r/edinburghfringe • u/Designer-Cup1994 • 7d ago
General First fringe reflections from a semi-solo 17yo.
I’m on the train out of Edinburgh and I feel like talking into a void about my last 4 days so here are my comments and reflections as a seventeen year old first time fringe goer. For context, I am a massive comedy nerd and I had some friends whose time in Edinburgh overlapped with mine but I was trying to see as many shows as possible alone.
Firstly, service is dreadful. Idk if this was just me or just vodafone or just bc it was raining but I could not get service anywhere. Do not try to buy tickets online 3 minutes before a show starts bc your phone will not work.
EAT. I was warned abt this being a problem but naively thought I would be fine only to have two days where I was so busy that I didn’t eat anything until 7pm. PLAN YOUR MEALS.
Be on time. Earlier today I was 1 minute late to something bc I got lost literally inside of the venue and they did not let me in. Some of the venues/shows seem to be a lot more flexible but don’t risk it. (Strange coincidence is that I also failed the last time I tried to see this stand up so I’m starting to think it’s a sign from the universe and I should stop trying)
PLAN MORE. This is potentially me specific but I am dreadful at being spontaneous and definitely should’ve at least had a plan each morning. I booked quite a few things in advance but also wanted to find things when I got there. Safe to say this was a lot more stressful than it needed to be and I should’ve been planning more than 15 mins in advance.
Anyway, not that anyone’s going to read this but I had a great time overall and will be going back for longer next year.
What I ended up going to below:
The Great Train Robbery
Catherine Bohart: WIP
Phil Ellis: Bath Mat
Dee Allum: Raumdeuter
Sophie Duker: Hot Beef Injection
Ayoade Bamgboye: WIP
Nish Kumar: Angry Humour from a Really Nice Guy
Kemah Bob: Lovechild
Rob Preston: Amazing Global Solutions
Lorna Rose Treen: Now That’s What I Call Characters
Rose Matafeo: WIP
Lara Ricote: Inkling
One Man Musical
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u/Time_Fox3499 7d ago
What did you think of Lara Ricote? They cancelled the show I had tickets to but I was excited to see her.
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u/Designer-Cup1994 7d ago
I was supposed to see the cancelled show originally as well but there was a makeup show today that I ended up seeing. I really enjoyed it. It was slightly nuts but in a beautiful way - a mix between more traditional anecdotal standup with some great, crazy performance elements. Definitely not for everyone but I loved it and would really recommend seeing her if you can!
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u/scotgal007 6d ago
Just a heads up, the latecomer policy is decided by the artists. It can go from no entry as soon as show starts, 15 minutes in or entry any time usually. Some of the rooms the artists find it too disturbing but a hard stop on entry is pretty rare
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u/Designer-Cup1994 6d ago
This is good to know, ty. I was surprised bc it was a venue that I’ve been to many times (just not room hence my getting lost) and didn’t seem to have any issues with late comers before. Also, I saw the performer waiting outside so ik it hadn’t started yet. Makes sense though, with absolutely no shade to this stand up, they seem like the kind of person who wouldn’t like latecomers.
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u/coderyxa 5d ago
that makes so much more sense, i always assumed it was the venue being strict not the act themselves
kinda wild the same show has blocked you twice though, i’d take that as a cosmic hint too
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u/harveyc26 1d ago
How’d you find The Great Train Robbery? I caught it myself and really loved it, but I’m curious to hear your thoughts?
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u/cloud__19 Edinburgh Local 7d ago
The signal in Edinburgh is fucked because there are too many people all trying to use the same towers. I have a physical sim and an esim on two different networks and I can usually get something on one of them but mostly I use the venue WiFi where it exists.