george street 54 George Street, 0131 623 3030

12 underbelly 56 Cowgate, 08445 458 252

22 sweet teviot place Teviot Place, 0870 241 0136

3 bedlam theatre 11b Bristo Place, 0131 225 9893

13 festival theatre 13-29 Nicolson Street, 0131 529 6000

23 the grv 37 Guthrie Street, 0131 220 2987

4 the bongo club 37 Holyrood Road, 0131 557 2827

14 Fringe Box Office 180 High Street, 0131 226 0026

24 the hub Castlehill, Royal Mile, 0131 473 2000

5 c venues Chambers Street, 0845 260 1234

15 fringe e-ticket tent On top of Princes Mall, 0131 226 0000

25 the stand comedy club 5 York Place, 0131 558 7272

6 c too Johnston Terrace, 0845 260 1234

16 gilded balloon teviot 13 Bristo Square, 0131 622 6552

26 the Zoo 140 The Pleasance, 0131 662 6892

7 c central The Carlton, North Bridge, 0845 260 1234

17 musical theatre @ george square George Square, 0131 651 1292

27 Zoo southside 117 Nicolson Street, 0131 662 6892

8 c cubed Brodies Close, Royal Mile, 0845 260 1234

18 pleasance courtyard 60 Pleasance, 0131 556 6550

28 traverse theatre Lothian Road, 0131 228 1404

9 cabaret voltaire 36 Blair Street, 0131 225 9744

19 pleasance dome Bristo Square, 0131 556 6550

29 edinburgh playhouse 18-22 Greenside Place, 0131 473 2000

10 dance base 14-16 Grassmarket, 0131 225 5525

20 underbelly's hullabaloo George Square Gardens, 08445 458 252

30 underbelly’s baby belly Niddry St South, 0844 545 8252

20

20

27

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Observer

festvenues Key venues There are over 500 venues across Edinburgh which run festival events. Below are the ones you absolutely need to know about underbelly

greyfriars KirK

Based in the cavernous former vaults of the edinburgh central Library, underbelly is the youngest of the so-called big four venues. recognised as the most selfconsciously hip major venue, underbelly is home to two bars and the late-night comedy showcase, Spank.

While hosting an active Presbyterian community, the idyllic greyfriars Kirk has a less-than-secret dual role throughout the year as one of edinburgh’s regular classical music venues. august continues in this vein with an extensive eiF programme.

56 coWgaTe, 08445 458 252

udderbelly

BriSTo SQuare, 08445 458 252

easily the most physically distinctive venue in edinburgh, udderbelly is literally a giant, upside-down, purple cow. With a capacity of 400, udderbelly is the also the underbelly family's largest performance space and regularly plays host to the biggest names in comedy.

86 candLeMaKer roW, 08452 26 27 21

the queen’s hall

85-89 cLerK STreeT, 0131 668 3456

The year-round home of the Scottish chamber orchestra, this full-size concert hall holds host to an eclectic mix of events for the edinburgh international Festival, Fringe and the edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival throughout august. usher hall

LoThian road, 0131 228 1155

as the largest single site in edinburgh for stand-up comedy, the Pleasance courtyard is something of a hub for comedy enthusiasts. it's the place to discover the next big thing, to see the biggest names and to enjoy an afternoon's celeb-spotting in the sunshine.

one of Britain’s leading concert venues, the usher hall’s spectacular acoustics, its size and it’s world-famous organ made it a sorely-missed absentee from last year’s programme. But while the £25 million refurbishment won’t be fully complete, the doors will be thrown open in august for the likes of Sir Willard White and esa-Pekka Salonen.

pleasance dome

assembly @ george street

pleasance courtyard

60 PLeaSance, 0131 556 6550

1 BriSTo SQuare, 0131 556 6550

Situated on Bristo Square, the Pleasance dome spends much of the year masquerading as edinburgh university's student union. however, during august it plays host to the Pleasance's more avant garde theatre offerings. Moreover, it houses edinburgh's famous Mosque Kitchen, the place to go for curry at all hours.

Zoo venues

140 The PLeaSance & 117 nicoLSon STreeT 0131 662 6892

Zoo’s two venues—housing five separate performance spaces—are particularly famed for their hosting of new writing.

Modern dance and cabaret are also big here. medina & negociants

45-47 LoThian STreeT, 0131 225 6313

home to if.comedy newcomer nominee Mike Wozniak’s debut in 2008, Medina & negociants are this year attempting to emulate their prior success in the newcomer market by playing host to Time out’s rising Star, geroge ryegold amongst others. sweet venues

61 graSSMarKeT & TeVioT PLace 0870 241 0136

cutting back in 2009 to 75 select shows, Sweet return to the Fringe in their grassmarket and edinburgh college of art locations. home to much small theatre and newcomer comedy, Sweet shows can be variable but some pleasant surprises are always found lurking in the programme. the stand comedy club

54 george STreeT, 0131 623 3030

The former hub of the Fringe before its shift to Bristo Square, george Street is the assembly rooms’ flagship venue. in addition to two bars, the stylish georgian complex continues to attract a mix of big names and hot newcomers – though which of these categories John Smeaton fits into is anyone’s guess. c venues

c @ chaMBerS STreeT / c Too @ JohnSTon Terrace / c S0c0 @ chaMBerS STreeT/ c cuBed @ LaWnMarKeT / c cenTraL @ norTh Bridge, 0845 260 1234

it’s probably fair to say that c Venues live up to their marketing buzz words, “vibrant, vivacious, variety.” With five locations in the centre of the city, there’s a wealth of spaces to fit a huge variety of new work, from the award-worthy to the mediocre. traverse theatre

caMBridge STreeT, 0131 228 1404

The Traverse is the spiritual home of Fringe theatre. opened in 1963 on the premises of a former brothel, the venue has long cultivated a reputation as Scotland's premier new writing theatre and represents one of the only 'safe bets' for audiences looking for quality at the Fringe. bedlam theatre

11B BriSTo PLace, 0131 225 9893

housed in an impressive neo-gothic church, Bedlam is the oldest student-run theatre in the country. although its Fringe programme largely consists of student productions—which can vary wildly in quality—you're likely at least to stumble across a few unpolished gems.

5 yorK PLace, 0131 558 7272

edinburgh’s only year-round independent comedy club, The Stand has become the venue of choice for a group of high profile comedy renegades, such as Stewart Lee and daniel Kitson, who have shunned the glitzy commercialism of the big four’s comedy Festival in favour of the Stand’s more intimate and authentic charm.

www.festmag.co.uk

gilded balloon

13 BriSTo SQuare, 0131 622 6552

home of Late 'n' Live—the original and most raucous late-night comedy showcase—the gilded Balloon, though perhaps the most diminutive of the big-four venues, still offers a staggering 70 shows a day in eight performance spaces.

edinburgh festival preview guide 2009 fest 43

festtheatre

Midsummer Loving Hard-hitting Scottish playwright David Greig tells Yasmin Sulaiman about the freedom of going lo-fi

Genital mutilation, self-harm and fraught Arab-western relations: David Greig’s bulging corpus of work has certainly tackled some weighty subjects. Two years ago, the Scottish playwright’s updated version of Euripides’ The Bacchae starring Alan Cumming thrilled audiences at the Edinburgh International Festival, as did his original work Damascus at the Traverse. Fast forward to 2009 and he’s offering something a world away from Greek tragedy and conflict in the Middle East: Midsummer (A Play with Songs), a work that Greig cheerfully describes as a “lo-fi indie musical”.

Written in collaboration with Gordon McIntyre, frontman of Edinburgh-based indie band, Ballboy, with a budget of

44 fest edinburgh festival preview guide 2009

"I wanted to know what a musical would be like if it featured music that I liked" around £1000, Midsummer premiered at the Traverse in October 2008 as part of its low-budget Traverse Too series. Clearly, its unashamedly romantic storyline was something of a relief for 40-year-old Greig, who has been known to produce plays at a rate of around five a year since his first professional production in 1992.

“Gordon and I wanted to know what a musical would be like if it featured music that we liked,” he explains. “I didn’t want an ‘Important’ play with a capital I, because I just

needed a break. My creative self really needed a space to do some work that wasn’t ‘state of the nation’, that wasn’t expected to be ‘state of the nation’, and that wasn’t a major new premiere.”

The Edinburgh-set plot follows the exploits of Bob and Helena, who meet in a New Town bar on midsummer’s night, sleep together and traipse around the city looking for excitement on the shortest night of the year. McIntyre’s numbers pepper the action and the two actors—Cora Bissett and Matthew Pidgeon—play the instruments themselves, adding to the intimate, lo-fi feeling that pervades the play.

Though Midsummer isn’t billed as a fullyfledged musical as such (McIntyre’s songs complement the action, rather than drive it forward), some of the writers’ objectives seem to have been similar. “When you go to a big musical show, you want to come out humming tunes with a big smile on your face,” Greig says. “This is a lo-fi indie musical so it’s not on the same scale and doesn’t by any means have the same sort of ambitions.

But at the same time, it does have a similar aim - which is to take you on an emotional journey and leave you feeling like you’ve had a good time.”

Despite this feel-good motive, it’s wrong to dismiss Midsummer merely as a vehicle for whimsy or fancy. Indeed, Greig believes that it also exposes the more serious sides to love.

Almost laughing, he admits: “Ironically, the more that you release yourself from [political] burdens and write something entirely with the purpose of being frivolous, it turns out that those comedies delve into your deepest and most profound feelings. I didn’t expect that and I was surprised that the sillier I was, the more serious I got.”

Inevitably, the narrative capitalises on the more romantic aspects of the Scottish capital and Greig feels that there’s something about a city—though not Edinburgh specifically—that inherently lends itself towards a romantic story-line. “If you look at great romantic comedies,” he says, “a lot of them do have a specific location – so you’re not just giving us a couple, you’re also giving us the location in which the romance takes place. Maybe that’s because we do that anyway – when you fall in love, you always remember the place in which it happens.”

For Greig, the low monetary investment in Midsummer’s Traverse Too premiere not only gave the play what he calls “the right to fail”, it also allowed the playwright to make his language more theatrical in order to convey a sense of place, as its small budget left little room for intricate props. In the event, it received widespread plaudits, paving the way for its impending Fringe run at the Traverse and an accompanying tour of Ireland and Scotland in June and July, as well as Canada after the Festival.

Greig has just returned from Cork in Ireland, where Midsummer has appropriately enjoyed a run at the Cork Midsummer Festival—its first performance since its Edinburgh premiere—and initial reactions seem positive.

He says: “Our first run in November was

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festtheatre in the midst of the banking collapse and I wasn’t sure whether the response to the play in Edinburgh was due to some sort of collective hysteria at the time. For me, it was a real thing to see if the play could travel and it seems to have done so.” This sense of universality is likely to be a boon come August, when Midsummer will be performed in front of diverse Fringe audiences hailing from many different countries.

But while Midsummer represents a break with Greig’s usual political fodder, he’s far from leaving this powerful element of his work behind. “If you leaf through the Festival programme,” he says, “there will be many shows—in fact, I’m writing some shows— about financial collapse and Darfur and the terrible, terrible loneliness of being alive.

But sometimes that’s not what you want.

Sometimes you just want to connect with people and I think this is a connecting show.”

And though Greig claims to be looking forward to the Festival season, this selfdescribed “worrier” is clearly apprehensive – unjustifiably so, if critical and public reaction to date is anything to go by. He says: “For all I know, the Fringe will be absolutely heaving with lo-fi indie musicals. If that’s the case, we’ll be scunnered, but I assume that if all goes well then I will enjoy the Fringe very much.”

Midsummer (a play with songs) Traverse Theatre 7-30 Aug (not Mondays) 7.30pm £14

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PREVIEWS

Barflies

Fucked

Which great works of art might never have seen the light of day without the assistance of a few slurps?

Can we learn more from the edge of a barstool than from a whole library of books?

These are just two of the many questions asked by Grid Iron, masters of sitespecific theatre, as they take over their local Barony Bar. Entering the boozy world of Charles Bukowski, Barflies is a staging of his writings that explores the power of the bottle as an enlightening tool and its role in the production of great art, as well as the destruction of the body, mind and soul that it brings.

As a nation of massive boozers, it’s a pity we’re not all this philosophical about alcohol, and Barflies promises to offer plenty more insight than your average night on the sauce. The ticket price includes one free drink, so audiences can immerse themselves in the theme. [Andrew Chadwick]

As ill-advised titles go, Fucked has got to be up there with the worst of them. But whilst a pointlessly offensive title can often be what breaks rather than makes new writing, this offering from emerging playwright Penelope Skinner comes to the Fringe on the back of a sell out run at London’s Old Red Lion Theatre.

No longer holed up in that bijou establishment, Fucked will this year be luxuriating in the more capacious surrounds of the Assembly Rooms’ West Drawing Room for a full Festival run. The monologue examines a young woman’s journey from adolescent innocence to an adulthood filled with the regret of unintended promiscuity.

Director Daniel Goldman—leading light of the Tangram Theatre Company—will most likely enjoy a hectic Festival this year having brought four plays to the Fringe and, with Tangram coming to Edinburgh following on from an acclaimed run of Greig’s Dr Korczak’s Example, a successful one as well. [Chris Williams]

XX Traverse @ The Barony 7-31 Aug (not Fri/Sat), 3:00pm, £16

XX Assembly @ George Street 6-31 Aug (not Tuesdays), 9:50pm, £10-£11

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festtheatre

Boy Done Good Junta Sekimori tells the fairy-tale story of Richard Fry, the man behind 2008 stand-out show Bully

For the punter, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe should be about taking a punt – meeting the people who are truly on the fringe, the unknowns who have followed their hearts to Edinburgh often at great expense.

I made such a discovery last year in Richard Fry’s play Bully. When a Gilded Balloon act cancelled their fixture late in the day, a friend pushed Fry—an Edinburgh virgin with only a handful of acting odd jobs behind him—to seize the moment and book himself in. Four weeks later I stepped cautiously into this oubliette of a venue, aptly called the Turret, only to be shocked into a trance of blissful admiration moments later.

Fry’s debut was a home-brewed, loosely autobiographical monologue about the indomitable cycle of violence that lingers

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“Where I come from people don’t become actors, they become electricians and builders. After doing these shitty jobs for ten years, I suddenly had a future. I felt really proud.” like a curse on a man’s bloodline. It had all the qualities of a Greek tragedy, and what’s more (I realised 15 minutes into the performance), it was written in verse. It hit me like an epiphany and I was hooked for every subsequent second of the show. Fry deservedly left the Fringe with a catalogue of praise, which he’s since used to leverage a national tour of the play.

Bully, which returns to the Turret this year, is the first thing Fry’s written;

it’s his first shot on stage; his first time in Edinburgh; and his first real glimmer of fulfilled potential. Now in his mid-thirties, Fry’s CV had been unexceptional until last year. He played a TV detective alongside a Spice Girl, a man in funny underpants in a Bollywood reincarnation of the 40-year-old Virgin, and a couple of skinhead racists in two borderline B-movies that he laughingly boasts have become cult classics in his Somerset home town.

A start-up thesp who turns up solo at the Fringe is in for a hard time. Monologues are cost-effective, and many writers sadly can’t afford to create a second character, especially with the rising cost of accommodation and venues. Fringe monologues often reek of limitation, and reviewers have become allergic.

But that’s not Fry’s only handicap. In the same time it takes to watch a monologue and assess one performer, talent scouts could just as easily attend a fuller-bodied play and assess five, ten, or twenty performers all at once. So why wouldn’t they?

It’s in these conditions that Fry took a leap of faith. The footfall was predictably quiet to begin with, and even when the Turret started filling to its full capacity of a terrifyingly tight 50 in the second half of August, Fry knew he was facing a loss.

But on the back of positive reviews and word-of-mouth, he made the impression he needed to make in order to subsequently turn drama into a full-time profession. He’s since performed Bully 30 to 40 times in front of paying audiences, with another 100 fixtures in the pipeline.

I wrongly wrote in my review of Bully last year that Fry earned his bread as a carpenter before getting into drama. “Christ’s father was a carpenter,” he corrects me, “I collected bins.” At age 15, ritual bullying from his classmates and a busy single mother gave Fry both a reason and an opportunity to skip the hell out of school.

Failing his exams, he escaped the West Country to begin combing the streets of London for rubbish. Some years later his sister bought a pub in Somerset and invited him to come and help her run it. There he stayed until at the age of 30, when his life took a dramatic turn.

“I was watching EastEnders on the telly, watching Ross Kemp behind the bar,” he recounts. “I thought, ‘He’s just pretending to do something I do for real and getting a damn lot more money for it.’ So I took myself up for an audition in a drama school in London. There were 20 people in there. They made me get up and do my speech in front of everyone. I royally fucked up!” he laughs.

“Afterwards, they called me through, asked me about my experience. I said I had none and knew nothing about classical theatre. And then I said these words: ‘I want to be in EastEnders.’” The judges took a surprise liking to the philistine, telling him that his was a very realistic approach. He was in.

Later that evening reality hit him like a comet. The £6,000 that he’d saved up wasn’t going to be enough to cover his course fees.

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festtheatre he needed double that. “i was gutted,” he remembers. But when he called the drama school to tell them he couldn’t afford the tuition, he was advised to attend the upcoming scholarship auditions. “So i did it again,” says Fry, “and once again i royally fucked up; i forgot my lines and everything!” he was in.

“Where i come from people don’t become actors, they become electricians and builders. after doing these shitty jobs for ten years, i suddenly had a future. i felt really proud.” it was in this way that in august 2003 Fry went into ealing’s drama Studio of London, having never read or seen Shakespeare, and discovered theatre.

This summer Fry, addicted now to the Fringe, is back with two plays. Bully is in its home in the Turret again, and down some steps in a livelier area of the gilded Balloon will be Killing Me Softly, a two-hander “about domestic violence and karaoke” that has rather thematically turned into a monologue in the time i’ve taken to write this (counterpart Lizzie roper has just been offered a major television part, filming in august – “it was that phone call all actors wait for”). So there we have it, my 2008 champion. come and meet the underdog prodigy. bully gilded balloon, 9-31 aug, 12.45pm, £9

previews

a stroKe of genius

a british subJect

coinciding with darwin year—celebrating the publication of the acclaimed naturalist’s seminal text On The Origin of Species—A Stroke of Genius is a dark comedy that journeys into the past of eugenics and looks to a future world of “designer babies.”

Based on the true story of the nobel Prize Sperm Bank—to which women flocked to choose a donor from its roster of the greatest scientists, inventors and thinkers of the period—A Stroke of Genius tells the story of rural librarian dora Blake who decides she wants to have a genius child of her own. She plots to blackmail a famous national hero on his upcoming book tour – but first she’ll need to seduce a young scientist to help her with the finer points of sperm donation and genetic manipulation. using projected animation, puppetry, a newly composed score and about fifty cardboard boxes, A Stroke of Genius—produced by the award-winning company PiT—promises to be a thought-provoking and highly entertaining piece of theatre. [Jessica Winch]

Multi-award-winning director hannah eidinow charts the story of how British journalist don Mackay gained access to the death row cell of Mirza Tihar hussein, a British man released in 2006 after serving 18 years in a Pakistani jail. hussein was jailed for the murder of a taxi driver in 1968, but always maintained that he had acted in self-defence, and that the death was an accident.

