Edfringe Twitter round-up

Looking back over a very enjoyable month, here are some Tweets and Facebook posts, and other notes and links, that add to the memories.

Congratulations to all the #Edfringe flyerers who got one into my hand this month. Here's your art just pre recycling

Tourists with big long selfie sticks just look like they're fishing for insults #Edfringe

Lizzy Mace ‏@LizzyMace

@falsettosocks Here's some other words you might not have heard enough times :-) Things Flyerers Say! http://youtu.be/wX1STSFXVUA 

"When did making theatre become about selling lots of tickets?" Guardian article

 Michael Mooney ‏@Michael_Mooney Aug 28

Excellent show by @falsettosocks We may have been a small audience but we were mighty. And they brought the house down.

"And if you've got no arms, you're a man. Which would explain the state of the floors" @KevFComicArtist c1996

 Radio Times ‏@RadioTimes Aug 26

Armando Iannucci delivers witty riposte to Government at #edtvfest http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-08-26/creative-giants-like-doctor-who-and-sherlocks-steven-moffat-should-help-decide-the-bbcs-future-says-armando-iannucci … 

 Scotsman ‏@TheScotsman Aug 26

New MP Tommy Sheppard wants Fringe to ‘match school holidays’ http://bit.ly/1fE2jo6  

#Edfringe goers getting their first glimpse of the McEwan Hall in 8 years. No purple cow, enjoy the view #edtvfest40

How to win friends and influence people, the PBH @TheFreeFringe way: 

Chortle Comedy @chortle    Free Fringe comic thrown out of his venue: Stephen Carlin falls victim to rivalry http://chortl.es/1V710Oz 

No Complications ‏@TheMeandTheHim Aug 23

Me: This year we nearly managed an *actual* proper .@falsettosocks 'review'! Nearly. http://andtheresbloodonit.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/holiday-special-hicks-in-city-xi.html … #edfringe 

 Hamesucken (crime suggestion from audience the other night, we'd never heard of) is a real legal thing! Who knew? http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Hamesucken

 Friday night #edfringe flyering. For when you've not heard the words "we've already got something" enough times

Thanks to @jester1470 (Stu Mitchell) for this fab photo of a Shakespearian Sock from last night's show @Gildedballoon #Edfringe  

HaxSyn ‏@HaxSyn Aug 19

Yay, The "Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre" was the usual combination of anarchic comedy, bad jokes and obscure references, love it!

 Amy(lase) ‏@AmyRebbeck Aug 20

Enjoyed the @falsettosocks tonight, it was quite socktacular! 

Three From Leith ‏@threefromleith Aug 19

Best lunchtime laugh at work ever - thanks to @falsettosocks, @auntydonnaboys & @dianespencerfun for the entertainment :-)

 Having fun trying to watch #UniChallenge with dodgy @BTWifi in our Edinburgh flat. Flashes red every 10 minutes. #firstworldproblems

 Hey, old man, we don't call it Exit Flyering these days. We call it Dignitas Flyering. #Edfringe #WTFringe

 Postcard from Fife ‏@PostcardFife Aug 16

Heading to see @falsettosocks at #EdFringe? I saw the socks at #FifeComedyFest last year and loved them, great fun! http://wp.me/p3ZFRB-5z

Sam Fraser ‏@samwessexgirl Aug 16

Why I love @edfringe @edinburghfest Where the hell else can I see Scottish falsetto sock puppet theatre? 

Lynne Martin ‏@LynneDotM Aug 16

Great #WTFringe flyering technique from @falsettosocks! Best wrist action I've seen! Sounds like a hoot too!

 Happiness is knowing your show's sold out before you set off for your show. And remembering not to #humblebrag about it cos you're that cool

 Jenney Coe ‏@JenneyCoe Aug 15

Atmospheric on the Royal Mile. Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppets have left me drained :) 

 Full Metal Haggis ‏@scotth_1320 Aug 15

Like socks and laughing? Then you'll love the #MingingDetectives show by the #ScottishFalsettoSockPuppetTheatre

 ScottishFalsettoSock ‏@falsettosocks Aug 11

Thanks brilliant punters for giving us another SELLOUT @Gildedballoon tonight! We love you - The Socks 

Patricia-Anne ‏@Zoezoe84 Aug 8

First @edinburghfringe show in the bag @falsettosocks - an absolute scream (as always).

