Show 24: Aunty Donna: Big Boys

After hearing their comedians comedian episode and seeing members of the facebook page of the podcast heartily reccommend Aunty Donna I saw some of the group's youtube videos, and was enthralled.

This show was big, brash and high-energy. It's a fast-paced hour starting from the three performers repeatedly messing up an opening move on stage for the music drop that never comes to an imagining of an original italian version of a scripted fight to a scene where Broden and Zach are being told off (with a guest appearance from the musical 4th member Tom).

It's an emphatic, loud, thrilling show filled with madness, sweat and silliness galore. It's brimming with childish glee, and moments of corpsing which make the experience all the more entertaining.

There's even an inspired moment where Broden refers to some budget Australian clothing brand in an improvised bit, Zach rolls with it and Broden explains it's because an audience member is wearing that brand - home away from home.

I can't wait for the next time Aunty Donna come over to the UK again.

Score: 9/10

Venue: Gilded Balloon at Teviot

Dates: Run finished

Time: 22:30

Price: Run finished [£11.50 (£10.50 weekdays), £13.50 (£12.50) weekends)]

Show 23: Foil, Arms and Hog: Oink

Another year, another show from Fringe regulars Foil Arms and Hog.

An experienced, slick set of performers, they bring more mad antics and sketches with the audience. Memorable highlights include the class on helping those with regional accents start speaking received pronunciation (it's a showcase of exaggerated accents - the Cork accent is a particular delight), a game of Twister between a gorilla and a lanky audience member for one game and a muscular wrestler in another, and an actor performing a scene with a terrible robot (it's quite the sight seeing a man dribbling and moving stiffly while carrying two power drills).

A great laugh and a thoroughly entertaining hour. I'll be sure to see them again in years to come.

Score: 8/10

Venue: Udderbelly, George Square Gardens

Dates: 25th-28th August

Time: 20:45

Price: £12.50 (£11.50) weekdays, £15 (£14) weekends

Show 22: Adam Hess: Cactus

It's another offer of frantic, boundless energy from Adam Hess, exploring more of his social ineptitude and awkward encounters with the world.

In this show he talks about a medical trial where he got the flu and started tripping out, a long-distance relationship that didn't work, and then apparently started working again, and tales from a most peculiar childhood.

He even kept diaries every day (and still does it seems) and he brings them to the show to show us how odd a child he is (and boy do I love a quirky, weird mind). Much of his humour is fairly childish and basic, but it's good fun.

Unfortunately the toil of the fringe and the heat of a packed nightclub room meant I kept drifting in and out of Adam's show (bit of a shame - sounds like it was good fun).

Nevertheless he's a talented performer and he's got that slightly different, wide-eyed childish view of the world that brings some freshness to the cynical ears of us adults. I just hope I can stay awake for his next show.

Score: 7/10

Venue: Heroes at The Hive

Dates: 24th-27th August

Time: 18:00

Price: £6 or Pay What You Want

Show 21: Austentatious (today's title - (Mike) Pence and Sensibility)

Improvised comedy is always a bit hit and miss but with a decent group you'll have a pretty high success rate.

After watched Austentatious last year I couldn't wait to see them again. Taking suggestions for a show from the audience, the show I watched had (Mike) Pence and Sensibility.

Given it was improvised they did a remarkable job of crafting a decent narrative, with the occasional satirical twist - a Russian attempting to interfere with a small town Parish Council election and Mr Mike Pence caught in the middle. There were some tremendous characters and imaginative jokes and twists brought by Joseph Morpurgo (an outstanding comic mind in himself) and the rest of the cast. Mr Pences fiancée forever moving furniture and the woman spurned by Mr Pence not having moved from her seat for ten years (literally).

Overall it was a slightly clunky plot without much of a satisfying ending but hell, it was improvised; they're forgiven.

One of the finest improvised comedy groups I've ever seen and always worth a watch. I can't wait to see them again.

Score: 8/10

Venue: Udderbelly, George Square

Dates: 24th-28th August

Time: 13:30

Price: £12.50 (£11.50) weekdays, £14.50 (£13.50) weekends

Show 20: David Trent: Here's Your Future

David Trent returns with a show that is bristling with energy, frustration, bewilderment and discontent at the future of technology and the state of modern life.