Mackay was the only journalist who was able to interview Mirza during nearly two decades on death row. eidinow’s production relates how he soon formed a bond with the young man from Leeds – leading him to devote himself to Mirza’s case, and ultimately prove his innocence. originally written for radio but coming to the stage here for the first time, A British Subject stars Tom cotcher and Mackay’s real-life wife, nichola Mcaulffie. [nick eardley]

X pleasance dome 5–31 aug (not 17, 24), 2:40pm, £8–£9

X pleasance courtyard 5-30 aug (not 11, 18), 2:00pm, £10.50

Killing me softly gilded balloon, 7-31 aug, 2.45pm, £9

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The Overcoat Ad [93x135mm].indd 1

06/07/2009 14:39

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festtheatre

The Space Man

Site-specific theatre is a term “too restrictive” for experimental playwright, David Leddy.

Ed Ballard talks to one of theatre’s most radical figures

David Leddy picks up the phone early on a sunny evening to tell me he’s sitting on his 16th floor Broomhill balcony in Glasgow, “looking west”. He sounds relaxed – and I immediately feel somewhat intrusive, especially when he tells me how rare such quiet moments are.

He’s had a busy year: Sub Rosa, his staggeringly inventive Victorian gothic horror, debuted to great acclaim in Glasgow in January, and he’s had little respite since.

Susurrus, his audio play set in a public garden, is returning to Edinburgh in August after stints in Oxford, Cork and Milan; and his newest effort, White Tea, which premieres at the Assembly Rooms in August, is nearing completion. All that, and “about five other projects”.

Since first attracting attention in the

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The play even features a laser whose role can only be guessed at.

“I’m so excited. Part of me is an eightyear-old child that thinks that lasers are really cool.” early 2000s with a triptych of one-man shows which he performed himself (he’s since abandoned acting because he’s “too lazy to learn the words”) Leddy has made a name for himself as an exceptional and unconventional talent. He is persistently described as a “site-specific theatre maker”: Sub Rosa had tiny audiences being led around the eerie backstage places of Glasgow’s Citizens theatre; Susurrus was written for Glasgow’s Botanic Garden, where the audience would wander around with

headphones, listening to what he calls “part radio play, part tour guide, part avant-garde sonic art and part stroll in the park.”

Leddy finds the “site-specific” label restrictive: “I don’t know who invented the term,” he says, “but it has become an albatross for a lot of theatre-makers.” He points out that Susurrus has been taken to gardens in Cork and Oxford, and will be adapted for a museum in Milan later this year’s the unusual installation which houses the set of White Tea, meanwhile, means that the whole production can be dismantled and taken anywhere without losing the play’s own unique sense of place.

The performance takes place in a huge white papery cube. Everything’s inside the cube: actors, audience (who will be given white kimonos to wear and Japanese tea

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festtheatre PREVIEWS site-specific theatre

Waiting for Godot

Subversion? Experimentation? A simple lack of performance spaces? Whatever it was that inspired Dublin-based group, Nod Nod, to bring Beckett’s classic to the public toilets of a shopping centre, their production is bound to be unique.

Bringing new meaning to the phrase, “a view from the stalls”, this could be your only opportunity to enjoy a spot of avant-garde theatre while inhaling the scent of urinal cakes.

In turns poignant and absurd, this bleak exploration of emptiness, existence and ennui finds Vladimir and Estragon waiting without explanation for the arrival of the mysterious Godot.

This is worth a watch simply for the sheer resourcefulness needed to turn one of the greatest plays of the twentieth century into the most complex constipation metaphor of all time. Who needs Ian McKellen when the interval offers a near-endless supply of free handwash and the chance to buy a three-pack of ribbed Durex? [Lyle Brennan] XX St James Public Toilets, 25-31 Aug, 6:30pm, £5

Internal

to drink), all of the lighting needed for the show, and projectors which shine video footage onto all four walls and the ceiling.

Sounds like a lot to organise. “There’s just a huge amount of administrative and producerly things that need to be done,” says Leddy; “people don’t realise that I run a company. I’m producing two shows at the same time.”

But he clearly relishes the minutiae of his job. He rhapsodises about all the “fabulous technology” used in White Tea – “we’re all completely in love with it”. The play even features a laser, boasts Leddy. “I’m so excited.

Part of me is an eight year old child that thinks that lasers are really cool.”

But although White Tea is technically extravagant for a smallish theatrical production, the story is relatively straightforward – at least for a playwright with a history of fractured, tricky narratives. After the bombastic horror of Sub Rosa, Leddy wanted to make something “tender and simple about the frailty of human relationships… something like a see-through crystal.”

Naomi, who lives in Paris, gets a phone call one day to find out that her mother in Kyoto has had a stroke. At first she refuses to visit, but eventually her mother’s nurse flies out to Paris to collect her, and the two of them return to Japan together. “The action of the piece is about their developing friendship, and the daughter’s exploration of her mother’s history.”

It’s also about the paradoxical interaction between Japanese and British cultures, which can seem poles apart but share so much: “an obsession with politeness, a strictly stratified social order, habits which other countries find completely bizarre.” The figure of Yoko Ono – who has fascinated Leddy “since I was a child” – runs through the play as an emblem of this clash of cultures, as does the shared ritual of tea drinking.

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Leddy wrote the first draft of the play in a couple of days, “jetlagged in a hotel room in Vancouver”, where he had been working with a Japanese-Canadian theatre company – although the idea had been forming for as long as four years. Since then it’s been reworked extensively – a process that will continue, in collaboration with his actors, as rehearsals begin. “I find great pleasure in reworking my material. As I get older I realise how many of my earlier pieces weren’t good simply because I hadn’t finished them.”

I ask him about the host of other projects he’s working on – will they be simpler in execution, or can we expect more lasers?

“The projects are getting bigger and bigger,” he says – largely because he’s at a point in his career where people are willing to stump up enough cash to allow him to realise his grander ideas.

But perhaps it’s useless to predict what Leddy will serve up next. He tells me excitedly about “Heuristic,” a bizarre-sounding project which he describes as a cross between a yoga class and a creative writing group. “That’d just be me talking to a room full of people on yoga mats.”

David Leddy’s Susurrus Assembly @ Royal Botanic Garden 4 Aug-6 Sept, 15 performances daily, £8

The multi-award winning Ontroerend Goed returns to the Fringe after last year’s sell-out production with yet another innovative exercise in audienceinteraction.

Building upon the Traverse theatre’s reputation for staging bold new works, Internal promises an intimate, unconventional theatre experience in an “individual playground.”

Within this space, the challenge of building up a meaningful relationship with a stranger in 25 minutes is taken to task in a spontaneous setting complete with drinks and mandolin playing. Internal looks set to twist the formats of speed-dating and group therapy to create a unique engagement with the audience where variation and diversity are the key to each performance.

Having made his name with this sort of free, unfettered theatre, an Ontroerend Goed performance will certainly offer something different for the more restless theatregoer.

[Andrew Chadwick] XX Traverse @ Mercure Point Hotel Various times, check programme for details

Under Glass

One of the most unusual shows at this year’s Fringe is Under Glass – a 20-minute piece of physical theatre where the characters are on display in a series of glass jars and cabinets to create an animated display of human life.

Taking place in the basement of the imposing McEwan Hall, Under Glass is at once a museum exhibit, gallery and medical laboratory, providing a snapshot of individuals as they attempt, with varying success, to live within their limits. The performers range from a shy “wallflower” pinned behind a glass panel, to a man clockwatching in his office.

Created by renowned collaborators Suzy Wilson and Paul Clark and produced by Fuel, Under Glass continues The Clod Ensemble’s reputation for creating innovative work that blends visual imagery, choreography, and music. Individual performances have been developed over the last two years, with this production adapted specifically for the Fringe with an original score by Paul Clark. [Jessica Winch] XX McEwan Hall, 21–29 Aug, 12:pm, 3pm & 5pm, £7.50

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Confe$$ional culture Ben Judge charts the growth of “confessional theatre”, tracing a line from the ‘“misery memoir” publishing phenomenon to the boards of the Edinburgh Festival

If it is still true that art mirrors life, then it was surely only a matter of time before the world’s largest arts festival began to reflect society’s unwavering fascination with celebrity.

In 2008, the levies that had held firm for so long were finally broken: the world of celebrity had barged its way into the theatrical domain in much the same way as it had the television, magazine and publishing spheres.

But this ‘celebrification’ of theatre was a new beast altogether, taking more inspiration from the like’s of Russell Brand’s My Bookie Wook than Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Celebrities were interested not in reimagining the classics for a new generationin but in exposing their private lives in full voyeuristic detail for anyone who’d listen. The vast majority of pre-Festival press was dedicated to the appearances of US comedian Joan Rivers and former Bond girl and international pin-up Britt Ekland. The ‘celebrity confessional’ had arrived.

But why were our washed-up former TV presenters, film-stars and models no longer content with appearing in unremarkable Arthur Miller adaptations? Surprising, the roots of this phenemonen can be traced back to a single, unlikely source.

In 1995, a previously unheard-of American author published an autobiography that would rock the foundations of the English-speaking literary world. Dave Pelzer’s A Child Called “It” spawned an entirely new,

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phenomenally successful genre: originally peddled by publishers as “inspirational literature”, a tag which quickly gave way to the more cynical labels of “misery lit” and “grief porn”. Bookshops across the English-speaking world now maintain a full section dedicated to “tragic life stories”, each chock-full of such unsettling titles as Don’t Tell Mummy or Please, Daddy, No. But the influence of Pelzer’s book spreads far beyond the confines of its genre. It’s identified by The Bookseller’s Joel Ricketts as a key influence in the rise of the so-called “bare-all” celebrity autobiography, a literary phenomenon in itself. After decades of bland tomes that largely rehashed inoffensive, uncontroversial information already in the public domain, D-list celebrities had unexpectedly come over all confessional. Suddenly, we were learning the gory details of political affairs (courtesy of Edwina Currie’s diaries), secret battles with bulimia (Prezza by John Prescott) and childhoods spent in foster care (Kerry Katona’s Too Much, Too Young - My Story of Love, Survival and Celebrity). Even the former poet-laureate Andrew Motion’s autobiography In The Blood was heavily indebted to the trailblazing work of Pelzer and his ilk.

While the transition from page to stage was not necessarily a direct one—few celebrity or mis-lit writers have adapted their work for live performance—the meteoric rise of the two

This year, the ‘celebrity’ aspect of confessional theatre is being pushed to ever greater levels of tenuousness, as Edinburgh variously plays host to a former Blue Peter presenter, a pornographer and a former model

Top Luck follows Megan Riordan, daughter of a professional gambler Right Former Blue Peter presenter Peter Duncan recalls his life on the small screen

genres in the publishing sphere has clearly had an effect. In 2001, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Arts Today programme coined the term ‘confessional theatre’ to describe “the [growing] number of autobiographical works hitting both our mainstream and alternative stages…following on from tell-all autobiographies and even American talk-shows.”

Although the confessional theatre label has been used since the 1920s (for example, in reference to a particular style of Weimar German theatre which dealt with societal issues in the aftermath of the First World War), it has only really been deployed in the context of autobiographical theatre since the start of this decade. Indeed, confessional theatre is something of a new breed altogether, representing something closer to a spokenword autobiographical monologue than the more abstracted, dramatic plays that had come before.

Moreover, as a genre, its popularity seems to be increasing: the number of confessional

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festtheatre PREVIEWS confessionals

Peter Duncan’s Daft and Dangerous

Peter Duncan, the 80s Blue Peter Presenter and former TV stunt show host, will take the stage for his first Fringe show – an hour of madcap entertainment featuring slapstick, tightrope-walking and original musical comedy from Fringe stalwarts Mark Stevens and Chris Larner. There’s also a great deal of nostalgic reminiscing from a colourful career which has seen Duncan do battle with a Sumo wrestler and serve as Britain’s Chief Scout.

Born into a theatrical family, Duncan began his career at the National Theatre, and hasn’t strayed far from the stage since, winning an Olivier nomination for his starring role in 1995’s musical The Card and appearing recently with his son in an open air production of Macbeth in Regent’s Park.

But it’s as a TV entertainer that he’s best known, and Daft and Dangerous will appeal most to fans of Duncan Dares, the show in which he climbed Everest and crossed the Irish Sea in a VW Beetle. [Ed Ballard] XX Pleasance Courtyard, 5-31 Aug (not 26), 6:30pm, £10-£11

An Audience with John Smeaton

productions at the Edinburgh Festival has grown notably over the last few years. But more remarkable still is the manner in which confessional theatre can be neatly divided along the newly established literary lines. For instance, we have the “misery lit” confessionals, such as last year’s British Ambassador’s Belly Dancer, written and performed by Nadira Murray (the partner of the former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig Murray) which told her story of abuse, rape and torture in the former Soviet republic. This year, there’s Luck, the 2009 production which follows Megan Riordan and her life as the daughter of a professional Vegas gambler: a show mercifully free of harrowing sexual abuse, but heavy on tales of scamming casinos and life in a gambling family.

Then there’s the ‘celebrity confessional’.

Ekland and Rivers, both of whom promised bare-all confessionals, and discussed their lives and loves in candid detail, were in many ways pioneers of the genre as far as the Fringe is concerned, yet they varied in their critical reception. Rivers, whose three-decade career in comedy allowed her effectively to blur the boundary between confessional theatre and stand-up routine, was generally well received; Ekland focused on her many (failed) celebrity relationships but lacked the quality of writing and level of delivery to lay claim to any significant artistic merit. Indeed, one couldn’t shake the sense of a washed-out has-been making a final play for fame, an endeavour that was branded, in this magazine at least, as

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“a little self-absorbed.”

This year the ‘celebrity’ aspect of confessional theatre is being pushed to ever greater levels of tenuousness, as Edinburgh variously plays host to a former Blue Peter presenter (Peter Duncan’s Daft and Dangerous), a “legendary” British pornographer (An Evening with Ben Dover: Innocent Until Proven Filthy) and the former model Robyn Peterson (Catwalk Confidential). The combination of spurious claims to celebrity and the voyeuristic—perhaps even titillating—revelations promised inevitably raises the question: is this art or something altogether more cynical?

This is a question not so much asked as emphatically answered by critics in the publishing world. While his debut work received a strong critical response, Pelzer is now dogged by accusations of fabrication, exaggeration and appealing to a lowest-common-denominator readership – while a number of other misery lit titles have been revealed as hoaxes. The pressure to create a memoir more harrowing, disturbing and painful than anything so far published raises questions about the morbidly voyeuristic nature of the genre’s fans. Celebrity autobiographies, by contrast, were never accepted into the literary fold in the first place.

So, is confessional theatre (to paraphrase a common publisher’s criticism) written for those who don’t like theatre? Is it a cynical, money-grabbing ploy? Perhaps the desperate clawing for the spotlight of those who’ve lost their fame or notoriety? Certainly, the omens don’t look good.

Former baggage handler and one-man war on terror John Smeaton is the closest thing to a superhero Glasgow will ever see.

After helping to foil the rather feeble 2007 terrorist attack at Glasgow Airport—bravely groining a man who was already on fire—the imaginatively nicknamed “Smeato” was soon subjected to rabid media adulation of the order recently experienced by Susan Boyle.

Famously straight-talking and opinionated, he will be enlightening Edinburgh audiences with his own brand of Everyman philosophy and doing his bit to cement Glasgow’s reputation for mouthy hard men. Expect tales of two-week comas, fly fishing and Stateside travels, as well as his “top ten ways to have fun” and a potentially hilarious audience Q&A session.

Arnold Brown, host and doyen of Glasgow comedy, will be at the other end of Smeaton’s leash, presumably to keep the proceedings from descending into utter chaos. [Lyle Brennan] XX Assembly George Street, 17-30 Aug (not 24), 11:25pm, £12

Luck In a way, Megan Riordan has always been an actress. Brought up in a world of disguises, pseudonyms and over-the-top personas, she spent her early years on the coattails of her father, a sly and wildly successful “professional gambler”, as he scammed his way through the casinos of Las Vegas.

Now moulded into a slick piece of confessional theatre, her true story of good fortune nudged on by sleight of hand has already proved a hit at last year’s Dublin Fringe Festival.

Luck features an innovative format intriguingly described as “quiz-show-meets-cocktail-party”, allowing the audience’s own throw of the dice to determine how the story unfolds.

This one-woman show is soaked in the seedy glitz and glamour of Sin City and promises a dynamic and exhilarating account of life on the edge – as well as a tantalising peek into the secrets yielded by a youth misspent among a crack team of blackjack masterminds. [Lyle Brennan] XX Underbelly’s Hullabaloo 7-31 Aug (not 17), 8:10pm, £9.50-£10.50

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Sultan of swing Two years ago, Ewan Morrison’s Swung won high praise for its deft treatment of sexual insecurity. With a third novel now under his belt, he’s still determined to normalise sex, he tells Oliver Farrimond

benign and friendly – you always start off with fake names but by the time the clothes are removed and the music is put on and the lights are lowered, I’d pretty much ‘fessed up to who I was and why I was there with three other naked people.

With internet dating I stared into the void of what sex could become in a consumer culture: bodies literally being used up in the endless search for the next better, bustier, sexier, skinnier, hotter etc. It’s a huge and terrifying phenomenon, and utterly addictive in a way that swinging isn’t. People I swung with are still friends, whereas the hundred or so I met on the internet are not.

You write about sex in a way that’s detailed without being embarrassing – is there a secret to writing about sex?

We are saturated with sex images but the reality of sex is more messy and fraught and is really quite moving and full of paranoias and insecurities. Tabloids and men’s mags annoy the shit out of me. It’s all about desirable unobtainable bodies, the capitalist dream of how the best thing is beyond your reach. I want to try to defuse that bomb and to make sex quite banal, failures and all.

I’m opposed to our pornographic culture but rather than fight to remove all sex images I’d rather explore what subtle things two people can exchange. After all, we’re heading towards an entirely narcissistic masturbation culture, and what has to be saved is the dialogue of two people selflessly staring into each others eyes in a state of awe.”

During a decade flying high in film and television, Ewan Morrison had a front-row view of contemporary culture in the making – a perspective that he put to use, after the collapse of his Hollywood dreams, to become one of Scottish fiction’s hottest prospects.

His 2007 debut novel, Swung, centred on the swinging phenomenon an d examined the rootlessness and sexual insecurities of highly powered professionals. It was a critical triumph, described by Irvine Welsh as a “beautifully crafted, completely realised” work. With two more acclaimed novels now under his belt, Morrison has firmly established himself as a leading chronicler of modern neurosis.

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"We're heading towards a narcissistic masturbation culture... what has to be saved is two people staring into each other's eyes in a state of awe” Did you do much swinging while you were researching Swung? And did you tell other swingers that you were researching a book?

Actually, I was about a year into swinging and two years into internet dating when I realized that I should write a book inspired by my experiences. Now that I look back on it my experiences in swinging were fairly

You’ve described your upbringing as a kind of “hippy dream” - did you always know you were going to be an artist of some stripe?

