A late-night format comedy show from the Edinburgh Fringe, Notes: The Comedy B-Sides is hosted by Stephen Gordon and each show features a different line-up of comedians.
I am reviewing a show from early in the festival, 9 Aug, recorded at The Caves, Just The Tonic. As well as Gordon’s set, the line-up includes Yvette Segan, Val Vulpe, Adam Flood, Robin Grainger and Laurie Brewster.
The premise of Notes is intriguing: “Notes: Comedy B-Sides’ pulls back the curtain on the messy, brilliant and chaotic process that comes before the polished show. Every comedian has a Notes app full of half-formed premises, 3am voice memos, and ideas that went somewhere unexpected and never made it into the hour. This is the show where four or five rotating comedians open their phones and perform them live – whether they’re ready or not. A different lineup every night. The green room made public.”
Robin Grainger – who I interviewed about his show Lemonade – is up first. This is far rougher material generated from the shopping lists on his phone. The idea, I guess, is improvisation from ideas. So we get the purpose of sellotape. Misgendering magpies (“hello, Mr Magpie”). And the expiration of grandads. In Salford, where life is as rough as Notes is.
From a boisterous Northern lad we move to Moldovian dry wit and former mathematician Val Vulpe. Pickpockets, police, social media stalking, and Ubers are her deadpan currency, along with shabby houses where the dead famous once lived. Allegedly.
Yvette Segan, American internet personality, whose show this year was Guy’s Girl, is next up. She finds the streets of Edinburgh too friendly, and shares thoughts on Ibiza (without veneers), Jews, and the real reason men seem so confident.
Adam Flood, whose full show Life and Death of the Party I will be reviewing too, is from Stoke-on-Trent and is conversational, sweary, and direct about adverts, bizarre apps, why oranges are sexy, and really unfortunate jokes.
Lastly, Laurie Brewster, a fixture on the North East comedy circuit, chats about his curious notes about Burger King, pregnant women, unusual names, odd medical advice, and misplaced nostalgia.
Of these, I would definitely explore Grainger, Vulpe and Brewster more closely as they probably align more with my sense of humour. But the joy of a mixed bill is checking out comics at lightning pace.
3.5 stars.
Notes: The Comedy B-Sides was part of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.
I reviewed this show from a recording supplied by the show PR.