Through the show Trent gives various examples of disturbing ways that twisted people (e.g. Katie Hopkins) are expressing themselves on social media, or bizarre videos that children are watching (cue a pretty weird, eerie, badly CGI-animated cartoon about not stealing food) to people getting upset at a bakery not selling a cake for a gay event and people getting upset at those people.

It's a thrilling ride, with some tremendous twists and turns. Trent can pull the rug from under our feet at times and his brash, unforgiving style ramps up the energy of the show. He even has some props that don't leave much to the imagination.

He's a man with a strong presence, a cynical view of the world and a darn bolshie way of keeping the audience engrossed in his antics. I'm not sure if he's someone to watch year after year, but certainly as a one-off it was eye-opening stuff.

Score: 7/10

Venue: Just the Tonic at The Caves

Dates: 23rd-26th August

Time: 22:35

Price: £5 or pay what you want

Show 19: Ivo Graham: Educated Guess

Having seen his show a couple of years ago I was interested to see what Ivo had to offer this year.

He's exploring his privileged life again and lamenting the fact that he's growing up and soon to lose his young person's railcard. He's also done a remarkable feat of learning all the MPs of the UK, their constituency and their party - it makes for a thrilling game towards the end of the show.

Along the way we've got tales of his time at Eton, the awkwardness of going on holiday with his parents (though this seems to be a common occurrence - I'm sure he had similar material the other year) plumped with affable quips and jokes poking fun at his position of privilege and relative comfort.

He's a chap who's sure of himself but still with a charming helping of self-deprecation and a hint of shyness (or possibly posh bumbling, which makes him somehow all the more loveable).

A solid hour from an assured comedian.

Score: 7/10

Venue: Pleasance Courtyard

Dates: 23rd-27th

Time: 20:15

Price: £10 (£9) weekdays, £11 (£10) weekends

Show 18: So You Think Yo'ure Funny - Heat 9

An impromptu addition to the fringe line up there were a number of new acts of variable quality. Unfortunately I can't recall the names and the name of the people in the heat aren't around. There was a pretty decent guy who did quirky one liners and a charismatic American comedienne but the winner was a Welsh act who had a nervous energy and didn't seem to quite have it together but the judges seemingly liked his style. All the best to him in the final.

Show 17: Jonny Pelham: Just Shout Louder

A young comedian who's slowly making a name for himself on the comedy circuit, this is Pelham's third solo show at the fringe. I first discovered him by chance in 2012 when watching a showcase student gig with friends, and I've seen him intermittently through the years. His first solo show two years ago was a strong debut but having missed last year's show I wanted to see what Pelham had to offer this year.

It's another strong hour this year, just a shame the crowd was small, though it did lend itself to some interesting audience banter.

This show's about how Pelham's found an attractive girlfriend and how he is trying to better himself as a person while pondering the current political mess of the world. There's plenty of pulling apart himself with amusing asides.

He handled the audience quite well too - a slight distraction from a guy eating loud sweets led to a sharing of candies with the rest of the audiene, and a slightly sinister but very drunk chap in the 2nd row lent to some interesting riffs.

Overall a decent show with plenty of potential. It'll be interesting to see how he further develops his comic voice through the years.

Score: 7/10

Venue: Gilded Balloon at Teviot

Dates: 20th-27th

Time: 19:45

Price: £9 (£8 concession) weekdays, £11 (£10 concession) weekends

Show 16: Iain Stirling: U OK Hun? X

Having made a name for himself as the voice of Love Island and as a popular children's TV presenter, Iain Stirling brings a show to the festival and will be going on tour in the new year.

At the age of 29 his friends are already growing up and settling down with long term partners and new babies but Iain Stirling doesn't look like he's ready for that yet

His set is a lament to his friends maturing and being no fun. Though he's written a decent set, it's treading ground countless of comedians before him in denial experiencing that painful transition from reckless youth to a mature adult with adult responsibilities have explored.

He's certainly got a character and bitterness to give his show some sort of edge and though it's personal it's hardly original.

There are some moments of delight, in particular a very funny jab at a front row punter who gave peculiarly vague answers to basic questions about herself. She wasn't so much cagey and ditzy - Iain showed his comedic worth at that fodder.

It'd be interesting to see how his writing changes if he does move along into proper adulthood.

