Just the Tonic at The Mash House Aug 3-27 Aug (14.40)
Material: Delivery: Laughs:
Hurt and Anderson’s “Come What May” is a female-powered buddy-comedy sketch show. The duo bring a sparkling vitality to the stage and their energy postulates from high for every moment. Their show centers around friendship, their friendship, the highs, the lows, the easy bits and the difficult parts. They employ a sketch comedy format, gently transitioning between characters and moods. They also incorporate their definite talents of music and movement. Hurt plays acoustic guitar and Anderson plays electric keys, and they sing, making delightful harmonies, & actual comedy! Indeed, H&A were finalists in this year’s Musical Comedy Awards, & in a recent interview with The Mumble, when asked he secrets behind writing & performing a funny song?, Georgia Hurt told us;
It’s funny you should ask! We have a song in the show this year based around this idea of trying to write a funny song. For us I think the main thing you have freedom with in a song is lyrical word play and structure. You can always play around with rhymes or subverting expectations. And then I think what works well for us is having this sweet sounding melody, which the lyrics then betray with something filthy or unexpected. The songs come much easier than sketches normally.
The most interesting part of Come What May is the tension between Hurt and Anderson. Long time best friends, but of course they have idiosyncratic differences and struggle to make a comedy team. This is humanity-in-comedy & their interpersonal dialogues were the strength of the hour. The two ladies helped me to reflect on my own friendships and wonder how I can be a better support for them. This is perfect comedy that gently pushed on the boundaries of enlightenment, which has you foot-tapping & whistling along as if we were sat in an Ohio saloon.
Diminutive David McIver is a self-confessed ‘Little man all grown up…’ but one would say, perhaps, because nobody with pretensions to possessing a serious adult persona would come out with some of the stuff & nonsense this fine young fellow does – not even his fellow comedians. But, this is what makes Mr McIver so special; he is unique, he is silly, he has an adorable beard & his material is a fascinating blend of high nonsenserie to be applauded. His poetical patter flows like a river as he easily, almost nonchalantly, elicits audience responses to his several secular sketches. I would say experiencing David’s comedy is like a tucking into a lovely, light & nutritious & salad, with just the perfect amount of citrussy dressing.
David McIver is a mermaid on a rock – with a beard – lulling south-side stragglers onto his reef where our vessels of normality will find themselves holed below the bottom by his spiky surreality & sink into the lagoon of his substantive comedy. He has the ability to make non-funny, pretty obvious things, sound funny, & somehow manages to draw humour from rigid reality. This is probably down to his studying at the prestigious Ecole Philippe Gaulier school for clownerie. In a recent interview with The Mumble, he played down with some humility his status as a clown;
Clown is so difficult and ‘good’ is far too high praise. I try to have loads of fun performing and do material that makes me laugh, and that helps me be playful and ridiculous. I’m pretty stupid and I don’t worry about looking like an idiot if I think it’ll be funny.
Unlike many comedians, who find stretching their floor-spot to an hour a too arduous a task, as David progressed he genuinely got funnier. The curious highlight of his show is his comedy doodles, a collection of which he has collated into a wee book & will give to anybody who donates £5 to the cause. This is a clearly a worthwhile endeavor, because there is a promise of burgeoning brilliance in Mr McIver’s work. He’s not quite the finished article yet, but after a stint at the Fringe & a year of reflection I have a feeling the dandy chap will be coming out with some real corker comedy. He did last night also, of course, a full room full of laughter is proof that, after excavating the mountain of daftness, there are are many of us who want to visit his cave.
Martha McBrier brings to this year’s Fringe a truly British and up-lifting comedy story. As a U.S. American, I have at times felt excluded from the British jokes I have witnessed, but I found Martha’s jokes to be educational and universal, as an entirely native crowd had the same grand load of laughs as I did.
