Brian Ferguson: Wild nights at the Festival
If there was an award for the biggest-name performer appearing in the least-heralded show in Edinburgh it would surely go to Michelle Shocked.
Few of her diehard fans who have tracked her down to the basement of the Freemasons Hall at the west end of George Street will be complaining, however.
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Hide AdThey are invited to huddle around her on stage as she performs material from three of her classic albums from the late 1980s and early 1990s on different evenings during her 24-show run at the New Town Theatre.
The stripped-down nature of the gig sees the American singer-songwriter perform without amplification, accompanied only by an unseen fiddler.
Watching Blue Rose Code in action at their sold-out show at the Acoustic Music Centre the following evening felt like Wembley Arena in comparison.
l More weird and wonderful reports are still coming in from the first few nights of Alan Cumming’s raucous after-parties at The Hub on the Royal Mile.
Brian Cox’s “in conversation” appearance at the new Merchants’ Hall venue on Frederick Street had been billed as a one-off during the festival, but a few hours later the original Hannibal Lecter was reciting Ae Fond Kiss at Club Cumming, while footage has emerged of the host crowd-surfing around the venue. Heaven only knows what those involved in the original construction of the building for the Church of Scotland would have made of the appearance of Fringe performer “Jesus L’Oreal Christ”.
After his Messiah-like performance, Jesus, also known as Chris Wilson, tweeted to thank the actor for allowing him to “bless the house of Club Cumming”.