Score: 6/10

Venue: Pleasance Courtyard

Dates: 20th-27h

Time: 19:40

Price: £10 weekdays, £12 weekends

Shoiw 15: Alun Cochrane: Alunish Cochranish

 An established act on the circuit, Alun Cochrane hasn't brought a show to the circuit, and being a fan of his earlier work I wanted to reacquaint myself with his comedic style.

It's a set that wanders from inconsequential observations to some rather serious ideas about modern politics though he loses the audience a touch when he ventures to his more serious thoughts.

Though he's honed his voice to his distinctive, relaxed, almost lackadaisical style, his material doesn't quite hit the mark.

Score: 6/10

Venue: The Stand Comedy Club

Dates: 11th-27th (not 14th)

Time: 19:40

Price: £12

Show 14: Mix and Ivan: The Reunion

Narritive sketch comedians, Max and Ivan, were nominated for Best Show in 2013 with The Reunion. They brought it back to the Festival for a limited run and I thought I'd give them a go.

Bloody hell, it's a damn good show.

It's a show reminiscent of Pappy's "Last Show Ever" and Joseph Morpurgo's "Soothing Sounds for Baby", both of which were also narrative sketch shows. What ties them all together is innovative sketches; strong, well crafted, hilarious characters; engaging, heart-warming narratives and exceptional acting.

The show's about a high school reunion 10 years after the characters left. We meet Brian, sweet, kind and with the biological age of a 60 year old, riddled with every disease you can think of; his beautiful crush, Jessica; the former members of short-lived hip hop duo The Alchemists; the charismatic alan Jones who no-one remembers and now works as a gun polisher (ominous) alongside a whole cavalcade of other characters.

It's a show filled with silliness, a touch of improv and audience participation, a downright catchy short rap about alchemy (it's only got 4 lines but goddamit it sticks in your head), and a sweet ending that's inspired me to explore the works of Blur (it ends with a harmonic small choir rendition of Blur's Tender).

Few shows have had me thinking about them for days afterwards. This is one of them, and I'm very glad I watched it.

Score: 10/10

Venue: Pleasance Dome, Bristo Square

Dates: 10th-13th (not 9th)

Time: 20:20

Price: £10

Show 13: Neil Delamere: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Pensioner

I first saw Neil Delamere about 7 or 8 years ago compering a variety show at the Edinburgh festival (incidentally, also the first time I saw Alex Horne). Despite finding him funny, I've never been to see one of his shows. This year I thought I'd rectify that anomaly.

He's playing a 200-odd seater venue, but despite being well known in Ireland, that fame doesn't appear to have translated to ticket sales in Edinburgh - there were only 29 of us in the audience.

Despite that, he pretty much smashed the gig.

It's a show about him helping his dad deliver meals on wheels to various elderly residents in his hometown. Along the way Neil Delamere plays out the interactions with the clients and explores reveries and whimsical notions with a general amount of crowdwork. It's testament to his skill and experience that, despite the audience size, it didn't feel uncomfortable or awkward, nor was it ever really noticed.

He's a top-class comedy performer - he deserves a good turnout.

Score: 8/10

Venue: Gilded Balloon at The Museum, Lothian Road

Dates: 7th-27th August (not 14th)

Time: 21:00

Price: £12.50 weekdays £13.50 weekends

Show 12: Hannah Gadsby – Nanette

I heard Hannah Gadsby's interview on Comedian's Comedian and I was intrigued - this was her last comedy show and she had very definite reasons for leaving, but I wanted to see what it was about this show that had created such hype.

She's been doing comedy for ten years and she's learnt some tricks for sure. She knows how to structure a show, she knows how to lure an audence in. She knows how to create tension. The thing is, comedy is about breaking that tension with light relief, and though she does that plenty, she knows how to manipulate the form.

Gadsby argues that comedy isn't enough, it isn't right for some ideas. She argues that stories have three parts: beginning, middle and end. Alas, in comedy there is no real end - we have the beginning (a setup) and then the middle (the punchline) but there's no real ending.

Gadsby has been the victim of some horrible acts of violence and abuse for her sexuality her look, and her gender (and possibly other things too - women just aren't set up to do well in modern western society, really) but none of these events are particular suitable for comedy, not unless it's watered down and studded with jokes.

Well, no more. No more, for Gadsby - she entices the audience in with a half hour of nicely written, built up anecdotes and stories about her life and her journey but at the half way pint there's a sea change - the atmosphere shifts very deliberately as Gadsby enters into the meat of the show - an empassioned, serious, moving section about her hurt and the way comedy has damaged her, and hence why she will not be continuing in comedy.