Martha is a Glaswegian, but has lived in England for many years now. Her perspective on two regions of Great Britain taught me a lot about British culture. Martha’s story starts out with hilarious insights on being a teacher and dealing with bureaucracy. She has a great command of the stage, probably from her time as a college teacher (Martha’s words showed me it means high school in American English). The story takes a serious turn when Martha reveals that she went through some medical problems in the last year and ends with a cheery message about kindness. In a recent interview with The Mumble, Martha gives a brief but comprehensive account of her show as being;
Last year, I nearly died, was the victim of false allegations, tried to stop terrorism, found the man who attacked me years previously, lying in the street, and learned to play the didgeridoo. It’s a show about kindness…
For me, a tourist experience is where you pay money to observe another culture, while an authentic cultural experience is one where you are invited to feel how it is to exist amidst another culture. Martha’s show is an authentic cultural experience. The great thing about such an inviting spirit is that you see a truthful universality in which the vast majority of people want the same thing: to share kindness and also to have a darn good laugh along the way.
Hello Dave, so where ya from & where ya at, geographically speaking?
I’m from the UK’s showbiz hub: Luton. Grew up in Bedfordshire, lived in London, now live in Hertfordshire. Not very interesting is it? I’m from Fraggle Rock.
When did you first realise you were, well, funny?
I was a funny kid I think. I use to recreate the Lee Evans gigs I had on video for my mates at school and just constantly do impressions of Rik Mayall, Father Ted and Harry Enfield characters. One day my teacher sat down to tell me off for being a dick as usual and he opened with “the problem is you are very funny, even I laugh, but you’re killing everyone’s chances of getting decent GCSE’s.” Finally someone got through to me and I stopped fucking about unless people were paying me good money.
Upon which life-experiences do you draw your own comedy?
Anything that pisses me off. I have a song about the British Press in my current show. The printed media is dying and they’re not being very dignified about it. There’s a lot in my current show about LAD Culture – it’s not so much the lads I have a problem with more the way me, or anyone else in this industry who is from a working class background, is given that label. “How can he possibly play a King in Shakespeare when he spends his weekends drinking lager and watching football?”. By acting, go fuck yourself.
What does Dave Bibby like to do when he’s not being funny?
Drink lager and watch football. I don’t have a side job like most comedians. I just knock around doing a lot of presenting work. I do music gigs and festivals, host events for Guinness World Records and run a regular football podcast called ‘Jim and Dave Have Lost The Dressing Room’
You’ve been washed up on a desert island with a solar-powered DVD player & three films. Which would they be?
I’d crack open a couple of coconuts and watch Goodfellas, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and Bear Grylls ‘Born Survivor’. Then I’d act them all out as one complete live show for the seagulls – gangster goes mad then drinks his own piss.
Why stand-up comedy?
It’s just the simplest, most raw way of communicating opinions and it changes every time you do it
You’ve been on the telly & all that, how have you found the experiences?
Awesome. The main thing I’ve found about doing TV is two types of people appear online – 1) trolls and 2) people I haven’t heard of since school who pop up to tell me I’m doing well ‘cause I’ve just come on during the X Factor in an advert selling crisps
You are one third part of the immensely popular sketch act ‘Lead Pencil’, so why have you gone solo this Fringe?
Just fancied a new challenge really. I had a couple of years off the fringe and had that burn to do something new. All three from Lead Pencil are flying solo this year, the girls are doing very serious theatre – Louise is in Victim at Pleasance, Maddie is in Fleabag at Underbelly and I’m doing a rap about a pigeon with an attitude problem.
Can you tell us about your show?
Nobody Puts Bibby in the Corner at Underbelly, Cowgate. It’s like comedy pick ‘n mix (or comedy tapas if you’ve had a gap yah). It’s stand up, sketch, characters, songs, storytelling and lots of audience interaction. It’s completely random and stupid and a fun way to spend an hour
How do you find performing at the mega-mash-up that is the Edinburgh Fringe?
It’s amazing really. I took a chance and decided to do a show so without big producers or a great PR presence behind me so my audiences every day are so different because basically everyone has just taken a punt. And that makes it challenging for me which is exactly why I’m here
What will Dave Bibby be doing after the Fringe?
