Andrew Latimer

DeAnne Smith: Livin’ The Sweet Life

Routinely adorable, impish comedy

It’s taken Montréaler DeAnne Smith only a few years to achieve what many circuit veterans never come close to. With her trusty ukulele and sweetened yet ribald observations on sex and life, she struck gold at the Sydney Comedy Festival, prompting…

The Boy With Tape On His Face - More Tape

Comedy that sticks: an equally formidable collection of games, gags and gambits

Have you been following @tapefaceboy over the last couple of years? If not, you’re probably one of the few who hasn’t. TV appearances, newspaper interviews and comedy awards have saturated the blogosphere with duct tape-based hashtags and propelled Sam…

Jonny & The Baptists

Enthusiastic comedy blues, whole-heartedly committed to political satire

Ex-Roaring Boys frontman Jonny Donahoe has enjoyed well-heeled success at previous festivals, and landed at the Fringe 2010 with the kind of dynamism required to prosper in a double act. He transfers the same wild, raw energy to his new trio…

Tom Stade Totally Rocks!

Lavishly furnished routine from master of hardcore comedy

It’s certainly worth doing your research before travelling to a Tom Stade show, as he won’t be for everyone. Comedy audiences may well have seen watered down versions of the Canadian’s stand-up on TV, when censors request that he keep the hardcore sex…

Rick Shapiro - Rebirth

The tragedy of Shapiro’s story means there is little to laugh at

It has always been strange to witness the tragedy at the heart of successful comedy. Voyeurism, schadenfreude, even embarrassment are tools of the audience when watching comics bear their soul for laughs. With Rick Shapiro however, there really is…

Mark Restuccia - How to Succeed at Internet Dating

Step 1: Don’t follow the example set here

It makes sense that Mark Restuccia’s debut solo show at the Fringe is a ‘How To…’. The format is safe and straightforward, offering clear structure and allowing for plenty of easy punch lines. Throw in a handy PowerPoint to supply images and videos, and…

Blind Date Ruined My Life

Flavourless comedy reliving the cheesiness of 80s/90s TV

Most people remember Blind Date as a harmless, bland piece of programming which almost everyone seemed to watch. Our Cilla and her contestants offered the kind of light tea-time diversion which terrestrial television thrived on. It’s hard to imagine the…

Gavin Webster: Bill Hicks Wasn’t Very Good

…But he was certainly better than this

Outrage at the Fringe is usually induced by some Sadowitz-esque remark about a tragedy which occurred an hour before the gig. But there aren’t many forbidden topics for comedians themselves, a gauntlet which could, and should, have been slammed to the…

Sam Fletcher - Good on Paper

Weird and wacky mix of magic and music

There has been a surge in self-deprecating geeky comics over the last few years, reflecting a kind of postmodern twist of fate. Being a nerd has become cool, and Sam Fletcher’s weird and wacky show – a mix of crude magic, flipchart proposals and ‘dad…

James Acaster

Brings joy to surreal and eccentric comedy

A criticism levelled at James Acaster over the last couple of years is that his material has been somewhat puerile. He’s been tipped as a young comedian with real potential but still in need of much improvement, something far from the truth in this…

Ian Shaw: A Bit of a Mouthful

Comic jazz set about modern woes that could benefit from a little more substance

Celebrated jazz pianist, singer, producer and comedian (take your pick) Ian Shaw doesn’t have to prove anything. His work with renowned vocalists, artists and studios has earned him the right to step back a little. But in this breezy show, Shaw blandly…

Chris Brain: A Better Place

Intelligent Kiwi comedy flattened by misplaced jokes

With such an abundance of comedians playing on the Fringe, it’s hard to recognise which routines are genuine and which are totally over-manufactured. Kiwi comic Chris Brain quietly steps onto the stage and brings with him an intelligent and enchantingly…