It’s quite amazing to look back at what my parents tried to achieve in running The Wick Festival of Poetry Folk and Jazz in the 1970s.

It was a hippy dream - many other writers, artists, musicians moved north to ‘escape from the corrupt modern world’ in the 60s.

These people were reading all the radical texts. Some of them were Marxists, others anarchists and proto-ecologists. Others still were radical Scottish nationalists. However, what my parents found was that American style pop culture had got there already and destroyed their ideal of a rural idyll.

Personally, I had no choice but to be an artist of some kind or another - I was never a part of the community I was brought up in and art has to come from some kind of alienation.

What was your first artistic success?

My first great artistic success was perhaps a fledgling attempt at being a post-modern artist. I was runner-up in a UK-wide plasticene modeling competition in 1980, with my lifelike rendering of all of the members of AC/DC in a medium designed for making dinosaurs and coil pots.

To be able to achieve the effects of coloured stadium lighting on the band members’ arms, legs, faces and instruments was no mean feat.

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festbooks “We are saturated with sex images but the reality of sex is more messy and fraught and is really quite moving and full of paranoias and insecurities“

I’ve read that you came to writing after a trip to New York in 2001, and the atmosphere in the city meant that your film-making projects didn’t work out. Do you think you would have become a novelist wihtout 9/11?

In 2001, I had a deal to direct my first feature film with a big venture-capital company in New York. It was a love story and a critique of capitalism all in one. It was about a man who falls in love with a woman in a facing tower.

I was due to fly out to New York to start pre-production on September 13th 2001 - it was horrific. On the day we arrived there was a centimeter of dust on the exterior window sills and our neighbour told us about fragments of burned papers he had picked from his garden. The New Yorkers were overjoyed that we came despite the crisis and they put on a brave face, but the project and all future projects for that company were destroyed.

In a strange irony, American mass culture had destroyed my parents’ dream of an authentic Scottish Culture, and in trying to escape from Scotland, I had experienced another collapse of a culture. I still love America, hate it and love it. I have not yet had the courage to go back.

Book festival highlights

Margaret Atwood

There’s no shortage of big names unveiling new books at this year’s festival—William Boyd, Richard Dawkins and Douglas Coupland, to name but a few—but the ostentatious ceremony accompanying the launch of The Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood’s new novel, should take the prize for sheer drama.

In a similar dystopian vein to 2003’s Oryx and Crake, Atwood’s latest is set in a post-apocalyptic Earth populated by just a few straggling humans and lots of mutants. The survivors start a new religion inspired by the hymns of the God’s Gardeners, an apocalyptic sect whose credo is one of the novel’s themes.

Some of these hymns have been put to music by composer Orville Stoeber—words by Atwood, of course—and will be performed at what promises to be an unforgettable event in the appropriately awe-inspiring surroundings of St. John’s Church on Princes Street. [Ed Ballard] Do you feel that you’re part of a particular “scene” of Scottish writers?

I’d say that we’re all writers who are writing into a kind of void left by the death of the old certainties - the collapse of socialism and a secure notion of Scottish national identity.

These writers are all coming from places which we haven’t seen before in “Scot Lit”, be they queer, Asian, Jewish, consumerist youth, or even just middle-class.

All of these writers are pushing against the old orthodoxy and hegemony of the Scottish author as chronicler of white working class culture. That position has become “prolier than thou” and is an impasse.

Alan Bissett & Ewan Morrison Charlotte Square 17 Aug 2009 8.30pm £9

Book festival highlights

comics at the book festival

They saw A recession coming

Frank Skinner

Gillian Tett

23 Aug, 9:30pm

The TV star, football fan and Samuel Johnson expert (really) will be discussing On The Road, his latest memoir which deals with life as a stand-up comic.

Dave Gorman

17 Aug, 12:30pm The FT’s Credit Crunch Cassandra was named British Journalist of the Year for uncovering the economic time-bomb ticking in global credit markets.

Vince Cable

The award-winning comic and author will be discussing his new book, America Unchained: A Freewheeling Road Trip in Search of Non-Corporate USA.

24 Aug, 8pm Gordon Brown criticised him years ago for warning of a recession, but since his prediction has been born out, Cable has become Britain’s most sought-after economic commentator.

Ben Moor

John Gray

16 Aug, 8:00pm

17 Aug, 5:00pm

The actor and fringe regular has recently published More Trees to Climb, a collection of three stories from his one man show.

www.festmag.co.uk

24 AUG, 7pm The man Will Self has called our “most important living philosopher” has been warning of the instability of unfettered economic liberalism for years.

XX St John’s Church, 30 Aug, 3:30pm

The Moth

US poet and crime writer George Dawes Green founded The Moth twelve years ago to fill a gap in New York’s literary scene: he wanted to offer a space for people to go and tell stories in a friendly atmosphere. After the first event—held in his living room—the storytelling evenings quickly assumed the status of an institution. To date, The Moth has hosted 3,000 storytelling evenings, each of them a sellout, all the while maintaining its non-profit, for-the-love-of-the-game credentials.

As one would expect of any self-respecting super-cool literary group, the names of those appearing at the show’s first-ever European event are secret. But past authors to have taken to the Moth’s stage have included Garrison Keillor and Salman Rushdie – and considering all the performers and writers in town, you’re unlikely to be disappointed, and certain to be surprised. [Ed Ballard] XX The Moth: 22 Aug 7:00 PM XX George Dawes Green’s own event: 21 Aug, 8:30 PM

David Simon

For fans of The Wire—and after the ceaseless praise that’s rained on the edgy cop show in the last couple of years, that’s almost everyone who has a TV—there could be few bigger draws than its creator and lead scriptwriter, David Simon.

The Wire was largely based on Simon’s own experiences as a crime reporter in Baltimore, where the show is set – he’s even claimed that some characters from the show are drawn directly from life. But before The Wire was conceived. Simon penned a book, recently re-released, about what he discovered: Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets.

In it he attempted to answer the question, “are America’s inner cities unpoliceable?” Those familiar with his show’s tragic realism might guess Simon’s answer to his own question, but this remains a rare chance to hear the thoughts of an important artist who many think has expanded the possibilities of his medium. [Ed Ballard] XX Charlotte Square, 29 Aug, 8 PM

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festbooks

dry humour A reformed character since giving up the drink, the irascible Fringe fixture arthur smith can’t help but get nostalgic with Lyle Brennan

“i’m a man of several names,” says arthur Smith, a man whose taste for pseudonyms seems fitting for such a multifaceted performer. Born Brian in 1954, he has attempted to go by captain Wanker for the sake of annoying a performers’ union and, according to a long-running and intentionally tired joke, is known as daphne Fairfax to the people at the Streatham tax office. nonetheless, his trademark cockney growl, wit and presence have remained part of the furniture at edinburgh’s festival scene since his first performance here in 1977. although a stand-up comedian at heart, he has established himself as a sort of factotum of the entertainment world, having dipped his toe into everything from broadcasting to modern art pastiche to writing for the stage.

This year saw the self-confessed dilettante turn his hand to prose in My Name Is Daphne Fairfax, a memoir that darts and staggers its way across the first fifty years of a life fuelled by wild, booze-sodden capriciousness and the ever-present challenge of finding new ways to baffle and charm his audience. recounting his youth in Bermondsey, his first ventures into entertainment and countless strange nights at the Fringe, Smith takes to writing with the same energy, sincerity and prowess as he has done where any of his projects are concerned. “Words are my medium,” he says, and as a former student of literature and admirer of Shakespeare, T.S. eliot and Benjamin Zephaniah, he is more than comfortable in the role of storyteller. had you asked arthur Smith ten years ago, the prospect of him writing this book would have been out of the question. he remembers once saying, “if you ever catch me writing an autobiography, please shoot me,” but today, after an aborted attempt at writing a novel and

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“if an idea appeals to me hugely i will always do it whether anyone’s watching or not… well, i might have to have one person watching” a pivotal, near-fatal case of alcohol-induced pancreatitis in 2001, we find him in a more introspective mood. “i’d been ill and it felt like i’d arrived at the end of act two of my life”, he explains. “i think that once you get to 50 it’s not inappropriate to do a bit of looking back.” Speaking from the deserted smoking area of an outdoor swimming pool in his native South London, Smith has just performed at glastonbury and is drifting round the literary festival circuit in the run-up to bringing My Name Is Daphne Fairfax to what he fondly calls “the grandmother of them all,” edinburgh. With his past five decades now chronicled in print, act three, presumably, is in full swing. “it’s a slightly odd feeling – you feel like ‘oh well, that’s that bit of my life finished, then.’ done, dusted, i might have to just die now.” it’s a pessimistic, if o﬊and comment that might have been typical of Smith during the early 90s, when an unsuccessful foray into television dragged the famously dynamic comic into a slump of self-doubt and lethargy. he writes about this period with remarkable candour, reminding the reader that no matter how many times one hears the story of the outwardly vibrant performer privately struggling with depression, the impact abides. These days, however, a revitalised and resolutely teetotal Smith regards this milestone with excitement: “now i have a challenge to create something else, another bit of life that i can write another book about, maybe.”

What didn’t kill Smith has in many ways made him stronger. While the majority of the

debauched, bizarre and occasionally naked adventures described in the book were indeed inspired by drink—and though his days of excess have left him leading a quieter life, coping with diabetes—he has lost none of his appetite for the absurd and unexpected, and in fact now finds drunks “boring, by and large.” “i’ve always been a show-off,” he admits. “if an idea appeals to me hugely i will always do it whether anyone’s watching or not… well, i might have to have one person watching.”

Suffering from an uncharacteristically empty diary, this year he’s considering supplementing his single date at the edinburgh Book Festival with an impromptu comedy set “halfway up arthur’s Seat or something” (he urges any interested readers to contact him at me@ arthursmith.co.uk). it’s all part of a compulsion towards the unorthodox, a desire not just to entertain but also to surprise his audience.

“Well, it’s hard work being alive, isn’t it?

So if you can find one little spark that staves off the endless, encroaching death and the mundanity of everyday life then i’m all for it – spontaneity and a madness that struggles against the straitjacket of mortality.”

When Smith talks about comedy today, this fixation on the inevitable end is a recurring theme. For him, comedy holds a value beyond simple entertainment: “Laughter, for the brief period that it’s happening, is the antidote to death. and to me comedy—which brings people together, all making this weird noise—doesn’t seem to have any other equivalent. it is the attempt to laugh at mortality.”

Sheepishly apologising for “getting a bit metaphysical,” Smith turns his attention back to the more familiar ground of the Fringe. a true veteran, he has watched with regret as it evolved from a “shambolic, nonprofit, anti-institution” event to the more polished, lucrative, “official comedy festival” led by giants like Michael Mcintyre and the former object of Smith’s contempt, Jimmy carr. “i’ve changed my mind now. i love Jimmy carr. he’s a marvellous human being and he’s full of poetry,” sneers Smith. “no, he is a nice chap. i just wish he wouldn’t do the kind of stuff that gets him signed up with the BnP and what not.” grumbling aside, he remains confident in the survival of the more idealised, alternative side of the Fringe of which he has been a part for decades. it was this conviction that in 2007 earned him Spirit of the Fringe award for his send-up of pretentious, conceptual art, the massively popular Arturart. he still describes himself as “a bit of a Jack-the-lad,” an “ageing roué” whose stage persona has now been remodelled to that of the reformed drunk who, he says, can “almost be drunk on stage without having a drink.” and yet, as chaotic as Smith’s life has proved, and whatever peculiar alleys he may take in this post-Fairfax chapter, he insists that stand-up is still the backbone of his career. “you can always go back to it. you might become unfashionable in the media, you might become clapped-out in other areas but i think i could always do 20 minutes in the pub.” charlotte square, 21 aug, 8.00pm, sold out

www.festmag.co.uk

, Shi s Electric festmusic

Arkadiusz Goniwiecha

Enter Shikari are the band that nobody can pin down, seemingly evading both description and record companies. But behind the myths, Gillian Loney finds band members who just want a cup of tea and some appreciation

Waiting for Enter Shikari in a hotel lobby after being given the run-around by their manager, I strike up conversation with the receptionist. She has, it transpires, already met the band – without actually recognising them. The revelation prompts a shriek and a story about a friend who gained a black eye and lost a tooth at one of their gigs. So far, so rock and roll.

It’s not long after bassist Chris Batten and drummer Rob Rolfe appear, however, that this hardcore image takes a thorough battering. Settling down to a cup of tea, Batten reveals his love for a brew: “I get really pissed off when we go to other parts of Europe or to America and they only have shitty Lipton tea – it really frustrates me.”

Fortunately, Rolfe, with one half of his head shaved, manages a little better. He holds off deflating my wild-child expectations for a good minute – right up until the moment I notice the stick man tattoo on his left arm. He’s clearly happy I asked: “Do you like it? It is a birthmark. His name’s Harold.

For years now I’ve been drawing him on with biro, but I thought he should be his own person, so now he’s there forever and I

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“We’ve been touring since we started and sure, we play the same songs every night, but every venue, audience and gig is different” can’t get rid of him. Let’s hope he doesn’t get a drug habit!”

Decorated skin pigmentation aside, Enter Shikari came to prominence in 2007 with debut album Take to the Skies. Their fusion of genres captured the attention of the music media and they were soon hailed as “the next big thing,” with newcomer accolades and awards in tow. But despite the oft-rehearsed transitoriness of early hype, Batten seems distinctly optimistic.

“I certainly don’t think we’ve come to the height of our career yet,” he says. “It’s still building – and the buzz thing that went on when we first started being noticed by the press was weird, because we’d been around for years before that anyway.”

Enter Shikari do have something of a defence against becoming yesterday’s hippest rock stars – namely that those who would consign them to the music press chip

papers haven’t yet worked out whether they are, indeed, rock stars. Or pop stars; or electro kids, for that matter.

“The media often try to lock us into a genre,” explains Rolfe. “They hate it when they can’t label a band so they make up stupid names like ‘Nintendo new rave’.”

“That was always the way with us in the early days,” adds Batten. “A lot of people just didn’t get it at all. We had a mate who used to call it ‘electrock’ - that was pretty bad.”

Indeed, because few record labels were scrambling to sign such an ill-defined—or indefinable—act at the time, the band opted to release their first album themselves.

Quite a step up, then, is their new deal with Atlantic, in which the foursome have found themselves in a position to negotiate their own terms. “We’ve managed to wheel our way through a major label system without actually signing our lives away,” boasts Rolfe, “which is pretty funky. It’s a weight off our shoulders; but at the same time we get to be the independent band we were.”

And it would appear that their unconventional route to fame has served them well, smoothing out a fairly pleasant path towards solid reviews from both fans and critics: “We never really felt any pressure,” muses Rolfe. “Not from a label, because we didn’t have one, and never from the fans because they’ve always been on our side.”

Of course, that’s not to say the journey has been entirely plain sailing. It’s rumoured that the new album, Common Dreads, was recorded in the less-than salubrious setting of a garden shed. “It’s not exactly a shed!”

Rolfe protests. “It’s a rehearsal studio built in Chris’s dad’s back garden.”

Batten interjects: “Funnily enough I got an email yesterday – my dad forwarded it on to me from Best Sheds or something like that. They’ve got a website and they wanted to put it up there. But it’s not a shed!”

Lacking a subscription to the aforementioned publication, I’m unable to verify this.

Perhaps easier to confirm, though, are the scores of positive reviews Enter Shikari have been receiving for their energetic live shows. “It’s what we do, it’s what we love and it’s what we’ve grown up doing,” says Rolfe. “We’ve been touring since we started and sure, we play the same songs every night, but every venue, audience and gig is different. We’ve never played the same show twice.”

It’s this enthusiasm for live performance that the four look set to bring to Edinburgh’s HMV Picture House this August. Indeed, it’s not the size of the venue that’s worrying the pair, but the seating arrangements.

“Balconies are always really annoying,” complains Rolfe, “because everyone sits down at the top. There’s no sitting down at our gigs!”

“I’m sure we’ll enjoy it though. We do every time we come to Scotland.” Provided, one suspects, that there’s a nice cuppa waiting backstage.

HMV Picturehouse, August 27th

www.festmag.co.uk

festmusic not to be missed...

safe bets

the streets

mAgAZine

hMV PicTurehouSe, aug 30

it’s now seven years since Mike Skinner released Original Pirate Material – perhaps the one album spawned from the garage explosion at the turn of the century that still sounds fresh and exciting today.

The Brixton-based Brummie has since released three more albums—all featuring his unique brand of social commentary, good humour and homemade beats—but none quite matching the sheer inventiveness and sharp patter of his debut. despite this, Skinner has remained hugely popular, and is firmly established as one of the genuine stars of the uK alternative music scene. not for much longer, however.

Skinner has publicly declared he is “sick fed up” of The Streets’, and intends to make his next album his last.

So if you have yet to sample The Streets live experience, now is definitely the time. always an entertaining and engaging performer, Skinner usually reserves his best for Scottish shows. [chris Mccall]

of all the endless band reformations that have taken place recently, none has been as welcome, or as deserved, as Magazine’s. The Manchester post-punkers, fronted by the enigmatic howard devotto, were never appreciated as much as they should have been, but their return should prove why everyone from radiohead to Simple Minds owes these guys a considerable debt of gratitude.

mr ScrUFF

MceWan haLL, aug 29

one of the best known and most loved dJs around; Mr Scruff hits edinburgh for one night only for what promises to be a fantastic night of turntable tomfoolery at the Mcewan hall. expect a thoroughly eclectic mix of tunes, and at least a five-hour set.

hmv picturehouse, august 15th

broKen records The story of edinburgh’s Broken records is already becoming well worn; but for those still unfamiliar with the band, here are the basics.

There are seven of them. They use a variety of instruments—accordion, cello, fiddle, etc—which has inevitably left them labelled the “Scottish arcade Fire”. after a couple of years endlessly gigging, and winning an army of fans in the process, the band finally signed to the established indie label 4ad, releasing debut album Until the Earth Begins to Part in June.

www.festmag.co.uk

dAVid byrne

edinBurgh PLayhouSe, aug 8

despite the obvious quality of the songs, some critics have complained that the album fails to capture the intensity of the band’s live shows. But in fairness, there is no recording studio in the land that could fully capture the Broken records live sound. These guys

are at their best on the stage. Their homecoming show at the atmospheric Queen’s hall promises to be one of the musical highlights of the festival. [chris Mccall] queen’s hall, august 17th

Still best known as the frontman of the hugely influential Talking heads, david Byrne’s subsequent solo career has been less successful – but every bit as adventurous. Fresh from releasing a new album with Brian eno, their first collaboration in over 30 years, Byrne will be worth checking out on his visit to the Picturehouse. [chris Mccall]

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festmusic

Miserly or misunderstood?

Malcolm Middleton is a major figure in Scottish music, after his time in Arab Strap and a well-respected solo career. But he’s still reluctant to crack a smile, writes Fergus Weir

Malcolm Middleton is known for two things: being one half of the semi-legendary anti-folk outfit Arab Strap, and being a Falkirk-bred purveyor of downbeat indie rock in general. When performing either of these roles, he is consistently labelled as miserable. Surely, though, there’s more to the musician than unflappable grumpiness?