Going on holiday then apologising to the bank manager
Not every comedian or set of comedians can be cutting edge, & Laughing Stock certainly aren’t. The opening sketch takes more than a few cues from Alan Partridge and the familiar territories of “The Battle of the Sexes”, “New Age Mysticism” and “Everyone is Gay,” all well-worn paths and rarely trodden on by more cutting edge comics. However, not everybody wants cutting edge comedy, & Laughing Stock perform their material with wonderful aplomb and meticulous vim; and the fact that one of the performers seemed to have been suffering from a little too much indulgence in the 5am licensing laws only added to the charm. Laughing Stock, while certainly exercising the funny bone, do little in mobilizing the grey matter, but dumb is fun & there is more to this young quartet than meets the eye.
With an ever growing sense of familiarity & comfort I proceeded to chuckle throughout most of the sixty minute duration, and was certainly never bored, which I possibly couldn’t say for any abstract mime retrospectives I might happen across during the course of August. Sometimes the dumber something is the smarter it is. To pull off a truly idiotic sketch with complete conviction and gusto, and not least of all the unblinking confidence that these guys knew they were funny, is the effective & intelligent formula of the hypermodern clown. In a recent interview with the Mumble, Laughing Stock’s Lewis described the ingredients to their sketches as being;
There has to be a game, some jeopardy between the characters that makes the scene interesting and alive. The ‘story’ of the sketch. But that can be absolutely anything. And is always subservient to the funnies. E.g. if there’s just a really funny noise you can make in the middle of this really tense scene, do it – and get offstage. Oh and, of course, my personal favourite, WACKY CHARACTERS!!
Altho’ this may seem like a mixed review, the truth is I enjoyed this show immensely. A bit like re-visiting some old friends you haven’t seen for a while who always make you crack a smile, or re-watching some of those classic nineties comedy shows. At the end of the day, comedy should make you laugh and that is precisely what this show did. Even the mildly inappropriate poignancy of the closing number didn’t steal any of the charm, despite being a tad embarrassing. Never the less, it is a song that is still buzzing around in my head; & as a penner of the occasional humorous song myself, I had to appreciate the quality of the comedy song-writing. If you want to laugh, see this show, if you want your mind expanded buy a nose flute, walk naked through the Gaza strip and live on nothing but beansprouts and eggplant for six months, try elsewhere. I know which I’d rather be doing after a long day at work.
For “Self Helpless,” Sandra Hale performs a witty satire of a self-help guru, and dispenses actual wisdom to her audience. She gives us her realizations from decades being a funny woman, surviving despite societies demand that people are good looking, submissive and talented. She uses music and charisma with her audience and even some tap dancing. Sandra’s character is a master of charm, and through her hour of acutely vivid performance, we see that charm can be just another trick someone learned from a self-help book. In an earlier interview with The Mumble, Sandra ruminated upon the book which accompanies her show;
My book is a complete antithesis to every self help book out there. After all we can’t all be selfless, moralistic and confident. So if like me you are insecure, needy, and a people pleaser then this book is for you. You may still have low self esteem after reading it but you won’t care. The show came first and the book evolved from it. They are both different but the theme runs true in both. Never be yourself! It doesn’t work!
Self Helpless is a smart satire of the self-help industry, which often asks that people change themselves in order to be more themselves, a paradox which is mostly unhelpful. Sandra’s guru character bewitches us all at the beginning of the show, and as the story unfolds we see that the human being behind the charm is suffering just as much as us. To hear articulated & to understand that we are all just as miserable as one another is an eye-opening epiphany; when we realize that suffering is normal we can stop worrying about trying to change and we can be more content with our lives. You will not figure out the cause of your misery from seeing “Self Helpless,” but you can have a splendid time and gain some illumination into how you can begin to help yourself by seeing teh very special Sandra Hale this Fringe.
For the next two Fridays – the 11th & the 18th – The Mumble will be bring 5 acts from the Edinburgh Fringe to perform for the good folk of East Lothian. There will be a licensed bar & under-18s are allowed in if accompanied by an adult.
People may come & go as they please through the night & it is free to get in, but as in the spirit of the Free Fringe in Edinburgh, bucket will be set up near the door to receive donations towards paying the costs of the evening. Doors will open at 19.30, & close at 23.30. Inbetween, the running order is as follows, with the acts performing for about 25 minutes each;
19:45 : BEN DALI
A talented hypnotist & mind-reader from London. He is currently performing his ‘Strictly Come Trancing” show at the Fringe.
