Fringe Comedy
Adam Rowe, Just the Tonic at The Caves
*****
Ed Night, Pleasance
****
Gayle Anderson
WHATEVER happened to good, honest, skilled stand-up? The sort that's heavy on laughs and light on agenda? Well, it seems to be in ridiculously good health and currently to be found in a cave in the Cowgate.
Adam Rowe's Undeniable is a structured, consistently funny and well-crafted routine. Like an acoustic set, he strips things back to examine his working-class roots and the incredible desire and drive they've given him to be the best he can be in his chosen career.
Still only 26, the likeable Liverpudlian bosses the stage with the confidence and self-assured swagger of a seasoned pro. Stories of sex and drug dealers and sausage rolls keep the laughs coming. Like his hero, Mo Salah, he just keeps on scoring. Few things are set in stone - except these cave gigs and the fact that Rowe is destined for a long and successful comedy career.
The 2017 newcomer nominee, Ed Night opens his set with a confession - he has a stonking hang-over. So far, so Fringe.
He's not always so forthright, however. For legal reasons he can't reveal which broadcasting company cut him off in his potty-mouthed prime. Then it's a case of 'shock and aww' when Night name-checks a famous comedian but refuses to detail the misdemeanours he's accusing him of.
We're appeased with pin-sharp observations on bigotry, the British class system and the dangers of online porn. There are more Harry Potter references this year than you can shake a wand at but Night's take on the Hogwarts' selection process is spell-blindingly funny. It's a world full of mixed messages for millennials like Night and he finishes with a perfect example. After giving keyboard warriors and social media in general a good kicking, he then asks the audience to tweet about his show.
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