This is the sort of quote we want on the posters. Thanks for coming tonight #Edfringe

ScottishFalsettoSock added,

Richard Hardy @Redvark

@falsettosocks and the Allan Sherman cover was sublime

 

 

 

 
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre presented Minging Detectives, every night at 10.30pm at the Gilded Balloon, from Aug 5th - 30th at the Edinburgh Fringe. It's all done bar the shouting.

Hello Muddah, Rebus & Z Cars - new clips from Minging Detectives

Three new video clips from Minging Detectives are up online (you won't be getting the whole show online, but a fair chunk of it will be going up sooner rather than later). Click to play Hello Muddah Intifada, Z Cars and a tiny adlib of Rebus.

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre presented Minging Detectives, every night at 10.30pm at the Gilded Balloon, from Aug 5th - 30th at the Edinburgh Fringe. It's all done bar the shouting.

The Sweary - live video from Minging Detectives

Brand new from the Socks, The Sweary routine from Minging Detectives, recorded Saturday night. We hope you like it. Click to play. 

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present Minging Detectives, every night at 10.30pm at the Gilded Balloon, from Aug 5th - 30th at the Edinburgh Fringe. Book now.

Edinburgh Report 2015

The Vennel, off which we stayed, drawn by me and left as a gift for the flat owner. I hope they appreciate it. It joins a number of other depictions of the same view that she has collected.

This was the year that we met Richard Demarco, sketched with Phill Jupitus, got a great haircut, and appeared on BBC America. (When I say year, I mean the Edinburgh. And when I say "the Edinburgh" I mean August.)

Saw a record low of only 2 shows on stage, but managed to see every art gallery. High points were Phyllida Barlow at the Fruitmarket, various artists at Collective and the old Royal High School on Calton Hill, also at Stills and Summerhall (and of course we met Richard Demarco), Roy Lichtenstein at the Modern, John Chamberlain at Inverleith, sculpture show at National Portrait Gallery, Victorian Photography at the Museum, and Kwang Young Chun at Dovecot Studios. There was also Charles Avery at Ingleby, who has can now be seen as lying somewhere between Banksy, Frank Quitely and Jack Vettriano, his novelty having worn off. Art College show very poor.

It was also the year that I spent maxing credit cards, waiting for a record number of clients to send me their money. A 4 figure sum for which I've been waiting was the subject of great rigmarole and kerfuffle.  I hoped for a BACS, only to learn a cheque had been sent to the PO Box back home. Very obligingly, the client sent a replacement cheque to me here in Edinburgh. Can you spot the accidental error that means it hasn't gone through and that I'll be waiting for it into September?

That's right, my company is UT Productions, not Gut Productions. Luckily all the libraries I've done up here in Edinburgh have proved prompt payers. We've got by happily, but really is this any way to run a multinational business empire?

In 2014 I reported the Edfringe season had whizzed by faster than any previous year, so inevitably I have to say similar this year. It has been a busy month, and enjoyable, but it would be crazy to expect Edinburgh to be as full of novelty and surprises as it was on our first year here, 31 years ago now, or even in the first year of the Socks, back in 2007, when I shot a Socks video diary every single day and the future was an unwritten book.

This year I've been an obsessive over my bums-on-seats figures, especially in the final week which saw a surprising slump, after three weeks which had been beating the records of the previous years. Last year I reported that I'd had fewer reviews and high-profile press and TV appearances than before, and this year that trend has continued. Last year I reported that I'd done a record number of extra curricular classes in libraries and schools, this year I have done slightly fewer (7 days in libraries, 1 shopping centre), and slightly fewer extra shows too (Pun Run, Kids on the Fringe, and Forth at Work). Leaving me more time for flyering, which has paid off, except for in this last, dead week. Let me show you the figures.

Something looking a bit Socky in a piece by Kemang Wa Lehurle, up on Calton Hill this week. 