And so, with a new album on the shelves and a planned performance date during the Edinburgh festival, I set out to see whether he’s ready to sneak a smile.

Waxing Gibbous is Middleton’s fifth solo effort. It marks a return to the sound of his third offering, A Brighter Beat – the album which, in 2007, saw him receive critical and commercial attention close to that which he enjoyed with his former band, Arab Strap.

By contrast, album number four, Sleight of Heart, was an altogether more low key, but nonetheless beautiful, acoustic effort. Was this change of sound something deliberate?

“No; it’s just a progression I think,” says Middleton. “A Brighter Beat was just me trying to make a big indie, pop album. And Sleight Of Heart was me doing the opposite because I was sick of that, and wanting to make a quiet acoustic record. I like taking quiet acoustic songs and building them into something bigger. I guess that’s just what I’ve done again [in Waxing Gibbous].”

Indeed, Gibbous’ tracks are certainly big, with the majority of the songs clocking in way over five minutes. The drum machine and electronic beats so often heard in Arab Strap’s work returns, and the record features snippets of Middleton playing slap bass, call-and-response vocals with the Fence Records founders King Creosote and the Pictish Trail and even, would you believe, an instance of rapping. “I think for the new album I was listening to a lot of early Madonna records and 80s pop,” he muses. “I’ve not made an 80s pop album, but it’s definitely an influence there.”

If not 80s pop, then how about 70s rock? He has, in the past, gone as far as to describe lead single and opening track ‘Red Travellin’ Socks’ as his ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. He reverts, however, to a typically modest assessment of it when I press him. “That’s just because the song’s too long.

It’s got far too many parts.”

“If you look at most of the history of pop and rock music, right, it’s all about people having a bad time. It’s not all sweetness and light, so I don’t know why I get singled out” 58 fest edinburgh festival preview guide 2009

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festmusic Unimpressed, perhaps, with his own move into musical extravagances—be they the 70s or 80s flavour—this will be Middleton’s last solo album for the foreseeable future: “I’m not taking a break,” he stresses.

“It’s just I’m not going to do any Malcolm Middleton records; it’s been the same subject matter for a good few years, and I’m kind of sick of writing about every little thought I have, and trying to turn it into a song. So I’m just going to try and do different instrumental projects, try and start a new band, do collaborations and stuff.”

Could these collaborations involve the aforementioned Fence Records chaps perhaps? “I’m not sure, I mean nothing’s been said. I’d love to work with King Creosote in future but who knows.”

But before that exciting could-be comes the much more real prospect of Middleton at the Edge festival this summer. It’s odd to picture the troubadour flaunting it amongst Edinburgh’s August collection of luvvies and extroverts. Fans probably couldn’t imagine Malcolm sitting through an interpretive dance production. “I really wish that I did go to more things,” he laments. “I’ve been through a few times occasionally over the years, but it’s not something that’s a big thing in my calendar. But that’s just because I’m quite agoraphobic. I should definitely try to get out, see more of the comedy. It might cheer me up.”

And there’s the rub. The latter comment reflects an air of melancholy that has dogged Middleton, with critics consistently designating him as miserable, or bracketing his lyrics as downbeat. Surely this gets to the man, maybe even affecting the way he approaches his albums?

“It doesn’t bother me; I just think it’s quite lazy. I mean if you look at most of the history of pop and rock music right back to blues and stuff it’s all about people having a bad time. It’s not all sweetness and light, so I don’t know why I get singled out for singing about my condition and my experiences and stuff.

“It’s obvious if you do a low tempo song or sing about a certain thing you’re going to get tagged. So I don’t’ mind it at all; I’m used to it. I suppose it’s maybe one of the things that’s making me want to do something different for a while, just to get away from my own tags and pigeonholes.”

Well, it’s a fair enough reason, isn’t it?

The man clearly has a lot to give, and whatever his next project, it’s sure to be exciting.

Middleton will be performing with his full band at the Edge gig, which he describes as “a totally different dynamic,” and which promises to be “quite loud”. It’s no ear-to-ear grin – but it’ll do.

Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival The Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival returns this year with a strong line-up and performances across nineteen venues, including The Signet Library and Rosslyn Chapel. Traditionally committed to quality and innovation, the festival will be hosting performances from both the Scottish and international jazz milieux, with a strong emphasis on creativity and in true independent spirit.

The Edinburgh Jazz Festival Orchestra, a new initiative, will feature some of the most talented local jazz musicians, among them saxophonist Joe Temperley, and pianist Dave Milligan with his appealing jazz/folk idiom. Over the course of ten days, jazzophiles will also have the opportunity to witness sessions by prominent international acts including Makoto Ozone and No Name Horses, KBB Band, Jeremy Monteiro, and Carl Majeau.

The twice Grammy-winning trumpeter Roy Hargrove is the festival’s cover star and one of its many highlights. Veteran New Yorker Dick Hyman’s blend of jazz and modern classical is not to be missed, while the pianists Enrico Pieranunzi and Jacques Loussier promise evenings of musical passion and subtlety.

The blues side of the musical spectrum will be represented by Scots Jack Bruce and Maggie Bell, among others. Finally, the two main outdoor events—Jazz on a Summer’s Day, in Princes Street Gardens, and the Mardi Gras street party in the Grassmarket—come highly recommended, as does the special tribute to legendary American trumpeter Chet Baker. [Chris McCall] XX 31Jul–9Aug www.edinburghjazzfestival.co.uk

Cabaret Voltaire, 27 August

Cabaret Voltaire is the hub of late night entertainment in the Capital.

Open 7 nights a week; it’s a thriving, 3-roomed venue that hosts some of the best-known club events in the Capital. It caters for all genres of underground music, inc. the Utah Saints award-winning club Sugarbeat and the East Coast home of Glasgow’s legendary Optimo. You’ll also find hugely popular free entry weekly Tuesday drum n bass night, Split and Indie/Electro free entry Thursdays - Sick Note. Book a booth in the Speakeasy, Cabaret Voltaires’ exclusive private area which is both sumptuous and sexy, for VIP service and cocktails at no extra charge.

Cabaret Voltaire is also regarded as the premiere Edinburgh venue to visit to see the finest in emerging live music talent. Currently presenting around 30 gigs a month, it stages performances by a wide array of local bands, nationally known artists and international breaking acts.

The venue is dripping in atmosphere and boasts a killer sound system, making it a favourite and memorable stop amongst up and coming touring acts.

“Edinburgh’s most forward thinking venue” The List.

www.festmag.co.uk

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festmusic

Blessed are the angels Camille O’ Sullivan is one of the stars of the Festival, and her incredible live shows are now propelling her to national attention. Chris McCall discovers why this Dark Angel has been flying so high The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Camille O’ Sullivan, the Irish-French chanteuse and stand-out star of last year’s Festival, was reminded of this fact when about to make her TV debut on Later with Jools Holland last year.

“Before the show I was scared,” says O’Sullivan when we meet at a stylish hotel on Glasgow’s waterfront. “But then the boys in my band made me laugh. They pointed out that Tom Jones was singing the first song he’s ever written in his life on live TV, and that Snow Patrol had probably spent a few million pounds on their album, and their record company are going to have a breakdown if it didn’t do ok, so I should put things in perspective.”

She needn’t have worried. O’Sullivan’s performance was superb, the work of a true perfectionist. Today she is enjoying a rare day off, but still looks like a film star from a more glamorous era; dressed in a vintage dress with a leopard skin jacket, her eyes sparkle as she talks excitedly about her show, and, of course, herself. O’Sullivan lays herself bare on stage – without her honesty and passion, the show wouldn’t work.

The Jools Holland appearance was the peak of a year that was hugely successful for the Cork-born performer. Her show, The Dark Angel, in which she thrillingly re-invents songs from the likes of Nick Cave, Tom Waits and Jacques Brel, was one of the outstanding success stories of last year’s festival, winning numerous five-star reviews. O’Sullivan has since completed her largest ever national tour and appeared on the cover of Time Out magazine, and is now set to return to Edinburgh to play a series of shows at Assembly Hall on the Mound. But despite this success, O’Sullivan remains modest about her achievements, and plays down any talk of being a star with her customary self-deprecating wit.

“I consider myself a walking disaster who is still hanging in there!” she laughs. “I do think something is happening though, people are beginning to cotton on.”

Her modesty perhaps stems from the amount of hard work she has had to put in to get this far. O’Sullivan is not a trained singer; instead she qualified as an architect, only becoming a professional singer later in life.

Her sister told her she was mad to turn her back on such a steady career. But O’Sullivan was determined. She started singing in cafes and worked her way up. To this day, she still largely runs her own affairs. She updates her own website, she designs her own posters.

She has no formal manager.

“I’ve had offers from people before,” she says. “But you have to be pretty tough. I’m

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“I consider myself a walking disaster who is still hanging in there! I do think something is happening though, people are beginning to cotton on”

www.festmag.co.uk

festmusic Music previews

Edwyn Collins If there were any sort of civic pride amongst Scotland’s music community, a statue of Edywn Collins would stand proud in every town. His first band, Orange Juice, was the definitive indie-pop outfit, years before The Smiths and decades before Belle & Sebastian. They blazed a trail for introspective lyrics and chiming guitars long before it was remotely cool to do so. Collins went on to enjoy a largely successful solo career— peaking with the million-selling single ‘A Girl Like You’—and was still regularly producing music until tragically being struck down by a brain haemorrhage in 2005.

The road to recovery has been gradual, but with the aid of his family and the will of his loyal fans, Collins has since returned to live performance. These shows at the Queen’s Hall promise an emotional but ultimately uplifting experience. [Chris McCall] XX Assembly @ Assembly Hall 20–22 Aug

Young Fathers & Unicorn Kid “Scottish hip-hop? They compare it to Australian jazz or something,” so says Ally Massaqui, who makes up one-third of the Edinburgh rap group Young Fathers. It’s alarming that in the 21st century people still blindly associate certain types of music with certain places, but Young Fathers are too busy making cracking tunes in the mould of De La Soul to care. ‘Straight Back On It’, their debut single, is one of the songs of the year.Unicorn Kid is another Edinburgh act that is attracting national attention. The work of 17 year old Oli Sabin, he’s already completed a US and UK tour, and has been hailed as an “astonishing artist” by Radio 1’s Huw Stephens. He was even recently invited to remix the new single by electronic gods the Pet Shop Boys. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a gig for those who like to see the stars of tomorrow today. [Chris McCall]

“I think people can get quite nervous, the people who are shy; you can see they don’t know how to take me.” pretty bad at that. My sister shouts at me down the phone, ‘you can’t accept this!’ and I say ‘but I’m scared!’ My crazy little mind is all about the creativity. My obsession is to make the show really good.”

This is of course her real talent.

O’Sullivan’s engaging performance style and the choice of songs she sings have won her much critical acclaim. Playful and sexy one moment, then achingly melancholy the next, the songs she performs during The Dark Angel are not what you might expect from a performer who is clearly enthralled by the nightclubs of Weimar Germany and the works of Brel and Brecht.

“I think it’s a mixture of a love of old German cabaret and a love of rock and all types of music,” she explains. “They very much form a link. I’m someone who loves life; I love humour and I love having a laugh.

But the Nick Cave stuff, I could just swim in that forever given the chance. I think it’s the melancholy, I get a lot of comfort from it.”

O’Sullivan’s show has gradually evolved over time – she wasn’t always as playful on stage. “What’s happened over the years, my band said: ‘Camille, the rehearsals are a really good laugh; don’t deny that side of yourself on stage.’ So I’ve been doing it.”

But despite the fun, it is important to understand that while O’ Sullivan might leave you chuckling one moment, she can easily break your heart the next. It’s all part of her well thought out plan to leave the audience eating out of her hands: “I like the rolling around on the ground and laughing at

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XX Cabaret Voltaire, 15 Aug

Take a chance...

Amanda Palmer

HMV Picture House, 22 Aug

yourself. It also helps when you sing something quite emotional, it releases people. The audience can laugh at themselves too. I think people can get quite nervous at the show, the people who are shy; you can see they don’t know how to take me.”

“I think that’s why I maybe use very unusual songs at the beginning, like Brel’s ‘My Death’. In a way it’s like putting the audience at arms length, telling them ‘don’t make a decision on me yet.’”

She pauses and suddenly flashes me a grave look. “I’m game for a laugh but I’m very serious about what I do.” Just before I have a chance to respond, she erupts into laughter once more. It’s the two sides of O’Sullivan in a nutshell. Laughter and jokes one moment, melancholy and tears the next. Truly, a Dark Angel.

Formerly the lead singer, pianist, lyricist and composer for the “Brechtian punk cabaret” duo the Dresden Dolls, Amanda Palmer is now touring under her own name, promoting her Ben Folds-produced LP, Who Killed Amanda Palmer. If you’re searching for a performer a little different from the jeans ‘n’ t-shirted indie brigade, then Palmer’s burlesque dress sense and full-on approach should leave you more than satisfied.

Rachel Sage

City Nightclub, Aug 7–11

New York singer/songwriter Rachael Sage has been writing striking melodic pop songs since she was a child. Dubbed “Kate Bush meets Elton John”, Sage is already well established on the East Coast of America, and will be hoping to add the East Coast of Scotland to her growing list of conquests.

On her Fringe debut, Sage’s show promises to be both an aural and visual delight.

The Really Terrible Orchestra Canongate Kirk, 30 Aug

Don’t let the name put you off. The Really Terrible Orchestra are actually terribly good. Made up of enthusiastic amateurs rather than clean-cut professionals—including the author Alexander McCall Smith—the RTO recently triumphed in New York on their US debut, and have won five star reviews across the UK. A refreshing alternative to the usual staid orchestras, the RTO guarantee fun for all the family.

Assembly @ Assembly Hall 6-31 August,10pm

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Artistic licence Scottish painter Rabiya Choudhry is redefining the concept of ‘performance art’, Ruth Dawkins discovers “I find the Scottish art scene really dull,” proclaims Rabiya Choudhry. “With the exception of Graham Domke at Dundee Contemporary Arts, I really can’t think of anyone working in Scotland who inspires me. It’s grey here. It’s contrived. It’s comatose. Don’t get me wrong, this is home and I love Edinburgh. But the art scene here is grim. We need a good kick up the arse.”

Fortunately, it sounds as though Diaspora—the Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) show that Choudhry is involved with—is anything but dull. Written and directed by Ong Keng Sen and featuring, among others, the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, Diaspora layers music, video and live storytelling to explore issues of identity and migration. Previous performances of Diaspora have employed personal stories from Vietnamese Americans, Indonesian Chinese and Orang Laut sea nomads of Malaysia. The Edinburgh version uses video art and a live painting performance to explore visual artist Choudhry’s personal story of diaspora.

“It was quite random really,” she says. “I got an email last year asking if I’d like to meet Ong Keng Sen. He’d seen my work in a magazine, and happened to be looking for artists to get involved in the project. Originally I was only going to be involved as a video artist—he hadn’t been planning on using me on the stage at all—but that part of the collaboration just came out of our meetings. It was all quite organic.”

Choudhry is known for her distinctive style of brightly coloured paintings that

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fall somewhere around the intersection of fantasy, psychedelia and graffiti. The Scotsman described her as “one of the wildest and most distinctive young painters to come out of a Scottish art school,” and she was recently commissioned to paint a mural on the exterior wall of DCA as part of the Altered States of Paint exhibition. The resulting work, entitled Rhabdomancy, was a bold maelstrom of pink and gold.

Despite several recent award nominations for her painting—including the British Beck’s Futures prize—Choudhry has expressed her desire to move into other artforms, and Disapora provided a welcome opportunity to do so.

“As an artist, I’ve felt unhappy just knocking out paintings. That one medium was becoming a noose. So it has been amazing working on this project, using video, using sound. It creates a much richer tapestry of work, which I think is what all artists are aiming for.”

Working on Diaspora with Ong Keng Sen has also provided Choudhry with something of a confidence boost. Despite her bold style, critics have often complained that her work emanates “self-doubt”. According to Choudhry, that doubt is now less about her own ability and more to do with her place in the art world.

“There’s a lot of doubt in my head, because I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing in the art world. I feel that I don’t fit into it, and I don’t know if I want to share my life with it.

Ong Keng Sen has been an angel though. He has made me realise that I’m not bad at what I

“Kids are my best audience. there’s so much bollocks in the art world. With kids you know their interest is genuine and honest"

do, and made me think that I should carry on doing it.”

As part of the EIF education and outreach programme, Choudhry spent April and May working with pupils at Preston Street Primary School. Her work there culminated in a mural, inspired by and including work by the children, which will remain permanently in their playground. She says that the experience provided a refreshing change from spending every day in the studio.

“Kids are my best audience. They just get it. It’s touching how honest they are, because there’s so much bollocks in the art world. With kids you know their interest is genuine and honest. They weren’t afraid to say ‘What the hell is that?’ or tell me if I’d missed a bit. It was a wee bit like being back at art school with mini-people.”

It was teachers at her primary school who initally fired up Choudhry’s passion for art at a young age, but she also cites her family and background as crucial influences.

“My family were really the starting point, and a lot of my early paintings were about them. I still have an uncle and auntie in Pakistan, and I’ve been looking at a lot of family photos while working on Diaspora. Apparently our ancestral home still exists, so I’d love to go there and visit. The Asian identity is part of my genetic make up, it’s something inside that’s different, and if you’re in that position then it does come through in your work.”

However, musing on such themes for this project has not been an entirely nostalgic process for Choudhry: “It’s a mad world just now. Things like the election of the BNP members to the European Parliament, it makes me feel really sick. Things that used to be distant fears are now a reality. It has been great for me to visit the past in the work I’ve done for Diaspora, but now I almost feel like I need to get myself armed for what’s to come.”

Diaspora The Edinburgh Playhouse 15 & 16 Aug, 8.00pm, £8-30

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Connect with Connect withFestival the online inonline 2009 in 2009 Festival Video and audio clips eif.co.uk/multimedia Browse our Brochure eif.co.uk/brochure Festival Insider Blog eif.co.uk/blog Follow the Festival eif.co.uk/twitter Become a Fan eif.co.uk/facebook

Tickets and brochure 0131 473 2000 eif.co.uk Half price tickets from 5 August for students, under 18s, senior citizens, unemployed, Young Scot, Equity and MU card holders

Supported by City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Arts Council. Scottish charity (SC004694).

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21 century boy st

Jonathan mills is not a man who waits to be asked his opinion. We have barely sat down before he has assessed (unprompted) the impact of the 2008 economic crisis on the international Festival. “i think there’s been so much doom and gloom in the press that people think they’re like chicken Little asking ‘has the sky fallen in?’ it doesn’t work like that,” he says firmly. “it’s not that i think we will be completely unaffected, but we haven’t felt those effects particularly. and if we end up not feeling those effects then the only reasonable, rational reason i can give is that people are not prepared to let these bastards [international financiers and bankers] rule their lives. and so there’s a level of defiance, people are saying: ‘i’m going to still believe in the power of art to transform and move me.’”

