Anything but a day of rest

The first Sunday at the Fringe is given a boost by Scotland having a bank holiday the next day and with crowds streaming down into Cowgate early on it could be seen in full effect. 

With the Espionage storage room resembling a partially collapsed cave complex, awash with flyers and precariously placed boxes on buckling shelves, it took a while to find the flyers but once they were located I was out on the street with my bits of paper and a laurel wreath on my head. An American tourist said I looked like Caesar, which given I was also wearing a t-shirt and skinny jeans doesn't say much for the US education system. Still, the power of the £3 wreath was in full effect as Clash of the Tight Tens took place to a room with pretty much every seat taken. The bucket finished up with too much change and not enough notes but as fringe-goers bed in for their second of third day it can be assumed they begin to start budgeting on their donations.

A spot of lunch and a chat with a flyering Peter Merrett later and I was back outside the club with the First World Problem flyers. People seemed interested and at one point it felt like I was doling out something people actually wanted. The show kicked off at 2.45 with even more people than Tight Tens and you know it's going to be a good show when an audience member proudly takes off his newly bought trainers to show the audience when asked what he's bought lately. We finally got the right mix of vocal and backing track + necessary volume and conversation flowed easily between the crowd, Anna J and myself between the tracks. The bucket heaved and the comments were good with promises to tell friends. "This was nothing like I expected it to be but I loved it". Good quote.

Post-show we met up with Andy Storey for a coffee and tech-talk at Fringe Central before hopping over to the Southside Social for Taco's Travelling Man Showcase. The venue is lovely, though painfully just outside the sphere of most people's walking routes around the fringe. Performing at a variety show where the number of acts equals the number of audience should have been hard but thanks to the quality of what went on stage it was great regardless.

We have reviewers in on Tuesday. Tuesday has the potential to suck audience-wise. If you're planning on coming please make a date to do it Tuesday.