Averages
2015
Preview Wk Wed - Sun 311/5 = 62
Wk 1 543/7 = 78
Wk 2 478/7 = 68
Wk 3 319/7 = 45.5

2014
Preview Wk Wed - Sun 283/5 = 57
Wk 1 509/7 = 73
Wk 2 429/7 = 61
Wk 3 442/7 = 63

2013
Preview Wk Wed - Sun 267/5 = 53
Wk 1 554/7 = 79
Wk 2 427/7 = 61
Wk 3 391/6 = 65

2012
Preview Wk Wed - Sun 247/5 = 49
Wk 1 416/7 = 59
Wk 2 332/7 = 47
Wk 3 369/7 = 53

So as you can see, 2015 has seen a record Preview Weekend and Week 2, with a record-equalling Week 1. All great. Then came week 3, whose flyering statistics I've recorded in a separate blog. Where had all the punters gone, long time passing? I don't know, though I took a little schadenfreudey pleasure in seeing that, on the night that I had my all-time-low audience of 29, the act who goes in 15 minutes before me had only 6 punters. Small consolation.

Week 3 has reminded me of 2012, Olympic year, when Richard Herring noted that the Olympics had sucked the crowds out of Edinburgh like someone opening the door on a spaceship. Tommy Shephard of the Stand has spoken this year of how he thinks the Fringe should be moved further back into July to take advantage of the school holidays more. So let's assume he's had a bad week 3 too.

If anything it was like all the missing punters from week 3 had come to Edinburgh for Preview Weekend instead, as it really was the busiest I can remember.

The show itself, Minging Detectives, was possibly our patchiest. Certainly during Preview week it was still coming together and finding its feet, those audiences seeing some rather messy shows. It's come together into an enjoyable whole, but I'd have to say it doesn't build to as satisfying a conclusion as last year's ...And So Am I.

PC Barbara Dixon is not as good a running joke and linking sequence as last year's Baby In The Corner, with only a few audience members really responding to it. And we lack a meaty performance sequence like 2013's Aliens, Avengers, Star Wars or Star Trek (damn, that was a good show). And the songs are all Marmite this year. Tie A Yellow Ribbon is the most popular, though some don't like the toilet humour; Black & White Minstrels Old Man River Police leaves audiences divided between whether we're being ironic or actually racist; and Hello Muddah Intifada is the biggest room divider we've ever had. I've been praised for doing it, even been told it's "sublime". But when the audiences are less Stewart Lee's crowd and more Daily Mail readers, you can heard the words "too soon" being beaten out in morse code by clenching buttocks.

Gangsta works pretty well, though the 3 recurring sketches are each less strong than the previous, Z Cars and The Sweary are very good, but I wish they had more satisfying endings (they segue into the next item well, but I'd prefer if I'd gone for a punchline and applause), and The Police is a rubbish bit of improv that oscillates between being the funniest bit of the night and a mess that they seem to tolerate. The Bank Job and Duel go pretty well, sometimes excellently, and we end on a high note every night. But next year, we're going to have a great structure and a fantastic all-new* hour worthy of 5 star reviews all round, or else. (*Duel is lifted from 2009's Period Drama).

The Socks and our technician Alia.

There has been no scandal, and little to report outside of my show. The Free Fringe has come into its own, with big names like Janey Godley, Joel Dommett and many others going Free this year, though the in-fighting between the various organisations has hit an all time low, of which you'll read plenty elsewhere. Karen's retiring, passing the Gilded onto Katy over the coming years, and the Assembly Rooms are up for grabs again. But no revolutionary news that I've noticed.

If I think of more, and I will, I'll update this. In the meantime, tonight's show won't sell itself, though I've nearly got to the bottom of our third and final box of flyers (got through all 10,000, which hasn't happened since 2012, hmmm) so let's see how we get on.

Thoughts for next year:

If the Socks do Edinburgh in 2016 (and I already have ideas for working title Popsocks) then we cannot rely on flyering alone. In 2014 we took an ad in the programme, might that have helped this 3rd week? We also got lots of reviews in all previous years, and have had our fewest ever this year. Next year we must a) make sure the show is great and reviewer-proof then b) drive them in to see the show.

Kev F
29/8/15

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present Minging Detectives, every night at 10.30pm at the Gilded Balloon, from Aug 5th - 30th at the Edinburgh Fringe. Book now.

Kev F's Theory of #Edfringe Flyering™ tested

TEST DAY 1:  Mon 24 August, 11.30am.

I'm into the final week of the show, with only 7 gigs left to go. We're beating last year's totals and the audiences have been great. But now I have one niggling worry left - tomorrow's show (Tues 25).

