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The Edinburgh Fringe FestivalHaving lived in Edinburgh last year before I made the move down south to London, I was itching with excitement on the overnight bus as I headed back to experience the city's famous Fringe Festival. I had actually just arrived to live in Scotland's capital during last year's festivities. However, a lack of funds after travelling around Europe prior to arrival meant that my memory of the experience is littered with job interviews, peanut butter on toast for dinner, and trying to get lucky with my last funds in the Ladbrokes. All of this whilst living on the floor of a box room in a house with somewhere between nine and fifteen people (never did get the official figure). It is fair to say that I was determined that my recollections this time around would be of the shows, concerts, exhibitions and cultural explosions that the Fringe is renowned for. Arriving early on Friday at my friend's flat just off Leith Walk, I immediately rang the office in London to call in sick for work. Definitely needed three days instead of two to fit in what I wanted to do being the thinking. First on the agenda was showing a friend "fresh off the boat" from Australia around the city. The walking tour route I chose took in Rose Street and its many unique bars, down Prince Street with the forever impressive castle overlooking us, and through the Prince Street gardens. The gardens during the festival are packed with travellers from all around the world. Hacky Sacks are rampant, the scent of hash comes and goes, and a constant flashing from cameras operated by the "waterproof jacket-wearing" tourist set remind you that Edinburgh is hardly the hidden gem Alex Garland's Thailand Beach was. Next port of call was the Royal Mile, where the first real evidence of the festival hits your senses like a sledgehammer. The cobbled street is abuzz with street acts every ten or so metres, market stalls, and hundreds of people in costume vying for your attention. The street acts are often the way the comics self-promote their extended shows later that night, and can sometimes be a better lead of what to see than reading a review in The Scotsman . We headed to the Spiegeltent , which is a staple of the Fringe. The Spiegeltent travels to festivals worldwide, offering something for everyone. Whilst there we were offered free tickets by a Swedish couple to see Sabotage at the nearby George Square Theatre. Taking our seats among a crowd of no more than thirty people, there was more than a little feeling of skepticism. The act consisted of two rubber faced Canadians working off each other in guises such as: a horse and man team, an old couple from the deep south, and a father and his teenage daughter. Their acting, timing and the way they tied their hilarious characters in to a single storyline at the end was sensational. The performance deserved a much larger audience. On a high from the show, we headed back to the Spiegeltent to see Scottish band Shooglenifty . The crowd was very diverse, and the very comfortable and quaint atmosphere created by the unique venue was perfect for the music, which could be described as folk on acid such was its often chaotic energy. By about the third song the initially reserved crowd resembled more Scottish Ceildh than band audience, with people being swept up in the performance enough to dance with free abandon. The Spiegeltent hadn't finished entertaining us when Shooglenifty finished their gig to raucous appreciation though, as we were extremely lucky in obtaining the last two tickets to see Jimoein perform a twenty minute impromptu guest slot in the Tiny Top tent. Quite a unique experience seeing such a famous comedian perform in a small tent holding roughly twenty people. The glorious weather the next morning seemed a perfect opportunity to have a wander around the Royal Botanical Gardens where we gazed in awe at the photographs from Yann Arthus-Bertrand's outdoor Earth From The Air exhibition. Yann-Bertrand's photographs are a truly beautiful glimpse at what has survived global industrialisation in the world, and what hasn't. The locals we chatted with during the day said the weather had been ordinary during the festival, "until today". We decided to take full advantage of this by walking up Arthur's Seat, the hill overlooking all of Edinburgh. Despite being crowded at the top, the stunning views of Scotland's remarkable capital more than made up for this. Nothing the Fringe had served us at this stage had been anywhere near below par, but that would change after an hour with comedian (though I don't think it's right to associate that word in this case) Robin Ince in the Smirnoff Underbelly . Ince's show was based on how his life was better than the normal man because of his association with shows such as Graham Norton and Ricky Gervais, etc. It was a rancid act whichever way you look at it, even if the whole thing was simply a parody of himself (which is actually pretty sad anyway). His only laughs were from poking fun at anecdotes from Syd James' autobiography, and given that this was hardly Ince's own material, it only added to the grumblings from the audience as he dashed off stage so quickly after finishing even he must have known how much he struggled. Fortunately, there was one more show to be seen in the hope that our festival could end on a positive note. Chris Addison's Civilization at the Pleasance Courtyard was intelligent and hilarious. An unashamed middle-class Englishman, Addison analysed the evolution of our society, or perhaps lack thereof. Addison humorously picked apart the flaws and quirks of ancient and contemporary society. His story of an experience he had in New Zealand with a group of Australians, Italians, and Englishmen choosing a "battle song" in a sitting with a Maori tribe was hilarious. The Australians were probably only there because at least with the Maoris "they could look an indigenous race in the eye" Addison calculated. He was certainly a comedian with sharp wit, intelligence and Civilazation was never lacking in pace. Addison succeeded to impress us in every way Ince didn't. The Fringe festival in Edinburgh really does provide more than enough for everyone in terms of comedies, shows and theatres. The theatrical performance of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest starring Christian Slater chose to open its season at the Fringe before it heads down to London's West End, where it promises to entertain. Aside from everything there is to see, the packed bars and clubs at night, all given later licenses during the festival, provide the finishing touches to eventful days. The trip From London to Edinburgh is a must do for next year's festival for the Aussies in London who have not been, but be sure to book accommodation well in advance. For a good idea of what to expect at the Fringe, which runs for the last three weeks in August every year, the detailed website www.edfringe.com will tell you all you need to know.
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