Such an impassioned tirade against both lazy, doom-mongering journalism and the disgraced “masters of the universe” who created the mess in the first place sits at odds with the round glasses and neatly parted hair that define Mills’ professorial appearance. at the very least, it is a million miles away from the stuffy, elitist image of the international Festival, which persists in some quarters – much to Mills’ annoyance. certainly, the fact that the eiF is an invitation-only event, in contrast to the ‘all acts welcome’ policy of the Fringe, lends an air of exclusivity to the so-called “official” festival. This hasn’t been helped by either the sheer size of the Fringe or its humble origins: the Fringe was, after all, set up by a group of acts who were turned away by the international Festival in 1947.

But since Mills took over the reigns as eiF director three years ago, there has been a concerted effort to dispel some people’s perceptions of the international Festival as inaccessible, overly highbrow or elitist. Such has been the transformation already that much of the most cutting-edge, radical work in edinburgh is to be found at Mills’ venues.

“We’re now doing things that reach out to audiences from the Fringe. Like last year, we did a lot of crazy alternative theatre, and the year before we had alan cumming in The Bacchae; the ultimate Fringe show that the Fringe could never afford.” his response when i ask if this is a deliber-

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MarkHamilton

Jonathan mills, the director of the International Festival, tells Ben Judge of his determination to shed the EIF’s “fuddy-duddy” image

“yeah, faust’s a piece of classical theatre, but it’s a piece of classical theatre brought to life by a bunch of incredibly sexy young romanians” ate attempt to attract what would often be called a “Fringe audience” is frank: “yes, of course. i consider the number of people that the Fringe attracts to edinburgh and i want a bunch of those people to think about us.”

Pointing out of his office window towards the open-plan area in which the eiF staff are beavering away—decked out in soft-furnishings and primary colours and comparing favourably with any trendy Silicon Valley workplace—he observes: “if you look at the average age of this group it’s not older than the Fringe. This is as young an organisation as the Fringe is. We’re not a bunch of 60-year-old fuddy-duddies.” he’s not lying. There’s barely a single face that looks a day over 35. as if pre-empting accusations of dumbing-down, he continues: “if your ambition in coming to edinburgh in august is to be genuinely challenged by creative experience, then you’ll look at the Festival as much as the

Fringe. if your ambition in coming to edinburgh during august is some form of mating ritual, to get a bird drunk in a beer-garden and perhaps take in a show to show how cool you are, then that’s a different matter entirely. i’m sorry, i can’t help you.” it’s this passion for the transformative, mind-expanding and life-affirming capacity of performance art that seems to be Mills’ motivation for expanding the horizons of the eiF, as opposed to any hint of cynical money grabbing. When he talks about the forthcoming production of Faust by Silviu Purcarete, he is practically giddy with child-like excitement.

“There’s 120 people on stage. it’s like a rave party with pyrotechnics. For those who go and see it, it’s a kind of real-installation theatre piece. We had to put it out at the airport because that’s the only place that could house it. it’s the only place in edinburgh big enough. yeah, it’s a piece of classical theatre, but it’s a piece of classical theatre brought to life by a bunch of incredibly sexy young romanian performers. The woman who plays Mephistopheles, the devil, i mean… like…she’s a force of nature.” and in terms of sheer passion, so too, it would seem, is Mills.

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Renaissance man Founder and conductor of the highest-grossing choral group of the modern age, Harry Christophers tells Chris Williams the secrets of his success Conductor Harry Christophers admits a certain amount of precociousness in the founding of his own Renaissance and Baroque choral group at the tender age of 25.

That was 30 years ago and today The Sixteen—commercially, the most successful choir of its type currently performing—enjoy an international reputation for expressive and insightful interpretations of both sacred and secular choral works from the sixteenth century to the twenty-first.

While they’re regularly at Edinburgh’s Greyfriars Church on their annual Choral Pilgrimage tour, 2009 represents a debut for the ensemble at the Edinburgh International Festival. Stepping out of a heavy rehearsal schedule for our brief chat, Christophers sounds excited by the prospect: “It’s such a lovely departure because in the past there hasn’t been so much Baroque music on show at the festival. I think previous festival directors haven’t been quite so keen on period music and now we’re seeing a slight change in that. That’s the crazy thing about the music business; there’s certain places you never seem to appear at and then suddenly you’re there and you’re doing two concerts.”

The Sixteen’s trophy cabinet has been significantly weighed down in recent years, having seen the addition of a Grand Prix du Disque, numerous Schallplattenkritik—the German record industry’s most prestigious prize—a Gramophone Award and a Classical Brit. Christophers himself was recently nominated for a Grammy for his Ikon collection of sacred works largely of the Russian tradition.

Though the ensemble’s undeniable talent and expertise provide much of the answer, it can be difficult to comprehend what has led to such success in the performing of a genre of music that, until recently, has garnered little interest. Has the popularity of The Sixteen’s music shocked him? “I think if you’d asked me that question back in 2000 when we started our tours I would have said yes, I’d be very surprised if this took off. But actually, the fact that we bring this music to a wider audience, we record a lot, we make it a little bit more accessible—and thank goodness for people like Classic FM who do play our music and aren’t just churning out the adagio from a Mozart piano concerto yet again—means that the music can find a platform that it may not have had for so many years.”

Arguably the greatest reason for The Sixteen’s success came from a happy accident in 1999 when their record company, Collins

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“I think that to a lot of people who come to these concerts, the pieces sound modern because they're full of really extrovert and sometimes quite crazy musical ideas” Classics, went bust: “For us, I remember when that happened and I just felt like the bottom had fallen out of our existence. A substantial part of our budget had gone and you think, how the heck are we going to replace this? With concerts?” The inevitable happy ending means that Christophers doesn’t sound too bleak in relating this tale.

Continuing, he says, “We really had to look at it and think, well hang on, actually the classical record industry has only itself to blame for the mess it’s in, really. We, like every other group throughout the 80s and 90s, had rehearsed, done a concert and then recorded that programme before forgetting all about it and moving on to the next project. People like the Rolling Stones or Oasis or whoever, they record an album and then they go and tour it. It’s pretty obvious, really.”

In a move that was to prove revolutionary for the classical world, Christophers acquired The Sixteen’s back catalogue from Collins before establishing his own record label, Coro.

“It was a major risk and a big undertaking.

People said we were stark raving mad but, quite frankly, it was the best thing we ever did.”

Recording a group of works before taking that programme to cathedrals across the UK on their Choral Pilgrimage tour has won the ensemble a legion of loyal fans while similar choirs have looked on with envy. After nine years on the road now, touring is still clearly something that Christophers is passionate about: “It’s about bringing this music to the right venue. When we do our tours, we go to the great cathedrals and bring the music of the Church back to these fantastic venues.”

But it is primarily the music that drives the conductor to keep performing. Having first fallen in love with the Renaissance when studying under experts in sixteenth century music at Oxford University, the works of Byrd, Palestrina, Monteverdi and Victoria still hold resonance for Christophers all these years on. “I’m very much someone

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“the classical record industry haD only itself to blame for the mess it was in, really“ who looks at the music of the sixteenth century like works of art really, not just the accompaniment to a sacred service – which of course they were in those days. Today we can look back at those composers as the great composers of their day. They were the Beethovens and the Mahlers of the sixteenth century. The fact that they had to write for the Church doesn’t mean that they were any less good. So it’s perfectly reasonable to look at that music again and start bringing it to a modern audience and bringing it into concert.”

This year’s performances by The Sixteen will see them moving forward from the Renaissance period by a century or so to perform a selection of Bach cantatas for the Bach at Greyfriars festival as well as a production of Purcell’s The Fairy-Queen, a restoration semi-opera based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Excitable as ever, Christophers enthuses about the music he will be performing with his choir and also The Sixteen’s very own period orchestra – surely one of the only orchestras to be born out of a choir rather than the other way round. “I think what’s fascinating for me—particularly with Bach and also with Purcell—is that to a

lot of people who come to these concerts, the pieces sound modern because they’re full of really extrovert and sometimes quite crazy musical ideas.

“We’re presenting two composers who really changed the face of music. Composers today look at Bach’s music and think that if they could dream up some of the orchestration and harmonies that Bach dared to they would feel pretty damn proud. But Bach was extraordinary in the way he wrote. One of the cantatas we’re performing, some of the harmonies, you have to look twice at to actually believe, did he really do this? And then you have to have faith that Bach knew exactly what he wanted, he knew exactly what he was writing and we have to make it work.”

As one of classical music’s biggest success stories, Christophers is inspirational for many young performers attempting to make their big break onto the scene. Does he have any advice? “It’s a difficult world,” he says. “I think the main thing is that you’ve got to enjoy what you’re doing. You don’t go into the arts to make your millions. Never attempt to copy somebody else. Have your own ideas and don’t be scared of doing something just because it might be crap. One of the first performances I did, looking back, was complete rubbish. But as long as you’ve got the courage to always think for yourself, always do what you believe in, that’s the best way.”

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East meets West

Chasing Dorris Dörrie across Europe, Evan Beswick discovers that the German film director comes well equipped with a keen sense of what makes opera tick

There is, it seems, something uniquely surreal about playing international phone tag with German film directors. Having called to find the artist away from home, I later receive a voicemail message: “Hi, Evan, this is Dorris Dörrie from Munich. I’m terribly sorry I was not in when you called. I got held up and I was late and, I’m just so sorry you missed me.

And, well, I promise to be home tomorrow!”

Duly returning the call, I do indeed get though to Dörrie the following evening: “Hi! I’m so sorry I missed you last night.” She pauses, somewhat guiltily. “In about two minutes I have to run off to the airport. I’m going to Spain! We’ll manage something.

Eventually,” she giggles. It’s a game that could feel a little frustrating were her unflappable chirpiness and mild scattiness not so endearing. Anyway, it’s hardly surprising she’s a bit busy: since 2000 Dörrie has directed 20 feature films, several documentaries, five operas, written 15 books and eight children’s books. She is currently writing the script for her next screenplay – which she intends to start shooting by the end of September.

Fortunately, we do eventually manage “something”, and a few days later I find myself speaking to Dörrie at far greater leisure as she relaxes in Spain. “I’m supposed to write this screenplay, but I cannot bring myself to start.” she admits. “I don’t dare tell you more about it because it’s so beautiful here! It’s 30 degrees in the shade and, well, it’s just lovely.” There’s a playful campness which, at the risk of sounding crass, sounds unusual in a German accent. Speaking of exchanging the Spanish sun for the bustle of Edinburgh in August, she continues: “I’m looking forward to some rain after all this sunshine!” It’s the first time I can recall being

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“What I like about Handel is it's almost like a screwdriver. He drills into the human psyche again and again and again with these little musical themes” teased by an interviewee.

“Rain, Dorris, I can guarantee you.”

“Terrific!” she hoots.

Dörrie will be risking the possibility of inclement weather to bring her production of Handel’s opera, Admeto, re di Tessaglia to Edinburgh. It’s an interesting production, not least because it’s the first staged version of the opera—which sees King Admeto’s wife, Alceste, rescued from Hades by Hercules only to find Admeto in love with another woman, Antigona—since 1754, reportedly making it the last of his own operas that Handel ever saw. Is this novelty what Dörrie found attractive about the piece?

“It’s because I like the story,” she says bluntly. “I like the story of the faithful wife

going to hell and then coming back and finding out that her beloved husband has fallen in love again already. And it gave me a chance to cooperate with one of my close artist friends, [Japanese Butoh dancer] Tadashi Endo, who appeared in my last movie.”

And there’s the second point of interest: quite unusually for rediscoveries and revivals, this production eschews period authenticity, opting instead to transpose librettist Nicola Haym’s Greek setting to the Samurai court of eighteenth century Japan.

The setting allows incorporation of the contemporary, highly-controlled Japanese dance form, Butoh. “[Endo Tadashi] is this fabulous, fabulous dancer, and he does a lot of ghost-like things with his Butoh, and Butoh is very much related to death and ghosts and the immaterial world. So I had this flash where I saw him being Alceste’s ghost, so when she comes back from hell she’s being followed by her spirit.”

It’s a clever touch, allowing for the relics of Alceste’s experience of death to remain visible until the end, undermining the format’s convention whereby unresolved moral dilemmas are swept under the operatic carpet. And it’s an upset which Dörrie seems to relish: “it’s just like our world – a very bourgeois world where everybody pretends that they are behaving, but we all know that that’s not true. In our version of Admeto, you can really see that everything is not OK, because the spirit is the one who survives at the very end, and everyone else becomes ghost-like.”

In reality, as is typical with much Baroque opera, the plot is far more labyrinthine than Dörrie seems to admit, involving numerous disguises, pictures and mistaken identities: “Yes, but our production is very clear,” she protests. “But that’s always my main purpose with these operas, to make them crystal clear so you really understand the story.”

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Rinaldo Landmarks surround this Bach opera: it was his first work prepared for the London stage; the first of his librettos written in Italian;and this concert performance will bring the first UK appearance of soprano Maki Mori, in the leading role of Almirena.

The production is conducted by the revered Masaaki Suzuki and backed by the musicians of the Bach Collegium, Japan.

Taking the other lead is Clint van der Linde, the South African counter-tenor whose experience with baroque music, and the work of Handel in particular, is extensive. He has to date appeared in several of the operas for the London Handel Festival, as well as a number of the passions and masses.

The opera is a dramatic tale of love, deception and magic set during the time of the crusades, and firmly deserves its place as part of the standard operatic repertoire. [Nick Garrard] It’s a refreshingly pragmatic approach, since it’s a ball opera directors can sometimes be accused of dropping.

She continues: “And then, of course, there’s the music as well. What I like about Handel is it’s almost like a screwdriver. He drills into the human psyche again and again and again with these little musical themes.”

Despite her apparently perceptive musical ear, Dörrie’s background is not as “an opera person,” she insists: “I’m a writer; I’m a movie director.” These days, however, this isn’t entirely true: she scooped a fairly helpful leg-up in 2000, receiving a phonecall from legendary conductor Daniel Barenboim with a request that she direct his production of Mozart’s Così Fan Tutte. “It was one of my lucky days,” she says, modestly. “He became my teacher, which was such a privilege.

And he kept telling me to just really trust my instincts, to trust my ear, because I don’t have much theory to fall back on.”

Barenboim, it must be said, isn’t a bad tutor to have, and it’s clear that he has provided Dörrie with a keen sense of how opera combines music and drama. Hardly surprising, then, that the director appears to have overcome what could prove to be a real disharmony between the production’s wildly contrasting components, matching Handel’s startling variation within tight musical forms to the emotionally repressed codes of the Samurai: “When you transfer to the Japanese court and have everyone behave in a very strict Samurai way, it makes perfect sense, because, like Baroque times, you have this very strict outer form and this very very wild and interesting inner world.”

And it’s this inner world that Dörrie seems intent on teasing out of her operatic work: “There’s always a lot of subtext in film, and I’d say the same is true in the opera. You can decide not to hear it or not to see it, but if you try and see it in another way, there’s just

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XX Usher Hall, 24 Aug, 7:00pm, £10–£35

The Flying Dutchman

Wagner’s opera appears at the festival in a new production, conducted by Simone Young—known to wider audiences as one of the judging panel on the BBC’s Maestro contest—and backed by the orchestra of the venerable Hamburg State Opera. Drawing inspiration from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Heinrich Hine’s The Memoirs of Mister von Schnabelewopski, it is a ghostly tale of devotion and damnation, often regarded as the first of Wagner’s mature works. Many of the composer’s subsequent ideas and motifs first appear in this work, and it’s further notable for his directive that it be performed without interval.

Singing the lead will be veteran German bass-baritone Franz Grundheber, whose connection with the Hamburg State Opera goes back over 40 years, and who was recently made an honorary member of the Opera – a title shared only with the great Plácido Domingo. [Nick Garrard] XX Usher Hall, 1 Sep, 7:30pm, £10–£39

as much subtext going on. Because everyone knew at the time that there were conventions that had to be fulfilled at the end of an opera, but that didn’t really mean that the message was being changed.

“Every one of us is basically a very wild, uncivilised animal,” she says, wryly. And she’s right. Politely enquiring whether she is going to have another stab at the screenplay this evening, I’m met with more shameless goading: “No, it’s back to the pool. I could torture you some more!”

In truth, I wouldn’t mind. Her approach to opera—“It’s got to be fun!”—seems to extend to a playful approach to most things. It makes for a thoroughly enjoyable interview. And it might just work for Handel, too.

Admeto, re di Tessaglia 28–31 August, 19:15 Edinburgh International Festival

Enlightenment Now

Hosted by Scotland’s largest free culture magazine, The Skinny, Enlightenment Now forms part of the EIF’s series of discussions on enlightenment thinking that will run throughout this year’s Festival. The talk will bring together a number of the brightest figures in Scottish creative culture, discussing the relationship between Edinburgh’s enlightenment tradition of liberal, analytical thinking and the most exciting trends in contemporary artistic practice.

The panel will consist of EIF director Jonathan Mills, Fiona Bradley—director of Edinburgh contemporary art gallery, the Fruitmarket—and Jackie Wylie, artistic director of the Arches space in Glasgow. With further speakers to be announced, this looks set to be a fascinating discussion on the state of Scotland’s creative industries and an excellent launch to the Festival month. [Bario Toole] XX Edinburgh Festival Theatre, 29 Jul, 18:30, Free Ticketed event; email enlightenment@theskinny.co.uk

edinburgh festival preview guide 2009 fest 69

eating

&drinking where are you? old town new town south central west central marchmont & morningside

old town ecco vino italian

19 Cockburn Street

££

a minute from the royal Mile, ecco Vino is a modern take on an italian trattoria. Serving from noon till late it’s a perfect option for in-between-show dining. From cheese and wine to a more substantial supper it’s great for a moment of continental contemplation amid the festival furore.

The large shared antipasto platter is a must, easy enough for a light dinner for two and perfect with a large glass of red. The homemade tiramisu is light and liquory in equal measure and even a plate of bread and oil is top notch. its small size means finding a seat may sometimes be a challenge, and the menu is limited. But if only italian will do, then this place is well worth the wait. [dS]

the witchery by the castle scottish Castle Hill

£££

almost as iconic as the castle next door, this restaurant has been serving exceptional Scottish cuisine since 1979.

The food includes Scotland’s finest

angus beef and rock oysters, and comes with an impressive wine list.

The experience is enhanced by the luxurious surroundings full of rich leather and dark wood, with the secret garden area especially recommended for its atmospheric setting. expect to pay upwards of £40 per person, but there are cheaper theatre and lunch menus available and a special three-course menu for £30 until the end of July. a landmark of edinburgh’s dining scene that should not be missed. [JW]

the window ready to be carved.

There’s also limited seating, with most customers buying a roll to take away.

Still, this is a must for true hog-roast fans. [JW]

the outsider scottish

£ = cheap ££ = not bad £££ = pricey

to edinburgh’s restaurant-goers – be prepared to book. otherwise, you’ll need queue to dine at one of the most popular venues in town. [rc]

petit paris french

38-40 Grassmarket

15-16 George IV Bridge

££

The outsider, known to edinburgh’s insiders as the too-cool-for-school brother of The apartment, has long been established as a dining hot spot during the Fringe. its spectacular backdrop onto the castle is complemented by a brooding interior that helps to attract its sophisticated clientele.