Until a couple of days ago, advance sales for Tuesday Aug 25th (our final Tuesday) stood at zero. They've since crawled up to 4. But given that most other days have been starting off in the 20s or 30s, and the lowest figure we've ended up with was 41 paying customers, and that was on the second night, we've been doing great guns. Lots of sellouts, and most shows pipping last year.

But 4 tickets for tomorrow (and only 17 for tonight, now I think of it). Bloody hell, we've got some selling to do. Bear with me, I'll let you know how it panned out.

Spotted in Edinburgh, a Tramps Nest

FLYERING SNAPSHOT Mon 24/8/15
11.30am, sales stand at:
Mon 26
Tues 4
Weds 23, Thu 10, Fri 23, Sat 22, Sun 6 (Total 1446)

2.15pm After 2 hours flyering (1..30-1.30) sales are:
Mon 28
Tues 4
Weds 23, Thu 10, Fri 25, Sat 24, Sun 6 (Total 1452, so up by 6, of which 2 for tonight)

5pm After 2 more hours flyering (2.40 - 4.40) sales are:
Mon 31
Tues 4
Weds 23, Thu 12, Fri 25, Sat 24, Sun 6 (Total 1457, so up by 5, of which 3 for tonight)

7pm After a half hours flyering, inc the One Man Breaking Bad queue (5.15 - 5.45) sales are:
Mon 40
Tues 7
Weds 25, Thu 12, Fri 25, Sat 24, Sun 6 (Total 1469, up by 12, of which 9 for tonight)

Now, Kev F's Theory of Flyering ™ dictates that 1 hour's flyering equates to 10 bums on seats. Today, so far, I have done 4.5 hours flyering, which should give me 45 punters. So far (as of 7pm) our total is up just 25, of which tonight is up 14. Let's see how the next 3 and a half hours develop...

9.10pm  We're on Mon 52, Tues 7 (total 1489, up 20, of which 12 for tonight)

And the final total was
Mon 64
Tues 7
Weds 25, Thu 12, Fri 31, Sat 24, Sun 6  (Total 1501)

So the total went up, in the day, by 55, and for the night itself by 38. Does this vindicate Kev F's Flyering Theory? Possibly. Except that there have been days, like for example this most recent Friday when the total went up by 60 in a day, and I definitely didn't flyer for 6 hours; and Saturday, when I did no flyering whatsoever and the total still went up by 34. Maybe nobody knows anything.

Susan, a Big Issue seller for whom I bought food and sat and chatted with the other day. My good deed for the week.


TEST DAY 2: Tues 25/8/15
2pm  Tonight = 9 (out of 1507)
6pm (after 3.5 hrs flyering) = 23 (out of 1526)

Kev F's Theory of Flyering™ suggests that should end up as 35 bums on seats, so a total of 1542. Let us see...

8.30pm = 29 (out of 1537)
9.30pm = 31 (out of 1541)
Final = 37 (out of 1547)

So 3.5 hours flyering added 40 sales total, 28 to that night's show.

TEST DAY 3: Weds 26/8/15
3pm  Tonight = 33 (out of 1547)
5pm (after 1 hr flyering) = 33 (1547)
6pm (after 20 min flyering inc BBq) = 33 (1547)

KFToF™ predicts 13 b.o.s., total 1560. Let's see...

9.30pm (after 45 min flyering, NB evening crowds are much more resistant, cockier) = 35 (1549)
Final = 40 (out of 1557)

So 1.3 hours flyering added just 10 sales total. Three days in a row backing up Kev F's Theory Of Flyering™ pretty much to the letter. Today, Thursday, starts the day at just 15 sales. What to do...?

TEST DAY 4:  Thurs 27/8/15
1.30pm Tonight = 15 (out of 1561)
3pm (1hr flyering, mostly Royal Mile) = 15 (1563)
6pm (90 mins flyering, v quiet) = 17 (1565)

KFToF predicts 25 b.o.s. added in the day, total 1586. Let's see...

