Edblog: Aug 6th

Today was the first of our days off. Based on turnouts in previous years I concluded that Tuesdays were the slowest day and therefore the best to take off and go and support other acts. Due to a late night I saw less than I had planned to but I at least dented my monolithic list of shows to see.

Last night I saw Wingman: My Brother The Top Gun Pilot featuring JB Carter  at the multi-storey squat that is Bar Bados. A neat tale drawing parallels between the film and JB's brother's airforce-based incidents, it was a diverting hour with some nice jokes and a genuine personal story.

This lunchtime I joined a long queue for David McIver's Teleport at The Banshee Labyrinth (Cinema Room.) Some people thought it was a magic show but those of us who had read the blurb knew it to be a character comedy based hour recalling David's own personal experience of growing up immersed in online fantasy quest games. Exceptionally funny takes on adventurers, magical items and everything in-between followed with a healthy dose of audience interaction and a powerful emotional twist towards the end. One to see this year before it inevitably ends up somewhere bigger and more expensive in 2020.

Following this I was at The Mash House (Snifter Room) for Andy Storey's Still (Awkward) Life. With his softly spoken delivery, the show was as much a quiet chat with friends as it was a series of amusing anecdotal stories about awkwardness and anxiety. Addressing and equally engaging a front row featuring an age range of about 4 decades - Andy's ability to capture the attention of the assembled was delivered with understated confidence. The bombastic (for Andy) twist at the end is well worth waiting for.

The final show of the day was again at The Mash House but this time I was up and down from the audience at regular intervals as I was MCing The Musical Comedy Guide Showcase. After introducing the show and a couple of songs it was simply a case of getting up and clapping on the next act every ten minutes. The acts were great and the audience thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Definitely one for those who like their mirth with a tempo and melody.

Stats unchanged from yesterday

Clash of the Tight Tens
Bums on seats: 13 (Total: 91)
Cash in the swing bin: £40 (Total: £159)

99 (First World) Problems
Bums on seats: 15 (Total: 86)
Cash in the bag for life: £61 (Total: £206)

Edblog: Aug 5th

They call it "Black Monday" apparently but there was no sign of a let-up when it came to our shows. Clash of the Tight Tens may have been a lot quieter than the day before but the audience enjoyed the acts to the tune of an average £3 a person whilst at 99FWP we went one better with £4 per person on a turnout of 15 - 5 of which were a theatre group performing nearby.

These stats follow a trend I've previously noticed where large audience don't necessarily equal large buckets. Whilst larger audiences assume that everyone else will put in and therefore adjust their donation accordingly, smaller audiences express their more personal experience in quite the opposite direction. 

Tomorrow we're taking the day off. Originally this was to see shows but we've somehow ended up hosting the Musical Comedy Guide show in the middle of them so it's "work" as usual.

Clash of the Tight Tens
Bums on seats: 13 (Total: 91)
Cash in the swing bin: £40 (Total: £159)

99 (First World) Problems
Bums on seats: 15 (Total: 86)
Cash in the bag for life: £61 (Total: £206)

Edblog: Aug 4th

Things just got better today with increased turnouts at both shows threatening to hit their respective room capacities. 

Over at Cabaret Voltaire things started unpromisingly with little footfall down the street and the Royal Mile full of pedestrians utilising their best leave-me-alone glares. However, as showtime approached people began to stream in - all apparently drawn by the fringe guide (note to self, stay in bed later.) The acts then absolutely smashed the room. Superb sets from Lenny Sherman, Aidan "Taco" Jones, The Bristol Revunions, Stevie Gray and Tom Little repeatedly hit the funny bone and the cave reverberated to the call of, "Meal De-al!" A special mention goes to Stevie's extra special guest, his 9 month old son who he held throughout his ten minutes.

Following an hour of hit and miss flyering in the pay venue powerhouse zone of Georges Square (choice quote from a retired lady, "I saw some comedy at The Pleasance last night but it was awful so I don't think I want to watch any more"), it was time to head to Sofi's Southside for 99 (First World) Problems. The street was, as usual, quiet and the show previous to us had about 5 people in it. We were braced ourselves for an "intimate" performance.

As it turned out, our worries were misplaced. At 3.40 the foyer area was full of people and Anna J was directing them to write their names on their VIP Crew Pass stickers. Delaying slightly for people waiting on cocktails, we launched into our biggest show yet. The audience; a real mix of young, old, local, national and international, joined in whole heartedly and we raised the roof. The set pieces worked, the songs were strong and we even pulled off most of our improvisations to genuine laughs. Alongside a good bucket take (given the number of families with children) the key rings went like actual desirable objects and we would have taken our first card payment had my device not suddenly decided it was exactly the time to do a software update.

Clash of the Tight Tens
Bums on seats: 34 (Total: 78)
Cash in the swing bin: £50 (Total: £119)

99 (First World) Problems
Bums on seats: 28 (Total: 71)
Cash in the bag for life: £52 (Total: £145)

Edblog: Aug 3rd

Saturday is usually a very busy day at fringe and though we certainly increased our numbers it wasn't quite the sell-out rush I'd predicted.

