Edinburgh

The big venues at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Assembly Rooms, Pleasance, Gilded Balloon and Underbelly) announced their lineups for 2017 today. I'm about 90% going to attend the festival as a punter again, even though I know full well that I should have performed my hour there this year but couldn't due to circumstances conspiring against me and that will gnaw away at me in the back of mind for the entire duration of my visit there this year, gradually festering until it becomes one of the great regrets of my lifetime. In short, I'm aware that the romantic thing to do is jack everything in and follow your dreams, but the potential price is too great and I can't risk things going back to the way they were.

Just writing that has made me feel a bit low. Anyway, as usual all tastes are covered in the Scottish capital in August. A cursory glance has placed John Robins, Sara Pascoe, Simon Evans, Joe Morpurgo, Ed Gamble and James Acaster on a tentative viewing list, with The Stand and the Free Festival/Free Fringe/Heroes Of The Fringe to come. Congratulations go to my friend Ian Smith, who won the ballot I assume was conducted by all professional stand-ups performing at the festival to put on a show entitled "Snowflake". If I know Ian, it's less likely to be a riposte to right wingers and more likely to be a high concept piece of silliness. I will look forward both to that and returning to The Auld Hoose to bury my feelings under a ludicrously sized serving of nachos.


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