The food is just as extravagant in all but cost, with generous portions of fresh, perfectly cooked mains easily justifying the £10 price-tag. The minted-lamb kebabs are a favourite amongst visitors, as is the bright-pink beetroot coleslaw which accompanies them.

But despite the isolation its name suggests, the outsider is no stranger

easily identifiable by its al fresco check tables and the echo of enviable French accents, Petit Paris offers an authentic taste of France in the unlikely environs of the grassmarket.

Like true Parisians, patrons sip coffee and wine, eat the copious baskets of fresh baguettes and feast on truly spectacular food. Lunch-time deals are particularly reasonable, with hearty mains including pork with a mustard sauce or salmon and crayfish salad costing only £7.90. if you can manage, finish with a slice of rich chocolate torte and vanilla sauce – c’est magnifique! a diamond amongst the rough and rowdy grassmarket pubs, Petit Paris will stir an “ooh la la” from the most patriotic Scot. [rc]

££

▼ the witchery, Castle Hill

oink

roast pork 34 Victoria Street

£

Located in the grassmarket, oink offers delicious hog roast rolls without a wait – or indeed an arduous trudge up to the edinburgh Farmers Market, where they have been a fixture since 2001.

The rolls are filled to bursting point and served with a choice of stuffing and sauces, with crackling as an optional extra.

The generous portions provide a thoroughly satisfying lunch or snack.

There is also a small selection of drinks and snacks on offer.

Though the pork is sourced entirely from pigs reared locally on natural foodstuffs, it’s not for the fainthearted, with the roasted pig sitting in

70 fest edinburgh festival preview guide 2009

www.festmag.co.uk

festeating The Forest Café

Vegetarian and vegan 3 Bristo Place

£

The Forest Café is the undisputed headquarters for Edinburgh’s hippies and free-living types. The ambience is buzzing from live music and performances—whether planned or spontaneous—as well as the on-site art gallery.

The cuisine is comforting rather than complicated, with a mixture of ethnic dishes from falafel to nachos – but it’s tasty and the price is right. An ideal pick for visiting eco-warriors (everything is veggie or vegan, fair trade and prepared in a waste-aware kitchen), the café is run by a volunteer work-force and tips are expected. Its only drawback: those not dressed to save the planet may feel they’re in the wrong place. [RCris]

Tangs

Japanese 44 Candlemaker Row

▲ Tangs, 44 Candlemaker Row

Tangs Japanese restaurant is one of Edinburgh’s best-kept secrets, offering aesthetically pleasing and delicately delicious dishes at great prices.

Situated behind Greyfriars Bobby, Tangs offers credit-crunch-busting lunch deals without compromising on quality. The bento boxes are a must: if you can’t decide between teriyaki chicken and sushi, why not have both with the Ichian bento? Dessert fans, meanwhile, should check out the maccha crème brûlée. or the traditional red bean and sticky rice mochi. The staff are unfailingly courteous and friendly, and the décor—while some might call it sparse—lends itself to a zen atmosphere, and a welcome respite from the festival crowds.

[RCris]

Hanam’s

David Bann

3 Johnston Terrace & 13 Brougham Street

56-58 St. Mary’s Street

££

The Baked Potato Shop Vegetarian and vegan 56 Cockburn Street

£

A veggie and vegan haven just off the Royal Mile, where even meat-eaters will find a scrumptious and satisfying meal.

Choose between a small and medium potato with an amazing array of creative and diverse fillings, as well as all the classic ones for the traditionalist. The mountainous proportions might well fill you up before you reach the potato—not necessarily a bad thing—whilst the option of soup and salad acts as the perfect healthy fast-food pick.

The shop is welcoming, but there is only a minuscule eating area: cosy if it can be nabbed. There’s also a 10% discount for members of vegan or animal protection societies. [RCris]

www.festmag.co.uk

Kurdish and Middle Eastern ££

The Kurds live in between Iran, Iraq and Turkey – so think sprawling platters of kebabs, meze and saffron rice.

The aromas wafting from Edinburgh’s favourite Kurdish joint will have you salivating a mile off – which is by and large what you get here. The Tashreeb in particular, a mix of meat, tomato sauce and bread, is a hearty favourite.

With two outlets across the city, Hanam’s has a great atmosphere with traditional music, décor and costumes.

A bonus for the new Johnston terrace venue only is the spectacular experience of sitting out on the (heated) terrace in the early evening and puffing on a shisha pipe. They even provide blankets. [IQ] ▼ David Bann, 56-58 St. Marys Street

Vegetarian and vegan ££

Located just a stone’s throw away from the busy Royal Mile, David Bann offers a menu of tasty and exciting vegetarian food in a highly-polished yet intimate setting. The restaurant shuns the bohemian connotations of vegetarianism, with dishes that are inventive and sophisticated, without being uneccessarily compex.

The absence of meat is made up for by the powerful flavours used in the food; from chili and chocolate to ginger and spicy pepper, the menu is undoubtedly fiery, but maintains an underlying simplicity through the use of fresh local ingredients.

For after, try the assiette of desserts for three miniature samples of the lush puddings.

Excluding meat, David Bann really

does seem to have it all: elegant yet substantial food at affordable prices, complimented by fast service and a sleek, cosmopolitan atmosphere that makes for an enjoyable dining experience both night and day. [JC]

The Mussel & Steak Bar

Shellfish and meat 110 West Bow

££

Sitting at the foot of Victoria Street, within the bustling streets of the Old Town’s Grassmarket, lies the welcoming Steak and Mussel bar.

The restaurant provides more or less what it says on the sign outside, with top quality Buccleuch steak for the carnivores and a strong selection of mussel dishes – although there’s a wider variety of shellfish for the more daring.

The menu is fantastic, and the wide variety of sauces available in the ‘mussel pots’ encourages more visits to try them all.

It’s probably best to reserve a seat as you’re unlikely to find a table at short notice, especially during busy periods.

It’s a great place to start the evening, however, with a number of the city’s liveliest bars nearby. [LQ]

Maison Bleue French

36-38 Victoria Street

££

Housed in a little blue building on multi-coloured Victoria Street, Maison Bleue’s exterior is the only thing loud about a French restaurant that exudes homely charm and style.

A mix of in-the-know locals,

edinburgh festival preview guide 2009 fest 71

festeating pre-theatre goers taking advantage of reduced-price menus and tourists make up Maison Bleue’s clientele, which, despite the relatively steep prices, never feels exclusive.

Expect beautifully cooked and presented French cuisine with a North African twist, and an emphasis on fish. There’s also a stellar wine list. [JS]

Viva Mexico Mexican

41 Cockburn Street

££

Viva Mexico is a charming restaurant tucked into Cockburn Street, just off the Royal Mile. The menu is predictably well-stocked with fiery Mexican grub – but there are plenty of cooler options for the less adventurous.

Fajitas may not officially qualify as Mexican, but it would be a shame to miss the superb ones on offer here on a technicality. They’re only really mildly hot, but overheating customers are free to cool down with the excellent range of ice creams and sorbets.

The restaurant’s dim lighting creates a calm atmosphere, enlivened by the mass of sombrero imagery plastering the walls. The service is superb, the food decent value, and the menu diverse enough to satisfy most palates. [WL]

Caffè Lucano Italian

37-39 George IV Bridge

£

Greyfriars Bobby is matched in charm by the quaint little restaurant opposite. A plain-looking establishment, Caffè Lucano provides a range of food from early breakfasts to evening meals.

The 600g T-bone Angus steak is their most expensive item at £14.95. All other main courses hover around the £7 mark, which is more than reasonable considering the generous portions. When in doubt, choose the

▲ The Tower Restaurant, Chambers Street

omelette: not only is it mouthwateringly fluffy and stuffed full with vegetables cooked to perfection, it’s also by far the easiest to pronounce.

There’s an excellent discount on takeaway items, but the big scoop is that anything sold at the counter—including rolls and cakes—is half-price after 3pm. A rewarding experience for both pocket and mind, Caffè Lucano is the place to be. [JB]

Tower Restaurant Scottish

National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street

£££

The Tower surely has the best view of any restaurant in Edinburgh. Situated on the rooftop of the National Museum, it looks out over Edinburgh’s spectacular castle and city skyline, making it a favourite destination for

celebrities and foodies alike.

Argyll oysters, Angus beef and hand-dived scallops are just a few of the top-quality Scottish ingredients featured on the consistently solid menu. The extensive wine list has righly won several awards, including the prestigious Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.

It’s not cheap here, but the £12.95 two-course light lunch and pretheatre menu at least offer the chance to experience the spectacular location and attentive service. For the full experience, though, you’ll need to save your pennies. [RC]

Wedgewood the Restaurant Scottish

267 Canongate

£££

Wedgwood is a calm, sophisticated

retreat from the steady stream of Royal Mile tourists. Attention to detail is the order of the day, and Paul and Lisa Wedgwood give their restaurant the personal touch with a thoughtful wine list and ever-evolving seasonal recipes.

Do expect to pay slightly more for this refreshing alternative to the pub grub churned out along the Mile. But dishes such as wild Highland red deer with venison haggis and cranberry jus prove Scottish cuisine is about more than neeps and tatties. Lunchtime menus, which change daily, also offer stimulating choices at reasonable prices.

Although Wedgwood is more spacious than is initially obvious, with a downstairs seating area, the restaurant is still fairly small – great for an intimate and unpretentious dining experience, but booking is recommended. [RR]

BLOW UP! THE CREDIT CRUNCH MUSICAL

The collapse of international finance amusingly explained with the help of a five-piece

oompah band The GRV (Venue 274), 37 Guthrie Street 16:20 - 17:20 72 fest edinburgh festival preview guide 2009

6th - 28th August (not 22nd) Tickets only £5 www.festmag.co.uk

festeating New Town

La P’tite Folie French

9 Randolph Place

££

Elliot’s Restaurant

Sample high-quality French cuisine in a rustic Tudor tavern atmosphere, in the attractive surroundings of Edinburgh’s West End. If you have a taste for fine dining and a penchant for rich, well prepared food La P’tite Folie isn’t a bad place to be, particularly for a midday snack or lunch. For lunch, both à la carte and set menu options offer a wide variety of fish and meat dishes, and a fusion of flavours. Most dishes are nicely thought-through, balancing textures and flavours with obvious attention to detail. Smoked duck, pears and pine kernel salad with honey and Thyme balsamic dressing come highly recommended.

The restaurant itself is laid out like an old tavern, with big wooden tables and candles. Not the place for a cheap in and out meal, but for the quality of the food it’s worth digging that little bit deeper into your pocket. [LQ]

Scottish

23-27 Waterloo Place

£££

The new restaurant in the re-born Waterloo Hotel, Elliot’s occupies prime position at the east end of Princes Street. The slick décor and large Georgian windows give it a fresh airy feel, best suited to lunch with friends rather than an intimate dinner date.

The food is well-executed if lacking in new twists. All your brasserie favourites are there and there is a good wine list by both bottle and glass. Fresh fish and good cuts of meat are cooked to perfection, so worth sampling.

The fixed-price 3-course menu at £17.95 is good value but lacks an adequate range of options; otherwise the food feels a little pricey. Elliot’s isn’t anything new but it makes a good alternative to its often overcrowded George Street counterparts. [DS]

The Dogs Scottish

110 Hanover Street

££

The Dogs is a fun and relaxed restaurant that serves fantastic food at reasonable prices, only minutes away from Princes Street. The menu offers a fresh and inventive twist to Scottish and British ingredients, with dishes such as chicken breast with clapshot and skirlie (that’s white pudding with turnip and potato) and vegetarian shepherd’s pie with goats cheese mash. The desserts are also delicious, and the eclectic but affordable food is mirrored in the wine list.

The interior is smart but basic, and full of dog memorabilia. For those who like The Dogs, look next door for the recently-opened Italian version, Amore Dogs, which looks just as promising.

But stick with the older sibling for a light-hearted and truly satisfying experience. [JW]

▲ The Dogs, 110 Hanover Street

Café Andaluz

▼ La P’tite Folie, 9 Randolph Place

Tapas

77b George Street

££

Warm, colourful, friendly and noisy, Café Andaluz has captured all of the best features of a lively Spanish tapas bar. The atmosphere has the aroma of Spanish authenticity despite Andaluz’s location on one of Edinburgh’s busiest shopping and dining streets.

There is an impressive array of tapas to choose from and the ingredients are fresh and well cooked.

Service from the many members of staff is efficient and polite, and help is always on hand when trying to negociate the huge selection of small dishes on offer.

It can be tempting to restrict yourself to the tapas, but the huge and delicious paellas have got to be sampled – so make sure to leave room. [EC]

Calistoga

Californian 70 Rose Street Lane North

££

Calistoga on Rose Street Lane North is unashamably Californian; the food, the decor, the extensive wine list—around 100 at the last count—and a Californian radio station providing

Fishers in the City Seafood

58 Thistle Street

£££

the background tunes all add to the atmosphere.

The moreish menu changes week to week, with many dishes infused with Asian styles of cooking – steak with sushi rice and BBQ sauce for one.

There is also the oft-neglected bar area where you can sample some of California’s finest plonk.

The restaurant’s location is a bit on the dark and dingy side but the tasty food should more than make up for this, especially if you take part in one of their wine tasting events first. [CMcK]

At Fishers in the City you’re five minutes from Edinburgh’s most wellheeled nightspots. Nevertheless, the secluded location, tucked away down a cobbled lane between busy Princes and George streets ensures the atmosphere remains intimate.

As should be the case, the seafood menu is impeccable, as is the game and poultry. Fishcakes are a perennial favourite, but it would be a shame not to take advantage of their more imaginative specials, featuring the best of what’s in season. If you can, take advantage of the extensive and well-considered wine menu. Just watch out for your high heels in the cobbled streets when you leave, a little worse for wear. [RC]

REELING & WRITHING AND PLATFORM PRESENTS

by TIM NUNN

THURS 6 – SUN 30 AUGUST 2009 ASSEMBLY@7 HOLYROOD ROAD (VENUE 320) TICKETS: 0131 623 3030 / OR ON THE DOOR WWW.REELINGWRITHING.COM NOT SUITABLE FOR UNDER 16s

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edinburgh festival preview guide 2009 fest 73

festeating Anima Italian

11 Henderson Row

£

Always Sunday

A quick bite

Cafés to visit when you’re looking for a speedy snack Old Town

Always Sunday 170 High Street

About halfway down the Royal Mile, Always Sunday (pictured) is in an ideal location for visitors to grab a view of Edinburgh’s beautiful Old Town.

What’s more, a cosy and chilled atmosphere make this café a real pleasure to relax in.

Expect to pay around £4 for salads and soups with slightly pricer main meals also available from the counter at breakfast and lunch. The daily selection of homemade soups are especially filling and come with a generous side of bread.

Like many other bars and cafes in central Edinburgh, Always Sunday sees a steady flow of tourists, becoming especially busy around midday when you might struggle to find a seat. Still, for a healthy but delicious lunch you won’t find a nicer café on the Royal Mile. [ARH]

New Town

Artisan Roast 57 Broughton Street

For the best coffee in Edinburgh, seek out this small shop on the achingly trendy Broughton Street. Nestling by next to the delis and bars of the city’s gay district, the most obtrusive thing about Artisan is the smell of roasting coffee wafting towards the top of Leith Walk.

Inside, coffee-obsessed staff make exquisite and artfully presented Americanos and lattes that put the cream of Edinburgh’s cafés to shame, though the prices can top £2 a cup. All of Artisan’s coffee is roasted on site, and you’re free to examine the beautiful machine which prepares beans for Artisan’s loyal customers as well as for some of the city’s trendiest restaurants. The dedicated staff are some of the friendliest baristas around and you’ll easily while away whole days in Artisan getting hopped-up on top-notch caffeine. [JJ]

Anima is the takeaway venture from the team that brought Edinburgh the award-winning fish and chip shop L’Alba D’Oro. Just off Dundas Street on Henderson Row, Anima certainly delivers on its promise of providing “Italian soul food”, and is increasingly coming to rival its more illustrious sister restaurant.

Most food is prepared in front of you and the variety of Italian dishes is impressive.The pasta dishes are delicious, and you will struggle to find a tastier and better value pizza so close to the centre of town.

To complement the range of food choices there is an excellent wine and beer selection. Unfortunately there’s not delivery service, but if you are craving Italian takeaway food then look no further than Anima. [AB]

South Central Monteiths Scottish

61 High Street

££

Peddling contemporary interpretations of traditional Scottish cuisine, Monteiths’ chic décor works well in a space situated in between tourist shops in the heart of the Scottish capital.

The olive green interior is combined with a fireplace and candlelit bookshelves, from which you may borrow books during your visit. Among the vast selection of drinks and beers, as well as the carefully prepared cocktails, one might opt for chilled champagne served with fresh strawberries.

The food menu changes regularly, but the strong emphasis on local ingredients ensures high quality every time, with fish and meat privileged over pasta or vegetarian options. [EC]

Mosque Kitchen Indian

South Central

Black Medicine Coffee 2 Nicholson Street

Sitting in Black Medicine is one of the best ways to watch Edinburgh life flow by. Situated across the street from one of the oldest law schools in the world, Black Med provides a perfect spot to watch the surging Festival crowds and snap-happy tourists while ensconced in the cafe’s eccentric but soothingly organic décor.

The ever-efficient staff serve a decent coffee too, and you can get a dangerously large Americano for £2. They also offer a range of excellent smoothies with imaginative names – often including the word ninja.

Unfortunately, some of the café’s food is slightly more appealing on the menu than on the tongue.

Located in the middle of a triangle of major comedy venues, Black Medicine is the perfect place to people watch before diving into the Festival crowds. [JJ]

74 fest edinburgh festival preview guide 2009

perturbed by the ever-present pigeons – an annoyance the Mosque has never quite managed to banish.

The Mosque Kitchen also comes indoors at the Pleasance Dome during the festival, giving you the opportunity to enjoy a curry with a drink from the venue’s bar. [BB]

50 Potterrow

£

A favourite among students and locals alike, the Mosque has lamb and chicken curries available from 12 till 7 everyday as well as vegetarian alternatives.

And try the barbecued chicken wings if they are on offer. No alcohol is permitted. but an exotic selection of soft drinks are up for grabs.

At the year-long outdoor venue there are no indoor tables, and only a plastic roof shelters guests sitting along trestle tables. But don’t let that stop you: grab your paper-bowl and plastic spoon, take a seat next to a stranger, and get into the feel-good spirit of the place. The fainter-hearted may be

▲ Susie’s, 51 West Nicholson St

Susie’s Wholefoods Diner Vegetarian and vegan 51 West Nicholson Street

££

Tucked away off Nicolson Street lies Edinburgh’s ultimate bohemian restaurant. The atmosphere is as relaxed and eccentric as the quirky vegetarian grub it serves, with eco-warriors and retired hippies swaying rhythmically to the diner’s accordion player and chatting raucously over the mismatched furniture. Perfect for a famished festival-goer, the mix-and-match counter service ensures you’ll come away with a sky-high plate of food. Chosing between the many homemade dishes available can be surprisingly tough, however, and prices become steep past two or three options. Look out for the perennial house special of broccoli and cheese or ratatouille, followed by a slice pear and apple frangipane tart.

