Foxy Adventures At The Edinburgh Fringe! by Reynard City

“How would you like to go to the Edinburgh Fringe?” invited The President (of the UEA Headlights Comedy Society.) This was Carl Scutt- magician, compere and a man with a near non-stop grin. It had been around eight years since I last went on holiday (theBristolcomic con didn’t really count, as much as I enjoyed it).

Carl was the organiser of the group, the one who did all the booking and was the one most passionate about the festival. Then there was Darren, the economist and raconteur. Then there was Jack, badass supercop in the making. My good friend Rob Button (I use his full name because you can read his profile on theReynardCitywebsite) offered his enthusiasm and lack of coat, which also resulted in lack of umbrella thanks to a sneak thief at one of the gigs. Finally there was relative newcomer Anthony.

Luck and the vagaries of the buddy system meant I spent a lot of time with Anthony. It turned out he was of a similar (in fact older) age to me. Therefore we got on well. In between gigs we walked up a mountain and did sight seeing. As it turned out, we got on a bit too well, with numerous comedians mistaking us for a couple (though that may have had something to do with my over exuberance).

However, camaraderie was a big part of the trip. Bizarre injokes and reports were swapped at the daily breakfast included in the price of our hostel accommodation. While we merrily frolicked around the various locations for humour it seemedEnglandwas in the midst of rioting. I like to think our return will help bring back sanity and therefore we will try to leave the country less in future.

It is hard to convey the sheer variety of shows that are on offer during this time at the Fringe. What is more surprising is the relative closeness of each venue, something that came in handy when I mixed up my locations one day (fortunately balanced out by my neurotic obsession with being early).

As a quick breakdown the shows we went to see included a musical based on a book by Richard Dawkins (The Selfish Gene: The Musical), improvisation from the Oxford Imps (who surprisingly went with mine and Rob’s suggestions such as “Really big grapefruit”, “corned beef” and “Shakespeare’s Adventures in Space”), live chat shows, a show combining straight to DVD Disney films and relationship problems (Thom Tuck Goes Straight To DVD) and a surprisingly funny look at a walk along the wall dividing Israel and the West Bank (the incredibly energetic Mark Thomas).

There were also various different stand ups that were more traditional, including the sharp one liners of Milton Jones and Shooting Stars writer Maff Brown. One particular highlight for me was Juliet Meyers, a comedian I had met on Twitter who was very funny and a genuinely lovely person, who accepted my fox ears present without looking at me like I was a mental furry obsessed stalker.

This is just a small overview of what the Fringe had to offer. It was also here that Jack, Darren and Carl generously showed me the error of my ways regarding whisky drinking and showed me the proper way to do it- single malt, bit of water, sip (or attempt to “chew”) and breathe through the mouth. Like haggis and deep fried mars bar it was one of those things that required a trip to Scotland to get the full feeling of it.

The trip wasn’t entirely for leisure purposes. I was distributing flyers for our sponsors and the group was on a mission of their own. The group had some success with a show supporting Idiots Of Ants and so there was some scouting of potential sketch troupes. This included the all female and very wacky Ladygarden, the inaccurately Ipswich referencing Durham Revue (it’s not a city, and their references to a prostitute killer were at odds with their otherwise wholesome and amusing lunch time sketch show), Delete The Banjax (who I didn’t see but I love the name), Don’t Trust Salmon (Great name and came up with gems like “Radio play versions of films”) and finally Late Night Gimp Fight (the one I warned you about earlier).

I must admit I was cynical about this and didn’t know what to expect. However the combination of comedy, songs, dance, puppetry and videos from this group were very impressive. Some of the group suggested they were slightly watered down from last year, but given this included a rap about bestiality and parents finding out their child is a prostitute you do have to wonder what the full fat version of this milky concoction would be!

While it was a hard slog to get up to the city from our vantage point in the South and it did rain (A LOT) it didn’t really matter. This was a truly beautiful occasion regardless of the weather and I would go again in a heartbeat. If you are a creative person I wholeheartedly recommend you go and experience it for yourself.

Finally, I cannot thank the guys enough for inviting me along. I had a truly exceptional time and I hope we can go again soon!