PBH Free Fringe – Squirrel Comedy

By Colin Flaherty

Steve McLean has the most apt venue for a show about Hair Metal, the backroom of a Record Store / Cafe. Well…this store doesn’t stock much in the way of metal (instead focusing on Indie Rock) but it certainly gives the show cred!

Despite the title this is not a listical styled show. If you’re expecting Steve to mention your favourite band, there’s a fair chance he won’t mention them. What we get is a collection of stories and jokes about a number of bands and a little about his experiences as a teen when the genre was at its peak.

There’s celebration of his favourites and slagging off those deemed not worthy (Metallica are his punching bag of choice). He provides interesting factoids about the excesses of the era and drools over the primped and preened man-flesh on display with album covers and printed images as visual aids.

This is a very rough and ready show with Steve regularly referring to notes and rummaging through a pile of props. A chatty crowd distracts him and an inaccurate time keeper forces him to edit on the fly. When he does focus it’s a confident and slightly adversarial performance with plenty of laughs to be found, more if you’re a disciple of Metal.

Given the subject matter the target audience is those aged above forty so there are plenty of British pop culture references to confuse the younger folk and foreigners (a comparison of ACDC to comedy duo The Krankies is an especially curious idea). A wonderful show for the old rockers out there.

Aerosmith to ZZ Top – The A to Z of Hair Metal with Steve McLean is on at Slow Progress Cafe and Records until August 25

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/aerosmith-to-zz-top-the-a-to-z-of-hair-metal-with-steve-mclean

By Colin Flaherty

Sir Dickie Benson holds court in the intimate surrounds of the Carte Blanche bar of the Voodoo Rooms. It is here where he interacts with his fans, recounting tales of debauchery, leading vocal warm ups / primal rage sessions and chatting up gentlemen that he has taken a fancy to.

There have been numerous comedy characters portraying Luvvy thespians but Peet Torjussen kicks it into overdrive with Benson. He’s loud, confrontational and out of control. Upon entering the venue audience members are commanded to take to the front row lest you feel his wrath. Downing multiple bottles of “Vodka” and taking sneaky drinks of punter’s beers, he alternates between funny drunk uncle to raging monster. All of it is hilarious but a little worrying when you are on the receiving end of one of his sprays.

Being opening night, things were a lot looser than they should have been. He briefly peeked out of character stating “I seem to have forgotten my life stories”. Rambling tales often petered out and restarted multiple time, perfectly encapsulating his boozy persona. I wonder, had these stories been remembered would have this been slicker? Probably not as it is the chaos of Benson that provides most of the entertainment.

The majority of the hour is spent fielding questions from his adoring fans and improvising answers. Given the volatile personality on show here, there is plenty of trepidation from the audience leading to many pauses where neither the Artiste nor the fans make the first move. He is sure to settle into some sort of groove over the season. It’s not all improvised chaos. There is a nice little plot involving a beef with Ridley Scott about which Benson is quite vague.

This show would work well with a slightly tipsy audience who are lubricated enough to play along with the premise. However if they are too lubricated, things may get very messy and ugly, particularly with Dickies penchant for starting fights.

Sir Dickie Benson Interacts With the Audience Whether They Like It or Not is on at until August 25

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/sir-dickie-benson-interacts-with-the-audience-whether-they-like-it-or-not