Healthy, generous and honest food, Susie’s Diner is always a favourite during the festival. [RC]

Mother India Café Indian

3-5 Infirmary Street

££

This so-called “café” is in fact a stylish Indian restaurant where spices are used to excite taste buds, rather than make your eyes water.

It’s an ingenious re-think on Indian cuisine, with the food served in a tapas style and, as such, the range will surprise even experienced connoisseurs.

The recommendations are numerous: the machi masala, a spiced fish with the most succulent batter; the warm

www.festmag.co.uk

festeating Ann Purna

Indian/Vegetarian 45 St. Patrick’s Square

££

▲ Ann Purna, 45 St. Patrick’s Square

spongy gulab jamun pudding; and a welcome change from mango with the mouth-watering coriander chutney.

The décor is sophisticated without being overbearing, boasting photography that wouldn’t be out of place in a gallery. The staff are friendly and enthusiastic about the food, and with a carry-out option this Indian is perfect for low-key eats as much as special occasions. [RCris]

Kalpna

Indian/Vegetarian 2-3 St. Patrick Square

££

Who said vegetarian food has to be boring? Heavyweight Indian restaurant Kalpna has been dishing up an inspired menu since first opening its doors over 25 years ago, turning even the staunchest of carnivores.

With vegetarian and vegan thalis giving the chance to sample different dishes all at once, as well as house specialities such as dam aloo gobi and bindi masala, head chef and owner Ajay has expertly cornered his market.

The family-run business is polite and friendly – and unusually for an Indian restaurant in this part of town, there’s not a stag party in sight. [CMcK]

Kampong Ah Lee Malaysian

28 Clerk Street

£

Lost in the hodgepodge of Clerk Street, you could pass this place every day without spotting it – and you’d be missing out big time. Don’t expect much from the ambience or décor, or even the service – the pleasure here is solely in the food. With a huge variety of Malaysian dishes (and lots of vegetarian options) decision-making can be difficult. Be sure not to miss the roti cenai and nasi lemak. There’s no dessert menu to speak of; instead, check out the exotic flavours of pearl milk tea. [IQ]

www.festmag.co.uk

Assembly Pub food

41 Lothian Street

£

Posh student grub is the best way of describing the offerings of this member of Edinburgh’s Montpelier chain. The clientele is an accordingly friendly, high-spirited student crowd.

Just off Bristo Square, it is perfectly situated for festival goers.

Various pocket-friendly promotions keep the budget purse happy, including the 2 for 1 main courses from 5-9pm through the week and all day at weekends. 2 for 1 drinks (also 5-9pm Mon-Fri) make the cocktail list irresistibly accessible.

As you would expect from a bar from the Montpelier stable, Assembly is well presented, from the décor to the food, right down to the staff. It may feel a little soulless but perhaps that’s the price you pay for consistency. [RC]

Negociants Pub Food

45-47 Lothian Street

££

Bustling at any time of the day, Negociants’ prime location in the heart of student and festival land makes it a chatty, friendly place to stop for a bite to eat or catch up over drinks with friends. Whether serving breakfasts in the morning or late bites at night, the staff are always friendly and on the ball.

Dishes like Portobello mushrooms topped with Puy lentils and melted Brie showcase the policy of using locally sourced, seasonal organic produce wherever possible.

Still, it’s at night that Negociants really comes into its own. Buzzing with post-bar and show chat, this is the place to go for, hands down, the best nachos in town, as you relive the night’s happenings. [RC]

Ann Purna, just a stone’s throw away from the hive of Fringe festivities, is a haven of simple splendor. The family-run restaurant offers lovingly prepared vegetarian and vegan South Indian cuisine in a relaxed and intimate setting.

Pop by for the lunchtime buffet which is easy on both the pocket and the taste buds, or settle down for an evening of varied and imaginative dishes. Among classics such as masala, you will find speciality dishes such as the particularly delicious baingan, combining succulent aubergine, garlic and mixed nuts. (Meat lovers may wish to visit Ann Purna’s carnivorous sister restaurant, Passage to India, located at 20 Union place in New Town.)

The view from the restaurant may lacks the grandeur on show elsewhere in Edinburgh, yet the fresh, bright décor and the friendly, receptive staff ensure an attractive atmosphere. [RR]

Kebab Mahal Indian

7 Nicolson Square

£

Kebab Mahal has been around for thirty years, and looking at the interior it probably hasn’t changed all that much.

But that’s not the point. It has built up a solid clientele, and is especially popular with students from around the corner. The customers don’t keep coming back to marvel at the décor or be spoilt by the service. They come for the mammoth servings of good basic Indian food at 1980s prices.

Naans are the size of a small child, and the spices in the curries are expertly balanced. Highly recommended are the madras, fish bakora and saag gosht.

So ignore the elbow in your back from the next table, close your eyes and savour the authentic flavours of an old Edinburgh favourite. [PG]

Khushi’s Indian

32b West Nicolson Street

££

After its previous incarnation on Victoria Street went up in flames, this Edinburgh institution is now back and conveniently located between the Gilded Balloon and the Pleasance.

The food is reasonably priced and goes beyond typical Western Indian cuisine, with the lamb karahi particularly highly recommended. Khushi’s also operates a BYOB policy, which helps keep costs down.

During the weekends Khushi’s fills up fast – worth keeping in mind if planning a peak-time visit. Fortunately,

the friendly waiters will give you a shout in the pub next door should you feel the need to wet your lips whilst waiting for a table. The restaurant can get pretty loud, but this all adds to the Khushi’s experience. Curry fans are sure to love it. [RW]

West Central Atrium

Scottish 10 Cambridge Street

£££

Next to the Lyceum and Traverse theatres is one of Edinburgh’s sleekest restaurants. Atrium takes pride in its offerings of genuine Scottish cuisine and ingredients sourced from local producers.

The food is simple and presented without fuss and, although some firm favourites are to be found year-round on the menu, the restaurant’s chefs also regularly update dishes to take advantage of seasonal produce.

Those on a tight budget should avail themselves of the reasonably priced lunch menu, but others might want to treat themselves to the tasting menu which comes in at a hefty but, given the quality, perhaps justifiable £55.

Whatever your budget, don’t forget to check out the wine list, which is truly exceptional. [BB]

Two Thin Laddies Café

103 High Riggs

£

Since opening its doors in 2002, Two Thin Laddies in Tollcross has been garnering praise for its scrumptious home-cooked grub at reasonable prices. Classic dishes rule the roost: pasta bakes, quiche, macaroni cheese, all-day fry-ups are all worth a look.

Portions are sizable, and gluten-free options are available. The café has a marked bohemian feel – perhaps thanks to the stream of art students who file in daily. Comedy fans should keep their eyes peeled for Black Books star Dylan Moran, reportedly a regular visitor.

Come hungry – the award-winning millionaire shortbread and mountainous muffins require stamina. [cMcK]

No.1 Sushi Bar Japanese

37 Home Street

££

It’s always a good sign when a Japanese restaurant is both run and frequented by Japanese people.

Its location in busy, multicultural Tollcross may be slightly off the tourist trail but Edinburgh’s premier sushi venue is definitely worth a detour. The sushi and sashimi are of the highest

edinburgh festival preview guide 2009 fest 75

festeating quality, and the menu offers the capital’s widest range of rolls. if you aren’t so keen on raw fish, there’s a wide range of other Japanese dishes on the menu, including delectable yaki soba. The prices aren’t dirt cheap, but bargains can be found, and no. 1 is worth both the money and the effort to reach it. [JS]

Situated on the busy corner of Bread Street and Lothian road, long-time favourite izzi’s has fended off all pretenders for its crown as the best Japanese restaurant in town. attentive yet discreet staff tend to your every need as you dine within the modern, minimalist interior. although the chinese side of the menu is excellent, it’s the Japanese food that makes izzi’s such a popular destination. Sushi, sashimi and tempura are all deftly handled, so that all the delicate flavours sing. at the teppanyaki bar you can watch your food being prepared for that extra touch of authenticity. it might not be edinburgh’s most glamorous location, but once you step inside you’ll find yourself transported. [rc]

leith renroc café

light snacks 91 Montgomery Street

£

renroc somehow evokes the inside of Mary Poppins' carpetbag: to have so much packed into this petite and friendly cafe there must be magic at work. More than a café, this is a library, gallery, cinema and health clinic where everyone feels like family.

The food is excellent value—all mains under £5—with bread and quiches sourced from local artisan bakeries.

325-331 Leith Walk

7 Commercial Street

an award-winning log-fired pizzeria offering a creative range of pizzas and pastas in a slick modern setting, La Favorita walks a fine line between artisan pizzeria and fast food restaurant. all your italian favourites are on show in a vast menu bursting with the promise of authentic Mediterranean flavours. it's the pizzas that most come for, their selection of 25 featuring some less common toppings including breseola, artichokes and the truly decadent truffle oil and caviar.

Some accusations of falling standards have been muttered in recent times but these are still some of the best pizzas available – albeit with a premium price tag. [dS]

diner 7 is a laid back little café in Leith’s vibrant Shore district. despite its unassuming appearance it is as good for an intimate evening rendezvous as it is for a lazy lunch with friends. generous cuts of beef, burgers like they should be and a wonderful tuna steak make up the core chargrill offering. a changing menu of specials, exhibiting inventiveness in their creation, complements them. The intimacy between diner and kitchen only serves to support the authenticity of the food, evident in fresh, flavourful and seasonal ingredients.

Leith isn’t generally the first stop in a festival itinerary, but a short journey on the 22 bus should prove rewarding, with an authentic and restorative dining experience not so far from the maddening crowds. [dS]

££

Japanese and chinese ££

diner 7

italian

izzi

119 Lothian Road

la favorita

▲ peckham’s, 155-159 Bruntsfield Place

The all-day luxury breakfasts are a bit of a godsend for the morning (or afternoon) after, and there are some great sweet treats. nestling in a primarily residential area you might have to ask directions, but the locals will know where you are heading – and might well use it as another excuse to pay this little sanctuary a visit themselves. [dS]

the shore scottish 3 Shore

£££

With its picturesque location overlooking Leith docks, The Shore combines the feeling of a welcoming old-fashioned pub with some of the best food in edinburgh. Live music in the dining room’s adjoining bar Monday through to Thursday adds to the homely, friendly ambience.

Seafood features heavily on the menu, which is changed daily to make the most of fresh, seasonal ingredients. if you’re on a budget but don’t want to miss the chance to eat at one of edinburgh’s best restaurants, the two course lunch menu represents great value at £8.95 (Mon-Fri between noon and 4pm).

Those looking to round off an energetic week would do well to join The Shore for their cracking Sunday lunch, complete with live jazz. [rc]

76 fest edinburgh festival preview guide 2009

the drill hall arts café light snacks

36 Dalmeny Street

£

There is cheap food, and there is good food – and all too often these prove mutually exclusive categories. not so at the drill hall café, which serves up a great range of tasty, freshly-made and honest soups, sandwiches and light lunches for prices rarely above £3.50.

Situated within artists’ studios, it caters for those working there or visiting an exhibition – or those who just happen to stumble upon it.

The freshly made soups are a real treat – the varying range of flavours offer both firm favourites alongside more quirky combinations. The many tempting cakes and tray bakes don’t disappoint, and their low price ensures you can sample more than one. depending on what’s going on in the drill hall the café can sometimes lack atmosphere – but if you’re in this part of town it’s easily the best place for a quick bite. [dS]

american ££

marchmont & morningside the Zulu lounge south african

366 Morningside Road

£

Situated in the heart of swanky Morningside, this dark, low-ceilinged hideaway is a fine example of what gives the area its artsy alternative appeal. catering for carnivores and vegans alike, it offers meaty breakfasts and vegetarian alternatives, as well as oddities like soya yoghurt and glutenfree toast. don’t forget the South african treats like boerewors (sausage) and biltong (cured meat). and of course the baked goodies, which are always fresh and always yummy.

With fifteen different types of hot chocolate, just as many coffees, frozen yoghurt drinks, smoothies, milkshakes,

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festeating and Rooibos—the caffeine free tea teeming with antioxidants—you are definitely spoilt for choice.

Overwhelming? Don’t worry, you can order a feast for under a tenner – and then there’s always tomorrow. [IQ]

The Clay Oven Indian

86 Morningside Road

££

One gets the impression that the cosy confines of the Clay Oven lend themselves well to a cheery convivial hubbub, regardless of the evening.

Despite the crowd, the attentive waiters display excellent knowledge of the food on offer, an almost bewildering array of reasonably-priced favourites and specialities alike. The lamb shashlik kebab from the eponymous clay oven doesn’t disappoint, and the choice of non-meat options should satisfy even the most choosy of vegetarian companions.

The extensive choice may prove off-putting for some, but share with friends and you’ll unearth some hidden gems without spending a fortune. [NL]

Peckham’s Underground Varied

155-159 Bruntsfield Place

£-££

Tucked underneath the upstairs deli and accessed by a winding metal staircase, Peckham’s Underground is much more than a humble basement.

Furnished with funky red seating and fairy lights, this little gem is there whenever you need it, serving an extensive and tasty menu from 10am ‘til 10pm.

Mains range from hearty bowls of Italian sausage tagliatelle to duck breast and venison burgers. Also commendable are the range of platters – perfect for sharing.

As the name suggests, the Underground is lacking in windows, but there’s always the option to eat outside, weather permitting. [AM]

Toast

Snacks 146 Marchmont Road

££

Toast is a Marchmont institution, drawing clued-up residents from all over the city to enjoy the legendary weekend brunch menu within its friendly, local art-lined walls.

With a wealth of good-quality, fresh seasonal ingredients on offer, it’s hard to know what to order. But prices are thoroughly reasonable, so if you find yourself unable to choose between, say, the French toast with goats cheese and the eggs Benedict, the option to plump for both needn’t necessarily be a splurge.

Unfortunately, the more expensive evening meals often leave you wishing you really had ordered twice: while the food is excellent, portions can be on the small side. Bit if you aren’t desparate to absolutely pig out, Toast is a great option when you simply want a really good, well-prepared meal. [RC]

▲ Sweet Melinda’s, 11 Roseneath Street

Café Grande

Elsewhere

Sweet Melinda’s

184 Bruntsfield Place

Howies

11 Roseneath Street

A Bruntsfield favourite, Café Grande almost always feels welcoming, its deep red interior providing an undeniable feeling of warmth, whatever the Scottish weather outside.

It’s a welcome that extends throughout the day, with breakfast, lunchtime specials and dinner making a good showing. The daytime menu is solid and reliable – which sometimes feels the same as saying boring. However, in the evenings the lights dim and the kitchen comes into its own, with seasonal offerings competing with perennial favourites like haddock in batterfor your attention.

One famous fan of Cafe Grandé remains faithful, even since her bestselling children’s books made her rich enough to eat anywhere she fancies.

Keep your eyes peeled for a petite blond writing in the corner. [RC]

Seafood £££

It’s gems like Sweet Melinda’s that earn Marchmont its reputation for character and charm. Décor and music give the restaurant an air of tousled 1920s glamour – perfect for a wistful evening of romance or a mature, relaxed get-together.

The food is fairly pricey if you stray beyond the two course options on the evening menu, but the freshness and quality of ingredients, largely sourced from neighbouring Eddie’s fishmongers, more than compensates. And if you take advantage of BYOB Tuesdays (£3 corkage), the meal is sure to go swimmingly.

A genuine example of unpretentious sophistication, the only catch here is caught fresh out of the local Scottish waters. [RR]

European ££

Scottish Bruntsfield Place, Victoria Street, Waterloo Street & Alva Street

££

Most festival-goers will be lucky enough to stumble across a Howies during their time at the Fringe. The ubiquitous Edinburgh chain, synonymous with fantastic service, affordable pricing and fresh local produce, has a quartet of unpretentious, relaxed restaurants around the city – equally appropriate for casual lunches and more formal dinners.

The menu constantly changes to accommodate the season but firmly adheres to the eateries’ “fine food without the faff” ethos. For a true taste of Scotland, sample the catch or dish of the day, which can include anything from hake or coley to pheasant or venison.

An Edinburgh treasure, the Howies empire guarantees something to satisfy fussy and adventurous tastes alike. [RC]

SIMON FIELDER IN ASSOCIATION WITH

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FRANK THE MAN, THE MUSIC, THE MAFIA.

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edinburgh festival preview guide 2009 fest 77

festdrinking Old Town Black Bo’s 57-61 Blackfriars Street The profusion of crowded and noisy bars on Edinburgh’s clubbing strip, the Cowgate, makes it difficult to believe that a hip drinking spot like Black Bo’s might found in the area.

Black Bo’s is a small but busy bar for drinkers who demand something more than the traditional pub.

Regulars typically comprise young professionals and students who gather to enjoy the laid-back atmosphere created by local DJs with playlists of relaxed indie music.

Unusually for a bar in central Edinburgh, there is what estate agents might term a “cosy” beer garden downstairs, which can have a great atmosphere on light summer evenings. With an inventive menu of vegetarian cuisine in the attached restaurant, this hippyish outfit is the perfect antidote to the less salubrious Cowgate establishments that surround it. [EC]

The Villager 49–50 George IV Bridge If one could define what a good night out is all about, then the Villager, conveniently situated in the heart of the Old Town, would tick many of the boxes. With its imaginative décor and young, friendly staff, this bar is considered a highlight in Edinburgh’s independent bar circuit. Cocktails are the Villager’s forte, with creative, often adventurous suggestions on offer.

Over two rooms, relaxation is mainly what the villager aims for, though during weekends an ever-shifting cohort of DJs keeps the crowd on their feet, usually with soul/funk tunes. The Villager also offers lunch and dinner from noon until 9.30pm every day, but its reputation is firmly based on its qualities as a trendy drinking spot. [EC]

▲ Black Bo’s, 57-61 Blackfriars Street

Under the Stairs 3a Merchant Street Don’t be surprised if you have to search for this bar for a few minutes: tucked away between the Grassmarket and Greyfriars Bobby, it is literally under a flight of stairs. Arrive early if you want a table, as the place usually fills up around dinner time.

The bar manages to be cool in a relaxed way, with ageing furniture, and walls decorated with ever-changing art and photography selections – a refreshing change from from the usual drab bar décor.

The food on offer is also more than acceptable: the burgers are served with oven-roasted sweet potato chips, and the daily specials are usually worth a shot. The “share boards” are served until 1am, so this is an ideal place for a late-night snack. Lively on Friday and Saturday nights, with live DJ sets. [BB]

Greyfriars Bobby Bar 34 Candlemaker Row Bobby’s bar—located just in front of the famous church—holds as much charm as the story of that faithful dog itself.

With arched windows looking out onto the Bobby memorial outside and the unusual downhill arrangement inside, it has to be one of central Edinburgh’s most quirky yet homely traditional pubs.

With decent food and snacks, as well as real ales, whiskys and hot drinks,

78 fest edinburgh festival preview guide 2009

▲ The Villager, 49–50 George IV Bridge

Bobby’s is particularly handy for an inbetween-show stopover, close as it is to a number of central venues.