Dave Bibby, who loves to precede his name with ‘TVs’ is performing at the Underbelly this August, but will be nipping into East Lothian for a couple of hours….
Hello Martha, so where ya from & where ya at, geographically speaking?
Locale – wise- originally from Glasgow – now I’ m a Londoner
When did you first realise you were, well, funny?
I was always a good mimic and used to make people laugh with my impersonations of people around; teachers, colleagues and so on. I decided to try stand-up later in life, with no idea what I was doing, or how to make a career from it. Over the last 20 years I have dipped my toe in then, had lengthy hiatuses.
The Glaswegian comic is traditionally a no-holds-barred, in-yer-face truth-seeking kinda creature. Can you tell us why that is?
Glaswegians are not really ‘in yer face. We just don’t have the same politeness gene that English people have. It’s often said that people from the North of Scotland are softer, gentler. That’s because they never see anybody. I do tell true stories which is pure Glaswegian.
What are the secrets of a good joke?
It has to be funny. Other than that, I have absolutely no idea.
What does Martha McBrier like to do when she’s not being funny?
Nothing. I live to be funny.
Your partner is also a comedian – Matt Price – how funny is your household?
We have a very silly humour-play when we are in the house together. Silly faces, dances, voices. It’s embarrassing, really. We run things by one another all the time. That’s good fun. I am definitely Matt’s muse.
You are bringing us your show ‘Balmory Doubtfire,’ to the Fringe. Can you tell us about it?
Last year, I nearly died, was the victim of false allegations, tried to stop terrorism, found the man who attacked me years previously, lying in the street, and learned to play the didgeridoo. It’s a show about kindness
Can you sum up the Fringe experience in a single sentence?
I find trying to sum things up in a single sentence very stressful. So, no, I can’t
You’ve been performing at the Fringe for over a decade now, how has the festival evolved in that time?
It’s so big! I love that Free shows and Pay-what-you-like shows have developed in number and credibility. I was the first person to get a 5 star Scotsman review for a free show and I am very proud of that. (ooh get her)
What does the rest of 2017 hold in store for Martha McBrier?
I will be working on a didgeridoo CD, which will include covers of ABBA, Queen, Liberty X and Stormzy.
Hello Samantha, so where ya from & where ya at, geographically speaking?
I am from and reside in the Black Country. It’s a real place, but it’s like purgatory. A lot of people get stuck there. My town Walsall is actually the 4th most deprived area in England according to our local paper.It’s called the Black Country as there used to be a lot of factories there, the smoke from the factories would turn the sky black. The factories have mostly gone now but there’s still plenty of smoke, from spliffs and cracks pipes. There’s no place like home!
Who are your comedy idols?
I really love Russell Brand, Bill Hicks, Alfie Brown, Sarah Pascoe & Fern Brady. They all seem to be saying something interesting. I came to Edinburgh 4 years ago as an Actress and I saw Alfie, Rosie Wilby and Mark Thomas. They inspired me to try comedy. I see it as a platform for the truth. George Orwell said “Every joke is a tiny revolution.” I’m all about social change and am drawn to comics who have compassion for people. It was a shock to learn there are so many narcissists in this industry. I guess we all have to be a little bit vain to get up on stage and tell strangers about ourselves. I tend to avoid comics that talk ONLY about themselves though. They are energy vampires!
You’ve been washed up on a desert island with a solar-powered DVD player & three films. Which would they be?
Almost Famous, it’s my favourite ever film, I never get bored of it. It is so truthful and I love the characters. It’s about being a fan. Anyone that’s ever loved a band or has a hero could relate. I would need to laugh so Russell Brand’s Messiah Complex, that is one of the few stand up shows I can watch again and again. It’s interesting as well as funny and I notice different details every time I watch it. Finally a classic epic Gone with the Wind. The strength of Scarlett O’hara would keep me from topping myself whilst stranded. Tomorrow is another day!
You have been described as an ‘anarcha-feminist,’which seems an unusual field from which to draw comedy. Is it a rich field to harvest?