It makes the audience wonder what our responsibility is, or what our role is in the formation of an act and our impact on the act (it's not an explicit message but it's a question that popped into my head walking home).

Gadsby really pushes and challenges us about our perception and understanding of sexual discrimination, homophobia and the strong self loathing that atmosphere can create.

It's a powerful show, a challenging show, and an important show. It deserves respect.

Score: 10/10

Venue: Assembly Studios, George Square

Dates: 7th-27th August (not 15th)

Time: 14:00

Price: £11 weekdays, £12 weekends

Show 11: Tom Neenan: Attenborough

A friend of Nish Kumar and James Acaster, and having been mentioned on Comedian's Comedian, I was keen to see what Tom Neenan had to offer.

This is a character story show where Neenan plays David Attenborough sent on a documentary mission by the BBC to film the Sasquatch in Canada. Along the way he encounters a marmoset and an evil South African poacher who's intent on capturing the Bigfoot for his own fame and glory.

It's a very sweet story and driven partly with some smart powerpoint gags (including one of the biggest investiment of labour into powerpoint slides I've seen to get a laugh - honestly I was giggling hard long after the slides had moved on) but mainly driven by Neenan's writing and performance.

It's a very charming, twee show filled with hearty laughs, classic storytelling and plain silliness, with a very satisfying ending (especially if you like marmosets).

Score: 8/10

Venue: Udderbelly - Medical Quad

Dates: 7th-27th August

Time: 15:55

Price: £10 weekdays, £11 weekends

Show 10: Sofie Hagen: Dead Baby Frog

After winning the Best Newcomer award Sofie Hagen turned up on my radar, unfortuantely it's only been this year that I've managed to see her work.

This show's about emotional abuse from her step-grandfather and the title comes from an experiment where a frog when placed in a pot of boiling water will immediately jump out but when placed in cold water and it's slowly heated up it won't jump and instead will allow itself to be boiled alive. Rather graphic for a comedy show...and yet, she makes it work.

Sofie Hagen is a very open, honest and warm performer, and she handles the possibly atmosphere destroying topics with such sensitivity and honesty while injecting light-heartedness in the right points that the audience is carried along on a very personal journey with laughs and tugged heartstrings in equal measures.

What's more, the story ends with the 'baddie's' comeuppance - it's a classic story of good and evil.

It's a really enjoyable, heart-warming and intelligently written show performed with charm adn love. Definitely worth seeing.

Score: 9/10

Venue: Bedlam Theatre

Dates: 7th-28th Augus

Time: 14:00

Price: £10

Show 9: Fin Taylor: Lefty Tighty Righty Loosey

Fin Taylor's a popular comedian's comedian, and having heard some hype I wanted to see what he's like.

It's a fast-paced, slick, passionate hour of breath-takingly funny observations and playouts based on his staunch, well informed left wing political views and jibes at right wing politics, as well as a healthy dash of sexual humour and a vivid account of the time he went to a spin class and pushed himself so hard he developed macroscopic haematuria. He volunteers a front row audience member to high five henever he makes a particularly cutting remark, and he's got plenty.

One of the funniest hours I've seen for a good while, I can't wait to see what he brings in future years.

Score: 9/10

Venue: Just The Tonic at The Tron

Dates: 7th-27th August (not 14th)

Time: 22:20

Price: £6.50 to guarantee entry or pay what you want at the venue

Show 8: Angela Barnes: Fortitude

Having seen her on Mock the Week and give a very interesting Comedian's Comedian interview, I thought it'd be worthwhile checking Angela Barnes.

It's a show about reaching 40, about growing up in the 80s, her love of concrete bunkers and her tiredness with having to justify why doesn't want to have children. It's a very polished hour of comedy with plenty of well written, well timed jokes and throw-away remarks that get a good laugh. She deals with the possibly thorny issue of not wanting to be a mother delicately and sensitively, it fits well within the show.

That said, she feels almost too polished, too conventional, almost pedestrian. It's standard comedy fare and it's done well, and certainly if you want an hour of guaranteed chuckles she's worth the ticket.