8pm = 19 (1567)
9pm (after 45min good flyering) = 22 (1573)

KFToF predicts 32 b.o.s. added in day, total 1593

9.30 = 24 (1575)
10pm = 26 (1577)
Final = 29 (1581) Well below Kev F's Theory Of Flyering prediction

TEST DAY 5 Fri 28/8/15
2.30pm  Tonight = 39 (out of 1583)
4pm (after 1hr flyering) = 43 (1589)
6pm (after 45min flyering) = 45 (1593)

KFToF predicts 17 added in day, total 1600)

8pm = 48 (1596)
9pm (after 45 min flyering) = 50 (1598)
Final = 50 (1598)

CONCLUSION

Day 1 Mon 24
Flyering: 4.5 hrs.
Bums on seats added to that night: 38  / overall: 55

Day 2 Tues 25
Flyering: 3.5 hrs.
Bums on seats added to that night: 28  / overall: 40

Day 3 Weds 26
Flyering: 1.3 hrs.
Bums on seats added to that night: 7 / overall: 10

Day 4 Thurs 27
Flyering: 3.25 hrs.
Bums on seats added to that night: 14 / overall: 20

Day 5 Fri 28
Flyering: 2.5 hrs
Bums on seats added to that night: 11 / overall: 15

Day 6 Sat 29
Flyering: 3 hrs
Bums on seats added to that night: 38 / overall: 41

So there appears to be some correlation between flyering and results, but on difficult days when the streets were very light on punters, flyering become noticeably less effective.


The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present Minging Detectives, every night at 10.30pm at the Gilded Balloon, from Aug 5th - 30th at the Edinburgh Fringe. Book now.

"I defy you not to laugh out loud at Scotland’s famous sock puppets" - Fife Today

Excellent review from Fife Today by Allan Crow

Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre: Minging Detectives - Gilded Balloon (Venue 14)

The Falsetto Sock Puppets (Pic: Cath Ruane) 

 14:16 Tuesday 25 August 2015

 

Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre: Minging Detectives - Gilded Balloon (Venue 14)

I defy you not to laugh out loud at Scotland’s famous sock puppets.

When it comes to puns - from the funniest to the ones which make you groan as well as laugh - sketches, daft songs and more puns, they’re in a class of their own.

Created by Kev F. Sutherland, the puppets hit the spot time after time in their 2015 Fringe show, Minging Detectives.

High brow it ain’t, but for sheer entertainment, it’s worthy of all its four star reviews.
The story centres around crime, and as many fictional detectives can lampoon and have fun with.

All the obvious ones are in there - Taggart, The Bill, Breaking Bad - together with some from the days of yore, not to mention whatever obscure nonsense the audience can offer throughout. Even Van Der Valk gets a mention in here.

There are some running gags throughout and some ad libbing as they bounced off the audience.

It is, in a nutshell, sheer, nonsensical fun - and there’s a heck of a lot of it packed into the 60 minutes.

A perfect night oput at the Fringe - go see ‘em befof this week.

You heard the man. It's a perfect night oput!

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present Minging Detectives, every night at 10.30pm at the Gilded Balloon, from Aug 5th - 30th at the Edinburgh Fringe. Book now.

★★★★ "Hilarious audience engagement" - Comedy Blog

Lovely 4 star review from Steve Irving on Comedy Blog:

Review: Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre – Minging Detectives

August 25, 2015SteveIrving Leave a Comment

Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre

The Gilded Balloon is the home once again for the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre.  This mad-capped hour of sock puppetry serves up a hilarious segment of madcap entertainment, courtesy of Kev F Sutherland.

This year’s outing was under the banner of ‘Minging Detectives’, which engaged the audience to a no-holds-barred comedic hour of reflective references to TV police characters and comedic banter from days gone by.

As a gangster and a detective, the Socks truly captivated the attentive audience with their songs, puns and often amusing and chaotic storyline.  The wit and charm did at times achieve a buttock clenched audience reeling with a spin on ‘My Brother’ with a jihadist Sock.  This being said, Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre rarely disappoints. Yes, you must expect near to the bone humour, but this is complemented by the entertaining quick-fire puns and hilarious audience engagement from the extremely talented Sutherland and of course those rather wicked and gifted Socks!

★★★★★ "Great" - review by Mortice on Wikipedia

My thanks to Heather Tweed for finding this review hidden away. But, hey, 5 stars is 5 stars. You can find it here on, of all places, Wikipedia.

User:Mortice/Fringe2015

< User:Mortice

I've given personal star ratings to all the shows we saw in 2015, so given the ticket prices we should be able to see if 'more expensive' means 'better'. Specifically, are 'free' shows (where we tend to donate about £3 each) better value for money than paid ones.
That depends on whether you consider a 4 star show twice as good as a 2 star rating. I've considered different way to calculate it - in the following, a smaller price is always better..