I think confrontation can create comedy, or just enemies. Confrontation with bare breasts is very funny, but also very serious. We are serious comedians. I was actually a comedian before I became an anarcha-feminist, before I was just ‘a feminist’ but I had to separate myself from the ones who hate men and sex positive women. Anarchy is about challenging hierarchy, feminism is about challenging patriarchy. So it makes sense that feminism shouldn’t turn into a matriarchy. We need equal ground!
What is it about performing live you love the most?
The warm fuzzy feeling you get from intimately connecting with an audience. You can’t get that soul connection through a plasma screen. Last night I got both kisses and cuddles from my audience on their way out. That is way better than a thumbs up on youtube.
In the past you have featured in national papers and magazines as a glamour model. It seems quite a leap from there to an socially-agitating, feminist comedienne. Can you describe the journey?
I come from a town where the best I could hope for with only GCSE qualifications was a career in our local ASDA. I lasted 6 months working on the tills in asda then moved to London. I did what I could to try and make a living in the entertainment industry, as drama school was too expensive. So glamour modelling was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down, I didn’t do too much and wasn’t allowed to bare my nipples as I was also a member of Pineapple Cheerleaders. We would perform for kids so nipples (which used to feed the little brats) were unacceptable but my coach was cool that my arse cheeks were on the front page of Nuts magazine. Maybe this oppression is what fuels my drive to free all nipples. I would do bits of acting work as well as modelling and cheerleading and I decided I wanted to be a comic after visiting the fringe with a play in 2013.
What does Samantha Pressdee like to do when she’s not being funny?
She likes to have bubble baths, go to yoga & kick boxing. I love my anarchist friends and go visit their squats whenever I am in London. In the show I talk a lot about the Autonomous Nation of Anarchist Libertarians, otherwise known as ANAL. Earlier this year they were in the press a lot occupying mansions in Belgravia, to give the homeless shelter. There are something like 1.5 million empty buildings in the UK, more than enough to house all the homeless. This injustice needs to be highlighted, so thank god for ANAL. Our next big fight is against the extradition of alleged hacker Lauri Love. He is appealing in the high courts this November on the grounds that because of his Aspergers and severe depression he would be unable to cope in the US prison system and would commit suicide.
You are bringing your show Back to Basics to the Fringe this August, can you tell us about it?
Yes, it’s about waking up to how austerity has affected our front line emergency service workers and therefore the communities that rely on those services. Particularly people with disabilities or mental health issues. After losing my Dad a few years ago the life I was trying to build in London came crashing down. I saw how short staffed the hospitals were, and lost my home in London as I couldn’t afford to pay my private landlord after all the work I’d missed caring for Dad. My husband then left after I had a mental breakdown. I ended up in a police cell because there were no beds available on the NHS. I’m talking about the importance of getting our basic needs met as a society to maintain mental health. I like the idea of an unconditional basic income and think we need more social housing. Especially in London.
Can you tell us about Tom Palmer & why you connected with him so much?
Tom Palmer was a legendary activist, anarchist and spy catcher. A true revolutionary and champion of the underdog. He dropped out of goldsmiths university to become a full time member of the occupy movement. I met him at Sweets Way Resists, the campaign against social cleansing I talk about throughout the show. He was always fighting the good fight, despite being vulnerable himself. We had both been let down by the mental health system. That mutual understanding of what it’s like to lose touch with reality and rely on a broken system to save you was probably what bonded us. He was a kindred spirit. Last year when I was in Edinburgh another comic, Jon Pearson had ganged up on me along with other comedians on twitter after I stuck some tiny #FreeTheNipple stickers on giant posters. (They easily peeled off.) Jon grassed me up to both the fringe society and Just The Tonic publicly. Tom stuck up for me sharing a video I had posted joining me in my cry “Fuck you Jon Pearson.” He wanted to come up here to help me infiltrate the comedy boys club and perform an impromptu show on Calton hill. He’d asked me for money for a bus ticket days before, I didn’t have it. I had planned to have him come stay with me in the Black Country after Edinburgh, get him under my mental health team, help him apply for his disability benefits and maybe get him into supported accommodation. Tragically, I was too late. On August 22nd I found out from a Facebook post that he had passed away. I wanted to save him but didn’t have the resources, so he fell through our disintegrating welfare safety net. My show is for him, all I can do now to honour his memory is continue our shared mission.
