GUEST POST: Edinburgh Festival tips from touring Brixton Comedian

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Brixton Comedian Superbard – AKA George Lewkowicz – gives us his top tips for surviving (and possibly enjoying) the Edinburgh Festival. 

 

Barding about in Brixton. Photograph by Richard Jephcote
Barding about in Brixton.
Photograph by Richard Jephcote
You may have noticed less pretentious floppy haired wankers on the streets of Brixton. It turns out, for the month of August, they ship us all off to the Edinburgh Fringe, where we entertain ourselves telling each other stories of nonsense.
 
I left the Saturday before it all started, meaning I got to see the estimated 3000 acts arrive, the gradual doubling of Edinburgh’s population, and venues arising from car parks, churches, pubs and anyone with a spare room. It feels weird being away from Brixton but I love the festival: it’s a time where you drink next to people who end up becoming your best friends, you see some beautiful and some awful art, and the city seems alive with possibility.
 

If you’re thinking of coming up, here are my top tips:

  1. Bring good shoes and a coat. Edinburgh is always rainy, and always hilly, and sadly the venues are not next to each other, but apart meaning you will walk miles in a day.
  2. Book some shows in advance. Find a friend who’s been before (you can email me and I’ll help) and book some before you come. A lot of the best shows sell out. Push your comfort zone, try and book something from every section of the Fringe guide.
  3.  ...But don’t book up all your time! You’ll need to a) drink and b) see something utterly random. Head to the Royal Mile and allow a performer to drag you into a show you would never normally see. It might be dreadful, or you might discover a hidden show that no-one else has found. It will be a story.
  4.  Be nice to flyerers. If you’re not interested, a polite ‘no thank you’ and they’ll leave you alone. Don’t do what one lovely American couple did this week and tell me to f**k off before pushing me onto the ground. Even a London style avoid my eye would be preferable.
  5. Finally, have fun. Clap at everything even if it’s bad. Go with joy.
 

Specific places to visit: Elephant and Bagel (where I’m typing this): brilliant breakfast and coffee; Outside the Underbelly if it’s sunny is an excellent (if slightly expensive) place to drink; Watch Max & Ivan, FleaBag, The Beta Males, The Anti-Social Network, Red Bastard, and <ahem> me, Superbard: The Flood.

This year is a particularly exciting one for me, I’ve moved up in the hierarchy of venues to the awesome Underbelly, I’ve already sold out my venue (for the first time ever) and all my stories are set in Brixton, so it feels like I’m taking home with me to Edinburgh.

I’ll be back in Brixton with the next Flea Circus at the Dogstar on October 10th, which I’ll shove full of Edinburgh acts, bringing the fringe to you.

If you missed our interview with George from earlier in the  year, you can read it online here. 

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