Score: 6/10

Venue: Pleasance Courtyard

Dates: 5th-27th August (not 14th)

Time: 19:15

Price: varies from £7.50 to £10

Show 7: John Kearns: Don't Worry They're Here

Having won the Best Newcomer followed by the Best show in consecutive years, John Kearns made quite the mark on the comedy scene. After taking some time to further hone his writing, Kearns returns to the Fringe for the first time since winning Best Show.

It's a show about placing a bet on a horse, but really it's a display of Kearns' very left field but brilliant mind. I'd heard people say that after creating the character of 'The Man', Kearns' writing hadn't changed, but rather the slightly weird, offbeat thoughts are acceptable and audiences 'got' him. It's hard to imagine Kearns' syncopated, deliberate delivery done deadpan, but in his 'character' it works tremendously.

He opens up in Bolshy style, "Can you feel the tension in the room? You think it's hot? Nah...not me" [while clearly sweating]. It's bold, it's brave, it's ballsy but somehow he won me over. There's some crowd interaction that Kearns' carries well, and the slight glances into the writing and structure (having said there was only 5 minutes left 40 minutes into the show, he breaks character and anxiously warns us he might overun) just enhance the whole experience.

It's a unique style that he's pulled off well; it's no wonder he wowed the judges.

Score: 9/10

Venue: Heroes at Monkey Barrel, Blair Street

Dates: 7th-27th August (not 16th)

Time: 17:00

Price: £7 to guarantee entry or pay what you want at the venue

Show 6: Thom Tuck: An August Institution

Thom Tuck's been performing at the Fringe for 16 years, and he's brought another show up. However, it's fair to say that this show probably hasn't had the same level of thought or planning as his Best Newcomer nominated show 'Straight to DVD'.

It's a rather haphazard show filled with silliness, jibes at religion, and Thom slowly undressing and being made to look pretty with badly applied make up from various audience members.

It's a fun galavant around many mad ideas for sure, and he never promised any coherence at the start. Not a bad way to spend an hour certainly, and it was quite a spectacle to watch an experienced performer seemingly run the show on the fly. Nevertheless, it could certainly do with some more planning.


Score: 5/10

Venue: Heroes at Dragonfly

Dates: 7th-27th August (not 15th)

Time: 15:00

Price: £5 to guarantee entry or pay what you want at the venue

Show 5: Tony Law: Absurdity for the Common People

Known for absurdist comedy, Tony Law's show is a frenetic, prolonged display of startling energy and riffing.

Ostensibly it's a show about his performance in a 1970s trampolining competition in America but there are so many digressions it's hard to tell which ones are planned and which ones are made off the cuff. Regardless it's a satisfying watch to see Tony Law teeter between having a grasp on what's going and veering off into a wild, untrodden idea.

There aren't many who can make quite odd shadow puppetry where little seemingly happens as funny as Tony Law, not playing a guitar badly with white cotton gloves, and yet he somehow manages it.

He's a strong character, and perhaps he's divisive - you probably either get it or you don't. Overall, though, it's an impressive display of force and free thinking, with some good laughs along the way.

Score: 7/10

Venue: The Stand Comedy Club

Dates: 5th-28th August(not 14th)

Time:12:00

Price: £12.50

Show 4: Gein's Family Giftshop: Volume 3

Nominated in 2014 for the Best Newcomer Award, I'd been wanting to see this dark comedy sketch goup for sometime. It seems that they've mixed things up for this year's show.

The usual three person group (with a fourth unseen director) has changed to a predominantly two person show with the occasional input from a 'RADA' trained actor. The usual third performer is instead kneeling at the side of the stage for what turns out to be one of the most dedicated set ups to a punchline I've ever seen.

The show's a series of twisted sketches all seamlessly blending into each other with frequent breaking of the fourth wall. Edward Easton's comic, exaggerrated performance proves a great counter to Kath Huges and the RADA performer. A quirky structural aspect to the show by performing it in reverse is certainly interesting but I'm not sure if it really adds anything.

Nevertheless it takes the audience to some rather dark and twisted places, but there's plenty of gaity and pranks to make if fun.

Score: 8/10

Venue: Pleasance Courtyard

Dates: 5th-28th August

Time: 22:20

Price: £8 Mon-Tues, £9 Wed-Thurs, £10.50 Fri-Sun

Show 3: Steen Raskopoulos – The Coolest Kid in Competitive Chess

An accomplished, talented comic improviser and comedian from New Zeaand, this is the second of his shows I've seen at the Festival.