Clash of the Tight Tens was just under half full as we kicked off at 12:15 and fantastic and varied sets came from Ali Woods, John Pendal, Bad Clowns, Hugo Hamlet and Andy Onions (now with projector screen.) The ceiling occasionally dripped on the people at the back but didn't do too much to distract from what was going on at the front. The front row was the domain of a group of middle aged men clearly out on the piss who were very good humoured. One of the advantages of running a lunchtime show rather than one later on.

A guest spot at the Globe Bar to an audience of 8 with The Complete History of Pop in an Hour was sandwiched between Tight Tens and 99FWP and provided light relief as we sang along to pop classics and performed Stuck On Hold and Meal Deal in the feature spot.

From here it was a brisk walk to Sofi's to find twenty people milling about our foyer area outside the room. Though our venue is further out than most it does have some definite advantages when it comes to layout and general look. Espionage may have been a busier spot last year but it's rabbit warren of tunnels and rooms pales in comparison to a light airy bar with a dedicated waiting area.

The show itself went well with the audience happy throughout out. Some good ad-libs from both of us kept things moving along and we came in at exactly 50 minutes. The room may have had a few spare seats but it was a great show for the weekend.

Clash of the Tight Tens
Bums on seats: 15 (Total: 42)
Cash in the swing bin: £35 (Total: £69)

99 (First World) Problems
Bums on seats: 20 (Total: 43)
Cash in the bag for life: £41 (Total: £93)

Edblog: Aug 2nd

Edinburgh is not normally this sunny. This may explain why numbers grew nicely from yesterday to give us another day of good shows.

Clash of the Tight Tens looked like an awkward one minutes before showtime with just one act having arrived and five expectant audience members in the room. However, by 12.15 all but one act was accounted for and a stream of latecomers bumped the numbers up to a half full room. Andy Onions' anarchic tech setup as part of his routine was an interesting twist to proceedings, Sadia Asmat's slightly too rude for lunchtime set caused a parent to cover their teenager's ears for a good thirty seconds and an absent act gave me more stage time than usual so it was anything but predictable. The bucket was disappointing though. More work required on the all important speech.

99 (First World) Problems had no such issue though and after fifty minutes of music and general nonsense with teenagers, retired Americans and a smattering of locals we averaged £3 a head. Better than the Free Festival average of a pound less than this. Saturday's show promises to be even busier, here we go!

Clash of the Tight Tens
Bums on seats: 20 (Total: 27)
Cash in the swing bin: £20 (Total: £34)

99 (First World) Problems
Bums on seats: 14 (Total: 23)
Cash in the bag for life: £41 (Total: £52)

Edblog: August 1st.

Today was preview day at the fringe and we had expected a quiet start because of this. However, our modest expectations were more than met when both Clash of the Tight Tens and 99 (First World) Problems brought in more people than the comparable shows last year. This despite Tight Tens last minute move to Cabaret Voltaire (with the now falling down Espionage listed in the print guide) and the rap show moving somewhat out of town beyond the Counting House to Sofi's Southside Social. Things are looking good for our first big weekend.

August 1st Stats
Clash of the Tight Tens 
Bums on seats: 7
Cash in the swing bin (yes, I'm using a small swing bin from Poundland this year): £14
99 (First World) Problems
Bums on seats: 9 (inc. a mum and three children)
Cash in the bag for life: £11

Edinburgh 2019

The run-up to Edinburgh this year has been a busy one with performances at more fringes than ever in 2019. With Sofi's Southside about to become our therapy room / hip hop stadium for the next month here's a rundown of those shows + the all important facts and figures relating to this year's show.

Leicester Comedy Festival (Feb)

A surprisingly nice function room in O'Neils. 14 attendees mostly over the age of 50. Pretty good for a work in progress.

The Oakwood Fringe (May)

My own mini-festival. 12 crew members, mainly families with younger children. Very enjoyable.

Coventry Comedy Festival (May)

A nightclub on a hot day with 8 people in it. Still good fun. We sold more advance tickets for this than people who actually showed up. 

Buxton Fringe (July)

A cafe on the high street where we brought our own PA. 10 retired people had a really good time with us. We also got a good review the day after on the official site - suggesting we really should have booked more dates.

The Great Manchester Fringe (July)

We appeared on a drag queen's community Youtube show and BBC Radio Manchester in advance of this one. On the night, however, it was once again the sound of 10 people having a really good time in the back of a pub.

Morecambe Fringe (July)

No microphones in a pop-up venue one street back from the seafront. This felt like a PBH Edinburgh venue and had the same fantastic community spirit. With 16 people in on our Sunday night this was the busiest of all our shows - and possibly the most fun.

Now for Edinburgh...

As has become the norm for my Edinburgh Festival blog; I'll be logging our activities everyday, reflecting on the experience and keeping a running stats sheet of bums on seats and money in the bucket. 

We start Edinburgh over £3000 in the hole. If we make this back then I'll be more than happy as it will mean we only lose whatever we actually spend whilst we're up there. Should we make back this as well you can expect to see us with our own BBC 3 series in the new year. Yes, it's that unlikely.

THE PRICE OF "FAME"

Accommodation for two: £2144

Fringe Guide Registration (2 shows): £590

5,0000 Flyer and 50 Poster Package (2 shows): £200

Laughing Horse Contribution (2 shows): £200

99 (First World) Problem T-Shirts (x5): £20

Promotional key rings (x100): £10

Total: £3164