• Calculating the "£ per star" we paid £1.20/star for free shows and £3/star for paid shows
• Calculating the "£ per star squared" (which puts more emphasis on good shows) we paid 65p/star2 for free shows and £1.20/star2 for paid shows
• Calculating the "£ per star cubed" we paid 46p/star3 for free shows and 68p/star3 for paid shows

Free shows, we saw 9 with an average 3.1 stars, 44% were 4 or 5 star. In total we paid out £27 for them (£3/show).
Paid shows, we saw 24 with an average 4 stars, 71% were 4 or 5 star. In total we paid out £252 for them (average £10.50/show).
All rates are 'per person'. This doesn't take into account that sometimes we chose to give more to a good free show. Excluded that Tattoo.

Shows we sawEdit

Day	Show	Style	Price	Comment	Stars
Saturday
	James Acaster	Standup	£12	Clever	5
	Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre – Minging Detectives	Sock puppets	£11	Great	5
Sunday
	Paul Merton and Chums	4 person improv	£14.50	Fun	4
	Nina Conti: In Your Face	Vent	£15.50	Fun	4
	#BlurredMinds	2 standups	Free	Variable	2
Monday
	Best of Irish Comedy	4 irish comics	Free	Variable	3
	UCL Graters - 2015: A Sketch Odyssey	3 person sketch	£5	Good, sharp date crab	5
	Flic and Julie - Penny Pinchers	2 women telling story	Free	Clever use of songs and flashbacks	4
	Hardeep Singh Kohli: Big Mouth Strikes Again	Talk	£10	Intelligent	4
	Edinburgh Military Tattoo	Dance show	£60	Not part of fringe	3
	Late with Kate	4 comics	Free	Kate Smurthwaite not available, others variable	3
Tuesday
	Shazam!	4 person play	£7.50	Not much sense, no ending	2
	Old Jewish Jokes	Jokes and story	Free	Great	5
	Cardinal Sin	8 person comic play	£0 +	Silly, slapstick	5
	New Jewish Jokes	Jokes and story	£8	Not as well delivered and previous show, more serious	3
	Milton Jones	Jokes	£18.50	Great	5
	BaffleSmash	3 person sketch	Free	Good, clever, some quite wordy	4
Wednesday
	The Communist Threat	2 person play	£9	Clever, twists in plot	5
	C'Tait la Nuit	4 person play	£8	Charming amusing story	4
	The State of Concrete	6 person play	£5	Gritty but no real story	3
	Barry Cryer and Ronnie Golden	Songs and chat	£12	Barry mostly doing backing to Ronnie	2
	Bristol Revunions: Cream	6 person sketch	£7	Clever, good ideas flyering other shows	4
	Katherine Ryan: Kathbum	Standup	£14	Intelligent	5
Thursday
	Alexei Sayle: Talking Comedy	Discussion	£12	Interesting history	3
	Routines	4 person standup	Free	Variable, did a "back of room" thing	2
	Sunset 5	6 person play	£11	Funny, clever, good use of music and effects from cast	5
	Jonny and the Baptists	2 man song story	£11	Clever	5
	zazU: A Fête Worse Than Death	Themed sketch	£9	Great	5
	Oddity	3 person play	Free	Set on trip to mars - lousy	1
Friday
	Nina Conti: Talking Comedy	Discussion	£12	Interesting insights into vent	4
	The Lost Art of Lost Art	4 person play	£10.50	Bland plot	1
	Blam!	4 man tumbling	£16.50	Very lively	4
	Andrew Lawrence: Uncensored	Standup	£12	Political	3
	Gary Meikle: Dysfunctionally in Order	Standup	Good	Free	4

PlanEdit

The following are things we planned to see (although we saw a lot more through picking up flyers).

