Dropkick Murphys
Aug 2 & 9:  (22.30)

The emotional bubble fest that is Sam Pressdee might just have found her natural calling. A socio-political & cultural butterfly, her many talents have coalesced into the assembly of exciting comedians like a Catherine the Great making an excellent gazpacho.

It’s a sacred space, not a safe space. I see comedy as a platform for the truth. Not just another bland form of entertainment. In a way, comedy saved me. I like comedy with depth. I believe that great comedy can inspire change. Read the full interview here

For two nights only this Fringe, our holistic hostess rules the roost for one hour in the surprisingly pleasant-to-be-in, churchlike ‘arena’ that is Dropkick Murphys. Five acts are on the cards & with last night being the first of the Fringe, each was energized with personal enthusiasms, dashing thro’ their ten minute sets like speedboats on a still Irish loch.

Mags McHugh was up first, a woman who told me & the wife before she went up that she picked up accents by osmosis. Confident, cheeky, quirky as a chipmunk, she was a smart ice-breaking start to what would become some kind of therapeutic comedy session organised by mistress Pressdee. Next up was Dan Collins, a carouseling traditionalist & a gag-merchant of some merit; followed deftly by the anarchic, plunge-in-yer-midriff fun-knives of Becky ‘I’ll go with anyone for a nandos‘ Fury. She’d hosted the Malcolm Hardy awards last year, & with her piercing eyes, her breasts out, & her dreamy stare she was an enthralling watch.

The penultimate comic was Alex Hylton, a comedians’ comedian who opens his psyche up to anyone with cudgeling honesty & invites us all just to chill out & laugh. The final act was a half-Egyptian half-Irish young lady called Zahra Barri; a buzzy fluffball of comedy unafraid to take risks, like a cute lhasapoo puppy with a surprising snarl.

And then it was done. Perfect. Five wicked acts doing cartoon-length time slots, & the wife & were I delighted we’d made the effort to go to town. And it was free, & Sam Pressdee had somehow created that vibe she’d been imagining for months. Mission accomplished, m’lady, & lets hope it goes just as well next week.

Damo