Although prone to the “old-man pub” vibe, it is the perfect place to enjoy a quiet pint of real ale and some good pub grub amongst tourists and locals alike. [AC]

Doctors 32 Forest Road Doctors name plays on its close proximity to the space formerly occupied

by Edinburgh’s Royal Infirmary. Popular with the student crowd, medical or

otherwise, the old fashioned wooden bar is always busy. If you’re lucky you might find an empty booth to squeeze into with friends, but the bar’s popularity means that in the evenings it’s often standing room only.

Hearty pub grub isn’t sophisticated— burgers, chicken wings and the like— but it certainly hits the spot. A good selection of real ales is always available on tap to wash it down with, and the draught beer is consistently above average. With its handy proximity to all the Festival goings on, a stop here to refuel might be just what the doctor ordered. [RC]

www.festmag.co.uk

festdrinking lunchtime onwards.

During August, the main attraction is the popular seated area out front, looking out onto the High Street and within sight of the top half of the Royal Mile, where the majority of the Fringe’s street performers set up shop.

Pleasant enough mid-week, the Bank is probably best avoided on Friday and Saturday nights, as it does tend to attract more than the occasional troupe of stag and hen parties. [NB]

The Albanach 197 High Street

▲ The Jazz Bar, 1 Chambers Street

The Jazz Bar 1 Chambers Street Recently voted Scotland’s best jazz venue at the Scottish Jazz Awards, the Jazz Bar has become something of a festival institution in the four years since it opened its doors on Chambers Street.

The friendly and experienced cocktail staff keep you refreshed as you take in the ambience of the 1920s speakeasystyle bar. Ask the lovely James to mix you a Dark and Stormy, a Frangelico and ginger beer creation that defies description.

Entry fees are nominal and go straight to the musicians, and with three gigs a day, there’s bound to be something happening whatever time you drop in. [RC]

Bannerman’s 212 Cowgate A relaxed rock pub on the corner of the Cowgate and Niddry Street, Bannerman’s considers itself to be at the centre of the local music scene – and rightly so.

The bar’s second room serves as a cheap pool room in the daytime and a small, cavernous music venue at night, hosting live bands six nights a week.

While acts rely on taking a cut at the

door and often end up out of pocket, it’s a brilliant platform for new talent – every band to come out of Edinburgh will have played here at some point.

Cheap bar snacks such as burgers and chips are available throughout the day, and there’s a good selection of ales at the bar. That it’s one of the only pubs to serve Fraoch (delicious Scottish heather ale for the uninitiated) on tap is reason enough for a visit. [NB]

Whistle Binkies 4-6 South Bridge Whistle Binkies bills itself as Edinburgh’s live music bar, with live acts performing seven nights a week, usually across several timeslots and running well into the late licence hours before closing time at 3am (often later during the festival).

The cavernous interior reminds you that you’re half-submerged in the city’s Old Town – an aspect which lends itself rather well to some decent acoustics for usually up-beat live music sets.

An extended happy hour runs until 8pm every day, with some pints for £2 and single house spirits £1. After 8pm prices get a little steep, but still reasonable considering there’s no cover charge except on Fridays and Saturdays after midnight. [NB]

Bank Hotel 1 South Bridge Nestled on the corner of South Bridge and the High Street, the Bank Hotel forms an impressive bookend to Edinburgh’s Southside. Originally the headquarters of the British Linen Bank, it was redeveloped as a hotel and bar in the early 1990s.

Unlike most hotel bars in the city centre, the Bank makes a real effort to pull in off-the-street punters, rather than relying on it’s own guests. TV sports are complimented by regular karaoke, pub quiz and live music nights. Drinks prices are mid-range, and there’s a limited menu of pub food served from

Boasting over 200 whiskies, The Albanach—its name translating as “Scotsman” in Gaelic—is a tourist’s wet dream.

Standing out from its competition on the Royal Mile, The Albanach has a pleasant, stylish interior, with flat screens adorning the ancient stone walls. A pint will set you back about £3, whilst wine by the glass starts at £3 – but if you are in Edinburgh for the weekend you should sample one of the many whiskies, ranging right from £3 to £28 a nip. There’s a reasonable food menu with light bites and mains, and the staff are friendly and obliging.

If you need somewhere to rest your weary feet after a trek up the Royal Mile then pop in. [JM]

▼ Under the Stairs, 13a Merchant Street

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edinburgh festival preview guide 2009 fest 79

festdrinking bar Kohl

tigerlily

54-55 George IV Bridge

125 George Street

Bar Kohl is to the adventurous drinker what the sweet shop is to the six-yearold. Just off the royal Mile, this popular pre-club spot’s bare brick walls and pounding urban soundtrack give it an edgy, industrial feel.

Vodka and variety are the keywords here, with a drinks menu that could have been published in installments.

Spirits number in the hundreds, while shooters come in every flavour imaginable. if you’re feeling reckless, order by random number, neck whichever concoction hits the bar and try to identify exactly what it is that’s melting your throat. needless to say, this is no place for a quiet, post-theatre glass of red, and while it may lack the sophistication of some of edinburgh’s other cocktail bars, for a big night out, Kohl is the ideal warm-up act. [LB]

described once as “the showgirl amongst edinburgh bars’, Tigerlily is perhaps george Street’s favourite preclub bar. Quieter than its sister club, Lulu, it’s a fine place to go for a drink when you’ve got your glad rags on.

The less frantic pace is reflected in the extensive cocktail list, each of which is made with loving, time-consuming care. The flagship Tigerlily daiquiri, for instance, is a blend of appleton VX rum, homemade raspberry syrup, navan Vanilla cognac & pink grapefruit. despite the revolving glitter balls, it’s clear which sister got the classier looks. as befits its more elegant pink and cream interior, the crowd here is slightly older than at Lulu – if not necessarily wiser. But whoever said drinking cocktails was wise? [rc]

new town 99 hanover street 99 Hanover Street unlike many of the george Street area bars, 99 hanover Street isn’t a destination for the flash-the-cash crowd. a cursory glance inside will show you why: in the place of glittery, super-modern chic is a much more subtle décor, with comfy armchairs and a vague air of old-world bohemia, complimented by a brilliant music selection not afraid to eschew the latest top 40 sounds.

99 hanover Street’s real selling point however, is its emphasis on providing the highest quality drinks, and tailoring them to the customers’ needs. drinks prices are accordingly higher than your average boozer, but still fair by the area’s standards – what’s more, you know you’ll get what you pay for, with an atmosphere to match. [JS]

▲ bramble, 16a Queen Street

bramble 16a Queen Street Located down a small set of stairs on the corner of Queen Street, Bramble is easy to miss if you don’t know where to look. But this tiny bar is an edinburgh highlight, mixing some of the finest cocktails in town with dJs every Friday and Saturday night.

The bar is small and intimate, with several cushion-covered corners to disappear into for the evening. The cocktails range from old classics to new inventions by Bramble’s bartenders, with some served in fine-bone china teacups. its popularity means that ‘intimate’ becomes ‘packed’ on the weekends, and the prices aren’t cheap.

But if you want to try something special, Bramble is your bar. [JW]

Jekyll and hyde 112 Hanover Street edinburgh is well known for its fine literary tradition and also for its underground gothic scene; two aspects that collide nightly in this large pub just off Queen Street in the new Town. highly stylised and popular with the alternative crowd, Jekyll and hyde’s serves up typical British pub fare:

80 fest edinburgh festival preview guide 2009

gammon, steak and sausages feature heavily, all served with shed loads of chips The drinks menu, however, is the main attraction here. The real thrill are the names: Sloth, Pride, greed, etc. for the cocktails and Prudence, charity and Faith for the shorts. Pick of the bunch is envy: creme de Menthe, White cacao, cream and Milk. [arh]

amicus apple 17 Frederick Street Just off george Street, amicus apple is a young, fun cocktail bar – with the best looking cocktail waiters in town.

The flowery wallpaper, dark wood and squishy cushions are as we’ve come to expect from new Town bars, but stylish and welcoming nevertheless. inventive cocktails include the sherbet-based Twizzler, although if you fancy a more classic drink the waiters will more than happily mix you a Long island iced Tea or French Martini. in fact, all you have to do is ask.

While not exactly a food destination, there is a more-than-respectable menu with the usual bar food suspects, perfect for when that cheeky after-work cocktail turns into three or four. [rc]

hector’s 47-49 Deanhaugh Street in this charmingly quaint pub hidden by the rivers of Stockbridge, the trendy leather sofas and cosy candle-lit atmosphere attract a crowd of all ages. hector’s hits the spot for your no-fuss, classic pub grub – burgers, sandwiches and salads, along with a stylish and sophisticated drink selection. Stick to the traditional options where food’s concerned: the more exotic temptations, such as the risotto, are less impressive.

Sundays bring generous wine offers and the option of a traditional roast.

[Kc]

the standing order 62-66 George Street With its prime position in the middle of george Street, this vast Wetherspoon beer hall is the budget watering hole of choice for those heading to the area’s various nightclubs.

www.festmag.co.uk

festdrinking offers some eye-wateringly expensive table packages, complete with VIP queue-jump. However, if you’re willing to forgo the dubious pleasure of being a VIP you can simply pay the £8 door charge to enter with the rest of the common folk. Lulu makes for an entertaining night out – if perhaps only for the people watching. [RC]

The Guildford Arms 1–5 West Register Street

▲ Le Monde, 16 George Street

The building’s towering ceiling seems impressive at first sight; but in the daytime, when not full, it’s somewhat of a depressing place dominated by the stench of stale beer on carpet.

Still, if cost is the key criterion then Standing Order beats its rivals comfortably. The service and atmosphere might leave much to be desired, but this will always be a top option for those chasing the cheapest pint in town. [AB]

Look out for the various themed evenings such as quizzes, salsa dancing and DJ nights, when the atmosphere is typically fun-fuelled and busy. While the food on offer is decent quality and reasonably priced, The Street is not the place for an extensive dinner date – but definitely worth a visit for a few drinks. [LQ]

The Street

Sip cocktails in style in one of Edinburgh’s most decadent and lavish boutique bars. Le Monde offers visitors a round-the-world trip with three themed bars—Paris, Vienna and Milan— and eighteen luxury hotel suites, each inspired by one of the world’s most enchanting cities.

Enjoy a “Sinful Seduction” in Vienna with an alluring cocktail of Tanqueray gin, limoncello and raspberries, or if you are in a more conservative mood,

2 Picardy Place Found on the corner of Picardy Place, just a few minutes’ walk from the hordes of Princes Street, The Street is the flagship bar for Edinburgh’s gay scene.

The bar is well-stocked with a varied cocktail menu, and offers comfortable seating arrangements both up and downstairs.

www.festmag.co.uk

Le Monde 16 George Street

coffee in Milan. The carte du jour is definitely inkeeping with the cosmopolitan culture, but it’s heartening to see that Le Monde isn’t too haughty to offer up a good burger.

Whether you choose to swing by for a liquid lunch, spend a chic evening dining in Paris, or go all out with an opulent suite for the night, Le Monde oozes glamour and sophistication. [RR]

During festival season, the Guildford Arms hosts live jazz and folk music every night in the opulent main bar, though the Gallery restaurant above the bar is the best place to view the action under the beautifully preserved vaulted Victorian ceiling.

As a watering hole, The Guildford is a well-kept, traditional Scottish pub, attracting a variety of customers from journalists through to backpackers.

Those after a decent ale can pick from five permanent taps and five rotating guest beers. Starting at £2.80 for a pint, the prices are eminently reasonable.This is a long-standing Edinburgh establishment, with a real sense of history about it – great for a quality pint and a bit of celeb-spotting during the festival. [JM}

South Central The Sheep Heid Inn 43-45 The Causeway

Lulu 125b George Street The place to see and be seen, Lulu is one of George Street’s favourite late night bars for Edinburgh’s young and upwardly mobile. The decadent oversized roses on a black background that paper the walls as you enter set the tone for the rest of the night.

Everything is larger than life – the 70s-style disco-light dancefloor, the boys in suits drinking champagne, the fake breasts – and your bar tab. Lulu

Tucked in the shadow of Arthur‘s Seat is a pub said to be Edinburgh’s oldest (and most dog-friendly). Overflowing with character and history, the décor is a cabinet of curiosity—ask about the Jacob’s ram—with warm fireplaces in the winter and a sunny beer garden for the summer, as well as two working skittle lanes.

The menu offers a sophisticated approach to traditional pub food – the smoked salmon with cucumber shav-

edinburgh festival preview guide 2009 fest 81

festdrinking Leith

ings and veggie haggis come recommended. Known for its fruit beers, the Inn hosts four annual beer and cider festivals, as well as weekly barbeques with home-made ostrich and venison burgers. You’ll come for the beer; you’ll stay for the atmosphere. [RCris]

Port O’ Leith 50 Constitution Street

56 North 2-8 West Crosscauseway Part student haunt, part yuppie paradise, 56 North lies metres from George Square near the heart of Edinburgh University. When the sun is shining—it does happen in Edinburgh—you can expect the tables on the patio to be packed. And when the sun goes down and the music gets turned up, then the cocktails can really start to flow.

Although the menu consists of rather traditional dishes, most of them have a fresh little twist. Fish and chips are served in Leffe Blonde beer batter, and “the sexiest salad this far north” lives up to its name. Between 5pm and 9pm you should take advantage of the 2 for 1 on cocktails. And if your classy gin simply must be Irish or Swedish, then this specialist stockist—with more than 30 varieties on offer—means you’ll look no further. [BB]

Brass Monkey 14 Drummond Street Unassumingly located on a side street near Edinburgh University, Brass Monkey looks from the outside like your average pub. It’s anything but.

Brass Monkey’s small front room is an atmospheric one that oozes turn-of-the-century charm, with wooden fittings and a long, crowded bar. But it is in the back that the magic happens: forget vertical drinking and think horizontal. A room full of beds on which you and your entourage can lounge while sipping inexpensive drinks comes with the added bonus of occasional film screenings. All this of course appeals to the young, arty and creative crowd, but it’s very much the kind of place where all can stretch out and feel at home. [JS]

The Royal Oak 1 Infirmary St A folk pub may conjure up images of earnest beard-stroking types singing incomprehensible Rabbie Burns songs (only partly true), but the Royal Oak is one of those pubs you really should visit for a unique Edinburgh experience.

Real ales aplenty, a fine selection of malts and a fiddle or two: stick them in a couple of box rooms and you have the Royal Oak. Some of Edinburgh’s best traditional music is to be found at the Wee Folk Club that

▲ 56 North, 2-8 West Crosscauseway

runs downstairs on Sundays. Head upstairs, meanwhile, for the more populist stamp-your-feet brand of folk. There’s a regular open mic night, and when the person on the stool next to you stands up to sing a shanty it’s hard not to get drawn in. A great spot to end the night with a couple of late whiskies. [PG]

standard, cheap pub grub is what you want, Henricks delivers.

Just a stroll away from the King’s Theatre, this is a pleasant, relaxed location for pre-theatre drinks. In itself, though, no show-stopper. [RC]

West Central

Housed in an old parsonage just a few metres from the Meadows, Cloisters is a favourite amongst those who like a more traditional atmosphere in which to sup their real ale.

With over eighty kinds of whisky and a frequently-changing selection of premium Scottish and British ales on tap—most of their selections are only around for as long as one barrel lasts—it’s nothing if not patriotic. Pub food is seasonal and locally produced.

A tangy pear and cider chutney complements rich discs of black pudding, and Scottish salmon often makes an appearance on the menu. The perfect wee pub for a pint or a spot of Sunday lunch, its only drawback is its popularity. Go early at weekends to make sure you get a seat. [RC]

Dragonfly 53 West Port Standing in the shadow of the Edinburgh College of Art, Dragonfly is the chandeliered second home to the stray art students and glamorous locals that pack into the polished bar.

As hip as the trendy illustrated walls and as well dressed as their cocktails, the fashionable clientele make it a place to see and be seen.

The drinks menu has something to satisfy every palette but cocktails are the bar’s speciality and constitute the super-friendly staff’s area of expertise. Sample a “Joe Le Taxi,”—the manager’s favourite—a delicious but dangerous concoction of Finlandia Vodka, strawberries and, curiously, balsamic reduction.

At around £6 a cocktail, prices are steep but well worth indulging in for a memorable Festival treat. [RC]

Henricks 1 Barclay Place Decorated like a house of mirrors interspersed with loud patterned wallpaper and trendy bar-staff, Henricks makes a hearty effort to be a sleek, cool bar – but is left somewhere on the cusp. Not that the loyal, ale-sipping locals seem to mind, or notice, most attention being paid to the television screens and smoking terrace.

Behind the bar is a glossy cabinet of spirits, while those on a budget can enjoy sharing a bottle of house wine for only £8. Food is also available; don’t expect gourmet cuisine, but if

82 fest edinburgh festival preview guide 2009

Cloisters 26 Brougham Street

Monboddo’s 34 Bread Street Tucked away on Bread Street, you’d be forgiven for not coming across Monboddo’s unless you were staying in the neighbouring Point Hotel. But that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t be missing out.

Monboddo’s is a great place for afterwork drinks; an understated yet funky interior sets you at ease as you try and decide which of their cocktails you want first, while the barman makes helpful suggestions. Should hunger pangs strike, the bar tapas is truly excellent. Don’t miss the feta-stuffed marinated roast peppers.

While we’re remarking on excellence, full marks have to be awarded to Monboddo for serving Fever-Tree mixers – undoubtedly the best companion for your premium spirit of choice. [RC]

Ragged, unruly and with a clientele that seems to have been pickled in alcohol for the last 15 years, this pub is one of the highlights of Leith. Not surprisingly, it has a strong nautical connection. The ceiling of the bar is bedecked with flags donated by sailors from around the world. You’re all but guaranteed to be press-ganged into random conversation by a drunken regular within two minutes of entry, and visitors have in the past witnessed people dancing on the bar to ABBA. If nothing else it is difficult to have a boring night in the Port O’ Leith and, compared with its more gentrified cousins in the city, it has bundles of character. Not for those of a delicate sensibility, but a Leith institution nonetheless. [PG]

Marchmont & Morningside Earl of Marchmont 22 Marchmont Crescent A recently refurbished pub in the heart of a beautiful residential area, Earl of Marchmont offers a clean, cosy space for locals and students alike, while young families are also welcome (children’s high chairs are on offer.)

Its dark décor combined with a comfy sofa create a relaxed atmosphere, where the mainly young clientele can enjoy a decent range of spirits, wines and beers served by friendly staff.

Drinking aside, there is also a nice selection of meals at reasonable prices, lamb moussaka and pasta with chicken in a creamy sauce being the highlights.

Music is for the most part downtempo, which is quite often a plus, while jazz themed Sunday evenings will ensure a second visit. [EC]

The Argyle Bar 15-17 Argyle Place Located on Argyle Place, this friendly bar is a popular option for locals and students alike. It’s success, however, seems mainly due to the lack of nearby alternatives, with the exception of the recently re-vamped Earl of Marchmont.

The décor is dated and fairly uninspiring, with a traditional wooden bar surrounded by tables and chairs stuffed into every available space. Even so you’ll struggle to find a seat at busy times – especially the weekend when The Hibe, its downstairs music venue, opens. If you are in the area it’s worth a quick stop; but you would find far superior options by venturing further into the centre of town. [AB]

www.festmag.co.uk

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