SaturdayEdit

• James Acaster - 20:30 £12

SundayEdit

• Paul Merton's impro chums - 16:00 £14.50
• Nina Conti: in you face - 21:00 £15.50

MondayEdit

• Hardeep Singh Kohli - 17.20 £10.00

TuesdayEdit

• Milton Jones and the Temple of Daft - 19:30 £18.50

WednesdayEdit

• Barry Cryer and Ronnie Golden – Old Masters - 16:15 £12.00
• Jonny and the Baptists: The End Is Nigh - 19:50 £11.00
• Socks - 22:30 £10.00

ThursdayEdit

• Alexei Sayle: Talking Comedy - 12:45 £12.00
• Katherine Ryan - 16:25 Unavailable
• Zazu - 21:45 £9.00

FridayEdit

• Nina Conti: Talking Comedy - 12:45 £12.00
• Andrew Lawrence - 20:10 £12.00

People we should definitely see but not critical which dayEdit

• Ivor Dembina: Old Jewish Jokes - all but sun/mon - 13:15 -OR- New Jewish Jokes - all but mon - 17:00
• No Exit? (play) – all but sat/sun - 21:05
• The Bad Arm: Confessions of a Dodgy Irish Dancer - all but mon - 16:30

People at the showEdit

Available all days except MondayEdit

• Craig Hill - 19:15
• Croft & Pearce - 17:45
• Daniel Sloss - 20:40
• Dark Side of the Mime - 23:15

Available all days except WednesdayEdit

• Aisling Bea - 21:30
• Abigoliah Schamaun - 17:15
• Lost Property - 20:30
• Rosie Holt: (No) Strings Attached - 17:30

Available on a few daysEdit

• Nicholas Parsons – only sat/sun - 17:10
• Beta males – only thurs/fri - 00:00
• Al Murrey - Summer Salon - only Fri - 19:20

People not there (check next year!)Edit

• Mmm - Verity Standen
• Kate – written by david kettle
• Josie long
• Andrew Laurence
• Gráinne Maguire
• Half baked
• Daniel Simonsen
• Josh Widdicombe

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present Minging Detectives, every night at 10.30pm at the Gilded Balloon, from Aug 5th - 30th at the Edinburgh Fringe. Book now.

Dit Dit Dit - live video from Minging Detectives

Brand new from the Socks, a short routine from Minging Detectives, recorded Saturday night. We hope you like it. Click to play. 

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present Minging Detectives, every night at 10.30pm at the Gilded Balloon, from Aug 5th - 30th at the Edinburgh Fringe. Book now.

I'm Coming Home - live video from Minging Detectives

Brand new on Youtube, the "I'm coming home" song from Minging Detectives. We do hope you enjoy it. Recorded Saturday night. Click to play.

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present Minging Detectives, every night at 10.30pm at the Gilded Balloon, from Aug 5th - 30th at the Edinburgh Fringe. Book now.

The Socks Doctor Who End Of Time on BBC America

BBC America showed the Socks on Saturday night, which was a treat (though we didn't see it). They're running an updated version of our 2010 take on Doctor Who End Of Time, which we made for them back in June, and for which they've paid, thanks very much. Here, at last, is the clip, which I've kept under wraps, until they themselves tweeted the link this morning. Enjoy.

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present Minging Detectives, every night at 10.30pm at the Gilded Balloon, from Aug 5th - 30th at the Edinburgh Fringe. Book now.

"Get Ready To Laugh" - great review from Squirrel Comedy

It's a shame Squirrel Comedy don't give stars, cos this reads like a 5, wouldn't you say?

 Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre – Minging Detectives

By Ron Bingham 

Becoming a bit of an institution at the Edinburgh Fringe, this year in Minging Detectives the socks are tackling the world of crime, going back through all the great detectives in history and showcasing their skills. The Socks sing some enchanting songs – about racism in the police force and a jihadist lament to name the two most potentially offensive ones. They impress us with a little piece of Shakespeare, a lot of “there’s bin a murdurrrr” ala Taggart and manage to handle a few extremely mystifying interjections from the audience when asked for crimes or crime shows. We get references to most of the great Scottish detectives, some Sweeney, a dash of Morse, a touch of Juliet Bravo, a little bit of Scandanavia and a smattering of the States, but it’s mostly gangsta and Dixon of Dock Green. As always they dazzle us with hard hitting groaner puns, amazingly fast costume changes and very silly jokes.

A thoroughly enjoyable hour of entertainment provided by the astonishingly talented Kev F Sutherland, who writes and performs the puppet double act stuck in a sweaty box on stage. He’s been doing this for about ten years now and you can check out their fabulous videos online which will really whet your appetite for seeing them live which is a fabulous experience.

