The Festival's almost over and so far I've only managed to see two show, as different from each other as you could possibly get. On Tuesday at the Book Festival, I saw American political predictions pundit Nate Silver. My review of that will be on Liberal Democrat Voice later today.
Yesterday, I went in with Bob and Anna for a mooch around Bristo Square, and make a visit to the excellent crepe and waffle stand in the Gilded Gardens. Banana, toffee and flaked almond is my recommendation.
As ever, there were hundreds of people handing out fliers. It was a smiley Irish woman who persuaded us that we needed to go and see Chris Kent's Second Fix comedy show. She may not have been entirely accurate in what she told us - that the material was suitable for a 14 year old. It was only after I'd bought the tickets that I realised that they said "Strictly 16+". Oh well. She's been watching The Thick of It. I figured there weren't any more swear words for her to learn.
We filed into a tiny, superheated room. I made a beeline for the seat next to the air conditioning machine, but I'd be lying if I said that it made the place anything less than tropically hot. Chris Kent, though, saved our lives. If he'd been laugh a minute, can barely catch your breath before the next side splitting fit of the giggles, frankly, we'd have used up the oxygen in that airless room in about 10 minutes and would all have been dead. He was, however, amusing, charming and, unlike many comedians I've come across, actually seemed to like his audience. I got the impression that we weren't there just to be the butt of jokes. His style was relaxed and conversational, but he ably diffused the drunken hecklers behind us.
His routine covered subjects like cheese, night terrors, giving up drink for a year, ice poles (just mentioning something cold helped a little bit in that room) and his experience of coming down with Mumps during last year's Festival. When he mentioned NHS 24, I worried that he was regale some horrendous experience, but, no, they turned out to be the good guys.
I'd go and see him again and Bob and Anna enjoyed it too. The show takes place daily at 4:30 pm in the Wee Room of the Gilded Balloon, Teviot.
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