Garrett Millerick: Sensible Answers to Stupid Questions

Shouty, ranty set about popular culture

The last thing festival audiences want is to sit in a cramped, boiling hot venue and have a comic shout at them. When this is done ironically, it can actually make matters worse, as it masks real and fairly broad anger and contempt. For large…

Continuous Growth

Insightful show confronts human consequences of Icarus-style banking

It’s ironic that a show which mocks our endless need for growth has itself undergone much transformation. Relocated from Finland to Scotland by the creative mind of Catherine Grosvenor, director Aleksis Meaney leads an epic and apposite voyage into the…

Jen Brister: Now and Then

Blisteringly funny view of adulthood

A self-confessed woman-child (or ‘adult-adolescent’), Jen Brister is no longer young. But she’s certainly by no means old. With the same feverish style found in last year’s Jen Brister is British(ish) and which frequently encourages hilarious tangents…

Martin Mor: A Man You Don’t Meet Everyday

Infectiously amusing and sociable stand-up show

A tattooed darts player. A hairy biker. A rapist Santa Claus. These are past comparisons used to describe Northern Irishman Martin Mor, which he openly lists with a kind of teasing glee. Snap judgments are the exact reactions Mor tries to dismantle over…

Chris Kent: Plugged In

Breathes new life into anecdotal comedy

Making his Fringe debut is deadpan Irish comedian Chris Kent. His timing, stoic facial expressions and savvy use of repetition recall a young Michael Redmond, as Kent eases into his show about living in Cork and previously working as an…

Dan Mitchell – Free Egg

Surreal gags partially rescue an overall flat routine

Welsh comedian Dan Mitchell has established himself fairly successfully over the last couple of years. After playing at the Cardiff Comedy Festival in 2011 and performing as a contestant on ITV’s Show Me The Funny, he’s brought a freshness to stale…

Summer Festivals 2012: Music

T in the Park, Wickerman and Belladrum among the music fests pleasing your ears this summer

T in the Park Basics: Balado by Kinross, Fri 6–Sun 8 Jul, tinthepark.com Price: Weekend: £179 (campsite tickets available separately). Day: £70–£77.50. Line-up: The Stone Roses, Snow Patrol, Kasabian, New Order, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds…

Summer Festivals 2012: Community

Solas, Leith and West End Fests among the best community-focused fests around Scotland this summer

West End Festival Where: Various venues, West End of Glasgow, 1–24 Jun, westendfestival.co.uk Price: Free–£20 for bigger gigs Line-up: James Yorkston, Howard Marks, Suzanne Vega, Michael Marra, We Were Promised Jetpacks You want to learn Gaelic in…

Summer Festivals 2012: The weird and wonderful

Some of the more eccentric festivals you can take part in this summer

Ballater Victoria Week Where: Various venues across Ballater, Aberdeenshire, Sat 4–Sun 12 Aug, victoriaweek.org Price: Free–£10. Line-up: Aboyne Hip Hop Juniors, Guarana Drummers, An Evening of Clairvoyance with Maureen Smith This annual…

Theatre and dance highlights of the West End Festival 2012

Featuring Pygmalion, Man of the House and Pulse 12

At first glance, the theatre and dance programme for this year’s West End Festival looks a bit traditional as the team from A Play, a Pie and a Pint offers up Shaw and Jarry classics while The Tempest and Romeo and Juliet are brought back for the Bard…

Rita Ora, The Blackout and We Were Promised Jetpacks added to T in the Park 2012 lineup

T in the Park today added more artists to their festival line-up, bringing an eclectic mix of head-banging rock, jaunty blues and even some South African pop with St. Lucia (Jean-Philip Grobler). T welcomes the club/RnB mash-up music of Rita Ora…

Trailer for The Lucifer Effect marries found footage with hyper-viral marketing

Cinema has had its fair share of found footage thrillers recently. While some have had some success on a semi-stale horror circuit (such as the almost genre-defining Blair Witch Project and the Paranormal Activity series), others have failed massively…