It may be Edinburgh’s Festival but many Glasgow-based acts make a big impression at the Fringe.
The likes of Jamie Dalgleish, Gary Little and Raymond Mearns all have a daily commute along the M8.
Doing his first solo hour at the Fringe, Dalgleish is regularly selling out his show, From Buckfast to Middle-Class at Stand 4.
Having won Scottish Comedian of the Year several years ago, it has taken him a while to realise his potential. Ironically, he has done so after a self-imposed exile from the circuit, but he has returned re-invigorated and is in the form of his life. This will be one of the stand-out shows of 2018.
Raymond Mearns, on the other hand is a Fringe veteran, who made his Edinburgh debut twenty years ago. Indeed, it was at that 1998 festival that Mearns received a legendary heckle.
He was doing a show in the basement of Christie’s Bar in the Grassmarket to an audience of three and not getting much response. Indeed, the biggest laugh came when a voice at the back of the room said: “I remember when there used to be a pool table in here”.
Mearns has moved on from those early days to become one of the finest comedians in Scotland and a compere par-excellence. Ironically, he has only moved about one hundred yards in terms of venue location. He is now playing at the Beehive Inn across the road to sold-out rooms of adoring fans. And no pool table in sight.
Gary Little is another whose life and career have turned around dramatically in the last decade or so. In 2008, he was unable to perform on the Fringe because he was sentenced to 18 months in prison in the May of that year. Since then, he has established himself as a stand-up with a global profile, having performed at festivals in the USA and Australia. His show is also at The Beehive, and is a definite must-see.
Jamie Dalgleish: From Buckfast to Middle-Class Stand 4, The Stand Comedy Club, York Place 4.45pm
Raymond Mearns Is In The House. Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, Grassmarket 7pm
Gary Little: Big Mouth. Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, Grassm,arket 6.30pm
Vladimir McTavish is appearing at The Stand’s New Town Theatre, George Street, Edinburgh with his solo show “25 Years Of Stand-Up” at 6.50 each night until Sunday 26th August
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