This show starts at 10.30pm and it starts ON TIME. I rushed from another show upstairs and got in three minutes after the official and actual start time. Whatever happened to late night shows starting half an hour after their official time? Get a ticket, get there early and get ready to laugh at some very offensive jokes and songs performed by some cute (grey wool blend, I’d say) Socks.

At The Gilded Balloon

- See more at: http://www.squirrelcomedy.com/?p=8961#sthash.P9BqBxyc.dpuf

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present Minging Detectives, every night at 10.30pm at the Gilded Balloon, from Aug 5th - 30th at the Edinburgh Fringe. Book now.

Kids, Puns & Aegon - extra gigs

Here we see a Sock backstage selfie as the audience piles in for Fringe at Work, a special guest show organised by radio station Forth One, where a workplace wins a visiting show. On Wednesday the Socks got to appear, alongside Diane Spencer and sketch group Aunty Donna, at the offices of Aegon, an insurance company out in Gyle. And great fun it was, although, as you can possibly see, we were less spotlit than, well, silhouetted.



The lighting was better, and the audience even more sensationally responsive, at Pun Run on Monday. We only did 5 minutes, as did everyone on the star studded bill which included Milton Jones and David O'Doherty, and held our own against some incredible competition. A high point was Steve McNeil's Bee Routine. Of course we took a back stage selfie, as we did at our other guest slot...



My these modern LED lamps and digital cameras do give an unattractive picture sometimes don't they? The other guest slot you can see here, in the Banqueting Hall (big room) at the Gilded Balloon, was Kids On The Fringe on Friday morning.

For the record, the kids and Aegon got I'm A Sock and the Magic routine, and Aegon got Michael Jackson. Pun Run got some of our classic puns, plus all the ones from Minging Detectives. The Socks guest set caused a small problem in that I've swapped round the tartan layer with the main set, which meant a bit of spiky-sided velcro was exposed just by my right elbow. I didn't notice it while I was performing, then wondered afterwards why I had a grazed and bleeding elbow. I sorted it by the time of Aegon.

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present Minging Detectives, every night at 10.30pm at the Gilded Balloon, from Aug 5th - 30th at the Edinburgh Fringe. Book now.

Meeting Richard Demarco, Edinburgh art

Now here's the sort of Edinburgh experience you can't contrive or pre-book. Heather and I were admiring a piece on the wall at Summerhall, all about Joseph Beuys, when who should appear out of the blue but Richard Demarco.

If you don't know him, he's the legendary art curator who was responsible for bringing Beuys to Britain, and for bringing art to the Edinburgh Festival back in the 1960s. His collection is now housed at Summerhall, in the old Dick Vets building, which is a venue during the Fringe, and he has his offices here.

Seeing us admiring the Beuys, he took us into a room full of his private collection and told us lots about his work over the years. He is clearly the master of charming people and networking, and it was an absolute treat to be welcomed by him. After a few minutes, in which time we'd learned about his forthcoming lectures at Bath Spa University, his having gleaned that we're based near Bristol, we moved on to his offices, and found ourselves passed on to his assistants, as he went into another of his many meetings with people of greater importance than us.

It was a memorable and delightful meeting and will remain one of our outstanding Edinburgh experiences. Not least because he referred to Heather as "the beautiful girl" as he posed for a photo.

Our Edinburgh month has seen a few visits to art galleries, the most impressive so far being Phyllida Barlow at the Fruitmarket, and we enjoyed sketching with Phill Jupitus at the National. A film of painting by Taduesz Kantor at Summerhall from 1958 was a lovely find, as was most of Summerhall's art on show, though I think there's less of it than previous years, with performance spaces starting to take over more of their programme. Sculptures at the National Portrait Gallery (aka the Museum of Faces) were very good, as was the only paying exhibition we've been to so far, the Victorian Photography at the Museum.

Hev at Summerhall. We have the Modern, Ingleby, Talbot Rice and others still to come. To date I've only managed to see two actual shows (One Man Breaking Bad and the Buzztones in Buzzology, neither of which nudges the 4 star barrier), there being too much flyering to do to keep those bums on those seats.

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present Minging Detectives, every night at 10.30pm at the Gilded Balloon, from Aug 5th - 30th at the Edinburgh Fringe. Book now.