Can you sum up your show in a single sentence?
It’s a cry for help!
In one sentence can you describe the experience of performing in Edinburgh in August?
An enjoyable clusterfuck with multiple climaxes but also with a lot of uncomfortable prodding and fake screaming.
What does the rest of 2017 hold in store for Samantha Pressdee
I would love to go on holiday to Greece, I’ll visit my husband who I’ve been separated from for 2 years to check we really do wanna get divorced. Then I might go to India to study Kundalini Yoga. If hubby and I decide to stay just friends I’ll probably wanna find a boyfriend. So I might try actual dating, that would be a new experience for me because I usually just pounce on them. I want to schedule more social time, I’ve spent so much time producing this show that I miss my friends. I’ll do *some* work. Back 2 Basics is scheduled in Telford and Leeds already.
Just the Tonic at the Caves August 3rd – 27th (16:20)
Material: Delivery: Laughs:
Mr Kealy rose onto the small Fringe stage almost reaching the ceiling with the top of his rather intelligent head. There is no doubt that this comedian slash maths teacher started out expecting to be found funny, such was the confidence in his demeanor. The whoops of certain members of the audience proved such anticipation to be shared… he’d clearly made people laugh before. But stand-up is more than just laughter, its about having a good time, & I cannot help but feel I have not had the best hour I’ve ever had with a Stand-Up comic in the company of Mr Kealy, & perhaps this wasn’t his best performance either. I did, however, spend some time with the fellow, a fine man really, who does posses a number of merits, so let us focus on these.
Mr Kealy is a master of the grand digress for example, & his admission to being a teacher, not long into his show, gave a ready explanation as to his peculiar sense of style and delivery of material. Quirkily entertaining, he possessed a rich gift for audience participation garnered from handling the lecture halls of 2017. His themes were grandiose, witty ruminations on the state of living in the modern world & our following of those major events played out by the global media. Then, he plummets us all into the depths of the toilet bowl with pockets of purile patter. This bipolar attitude gives a great sense of paradoxicality to Mr Kealy’s set, which is more like a storm-buffeted sail vessel in a restless sea – occasionally we are able to see blue skies & yellow sands through a tear in the black clouds – but then we lose sight of land once again. Saying that, Alex has a heart-felt & melodic comedic tone, which is nice to trance out to, & as I clearly found out around me, folk did find him very funny, & you could well be one of them.
Delivery: 
Delivery: 
Martha is a Glaswegian, but has lived in England for many years now. Her perspective on two regions of Great Britain taught me a lot about British culture. Martha’s story starts out with hilarious insights on being a teacher and dealing with bureaucracy. She has a great command of the stage, probably from her time as a college teacher (Martha’s words showed me it means high school in American English). The story takes a serious turn when Martha reveals that she went through some medical problems in the last year and ends with a cheery message about kindness. 
Hello Dave, so where ya from & where ya at, geographically speaking?
Can you tell us about your show?
Hello Martha, so where ya from & where ya at, geographically speaking?
Hello Samantha, so where ya from & where ya at, geographically speaking?
You are bringing your show Back to Basics to the Fringe this August, can you tell us about it?
Mr Kealy is a master of the grand digress for example, & his admission to being a teacher, not long into his show, gave a ready explanation as to his peculiar sense of style and delivery of material. Quirkily entertaining, he possessed a rich gift for audience participation garnered from handling the lecture halls of 2017. His themes were grandiose, witty ruminations on the state of living in the modern world & our following of those major events played out by the global media. Then, he plummets us all into the depths of the toilet bowl with pockets of purile patter. This bipolar attitude gives a great sense of paradoxicality to Mr Kealy’s set, which is more like a storm-buffeted sail vessel in a restless sea – occasionally we are able to see blue skies & yellow sands through a tear in the black clouds – but then we lose sight of land once again. Saying that, Alex has a heart-felt & melodic comedic tone, which is nice to trance out to, & as I clearly found out around me, folk did find him very funny, & you could well be one of them.
Mumble Comedy 