This year's show's got a lot more audience interaction that last year's, and Steen Raskopoulos pitches it perfectly: the tasks are generally simple, and even the more involved skit involving dancing gets the participants on stage going for it (though I'm sure he's get an eye for picking the right people for the right games).

The show is a seemingly separate group of sketches which all come together in a rather neat narrative finale, and along the way there's a journey of deft comic timing and performance, and well crafted audience participation pieces. He works well with the material the audience brings, and it's a sign of an intelligent writer and performer to craft the games and scenarios that brings jeopardy and laughs. He's even brought back the timid character, Timmy, to the show.

A thoroughly entertaining show. I'm looking forward to seeing his two-hander improv show, The Bear Pack later this festival.

Score: 8/10

Venue: Underbelly, 69 Cowgate

Dates: 5th-27th August

Time: 20:00

Price: £11.50 weekdays, £12.50 weekends

Show 2: Milton Jones Is Out There

My second show of the festival was another veteran performer and a comedian I'd been wanting to see for a while: Milton Jones. One of the famous one-liner comedians of the UK, and being partial to a pun myself, I thought he would be worthwhile watching.

He's certainly got a very distinct style: low-key, aloof, very steady - it makes for an interest contrast to Tim Vine's frenetic, fast paced style.

Milton Jones opens with a slightly bizzare but interesting whimsical prop-assisted bit about Brexit, an idea that he returns to a few times during the show with various props. It's a show with clever, subversive one liners and a section where flags of the UK and Europe engage in various dialogues - it's probably the closest Milton Jones has ever got to political observations, and and he pulls it off.

Overall it's an entertaining hour from Milton Jones, though his laid back, gentle rhythm gave it a feeling of slow pace that didn't help with the energy.

 

Score: 6/10

Venue: Assembly on The Mound

Dates: 3rd-20th August (not 14th)

Time: 19:30

Price: £18

Show 1: Ed Byrne: Spoiler Alert

Ed Byrne returns with an hour titled after his material about his spoilt, posh, middle class English-accented children, though this only forms around half the show's material, at the beginning and end. His other riffs range from tales of his outdoor hiking to tussling with his wife over purchasing an Aga and a dig at Trump.

His charm and affable nature honed with 20 odd years at comedy makes Ed Byrne a great entertainer for sure, and he's got some killer lines in the set (a snipe at Love Island made for an inspired punchline). The middle half, however, does lag somewhat, though the people next to me frequently checking their watches was a bit harsh in my opinion. The beginning and end are by far the strongest parts of the show; he's chosen his structure well. The material and ideas are there, but maybe some fine tuning would lift this preview show. Nevertheless, an enjoyable hour from one of my favourites.

Score: 7/10

Venue: Assembly George Square LectureTheatre

Dates: 2nd-27th August (not 14th)

Time: 19:30

Price: £18.50 weekends, £17 weekdays

Edinburgh Fringe 2017

Hello hello.

I think first I need to make a rather late apology. Extreme laziness got the better for me last year and, despite maybe watching 25+ shows last year, I never wrote anything beyond what appears to be show 16.

This year I vow will be different. As a testament to my mental and literary prowess I promise to complete the necessary entries for each and every show I watch at the Edinburgh Festival 2017, and it's going to be in the region of 40+ shows this year. This feat should be helped somewhat by a majestic return to The Athens Of The North for my job.

Matthew is back in business.

A return to living in Edinburgh as well as a job with luxiuriously sociable hours means I've booked to see a show nearly every day of the festival. It's going to be a new personal best this year and this blog will be a document to this landmark period - not that anyone will study this in decades to come. This small, quiet, hidden corner of the blogging atmosphere will doubtless attract little attention, but it'll make for a nice nostalgia trip when I almost certainly hit an advanced state of senility in my dotage.

Edinburgh Festival 217 starts tonight with Ed Byrne - a favourite of mine. It'll be interesting to see if he'll draw upon his recent BBC series with Dara O' Briain and his travels to South East Asia, or his passion for Munro bagging.

There's a tantilising mix of performers at this year's festival, and interestingly a paucity of big names. The field is wide open for this year's awards. It'll be intriguing to hear who becomes popular through word of mouth and who'll take the critics' attentions.

Here's to Edinburgh Festival 2017.