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Edinburgh Review: Adam Hess – My Grandad Has a Fringe

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4 out of 5 stars

© Matt Crockett

Adam Hess sprints around the stage with boundless energy. His observations are creative. It feels as though he is generating these ideas out of nowhere, with random ideas popping into his head, and somehow forming them into inventive, hilarious short-form jokes.

My Grandad Has a Fringe is a show that follows in a similar fashion to Hess’ previous shows, with the comic speaking of his family’s weird quirks (his audience are left wondering where he gets it from), as well as uncomfortable social situations his own awkwardness and anxieties have got him into. Topics covered are wide-ranging, from his mother’s knitting obsession to Hess’ own habit of enthusiastically waving at people he has met while waiting outside toilet cubicles.

Hess’ bright-eyed, genuine childlike glee personifies the homely feel of the entire show. It feels like going round to your friend’s house to play when you were little, Adam of course being the needy, attention-grabbing high-maintenance child (but this is somehow why we like him).

It’s refreshing to see a show that doesn’t drone on about one’s own privilege or the current socio-political climate. Hess presents an hour of true, hectic escapism.

Review: Rhys James – Forgives and Adam Hess – Feathers

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Rhys James and Adam Hess have been touring the country with their latest Edinburgh shows, bringing them eventually to the studio room at Birmingham’s Glee Club. The audience gathered is small but the atmosphere is good; improved certainly by the obvious strong friendship between the two comics performing. They live together, enjoy annoying each other and frequently refer to each other in their sets. Adam can even be seen sat on the floor in the corner of the room during Rhys’s performance.

Rhys James’s comedy is sillier than I anticipated it being. The impression I have always had of him is a rather cutting, almost condescending one, and his presence on stage comes as a surprise. With strange idiosyncrasies like the abbreviation of “high presh sitch,” as well as the flippant “soz”, James’s comedy is energetic, playful and enthusiastic. Amongst the impression of careful craft in terms of joke and narrative structure, Rhys has charming elements of impulsivity, referring to the four empty seats on the front row: “They come to all my gigs.”

An indicator of Rhys’s understanding of the craft is his own comment on his comedy. He seems to be very self aware and reflective, casting opinions on his actions within the narratives as well as the reactions his jokes receive in the room. This comedian is able to develop a believable narrative that encompasses detailed and obscure observations he has made without leaving the show disjointed; in fact, it is rather seamless. Rhys James’s latest hour is excellently written. He is cynical and analytical, whilst remaining endearing, with the show even getting quite emotional towards the end as the comic considers his next fifteen years of life.

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Now, it’s not difficult to believe that Adam Hess was the naughty kid at school. Hess seems to have retained this strange blend of pride and shame, paired with an innate sense of mischief that makes him a really likeable performer. The comic tumbles onto stage with a somewhat frantic energy that builds as the show progresses, his material getting stranger and stranger as he delves further into rather odd experiences from both his childhood and adulthood.

It seems as though Hess has had a tough year. His extravagant tale of recent efforts to make a banana split alone on Valentine’s Day at 2am is rather depressing. But his flailing desperation isn’t dampening of the mood, but rather bordering on hysterical. Adam knows he’s an object of pity according to this narrative, and plays it to his advantage. And if you let your mind wander for as little as one minute, you will jolt back to attention having missed a multitude of ideas that fly at his audience with impressive pace. His joke economy reflects his attention span, perhaps, and watching Adam perform has moments that are exhilarating.

It is interesting to consider the effect of social media presence on the stand up style of these two performers. Both shows are well-formed, with space for spur-of-the-moment audience interaction and callbacks where each comic rebounded off the enthusiasm the audience were already reflecting back. There are concise jokes and multi-layered scenarios, perfect for the Twitter generation and incredibly handy for keeping the energy up within live performance.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT RHYS JAMES AND ADAM HESS’S WEBSITES

July: Comedian Of The Month #18, Adam Hess

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Each Comedian of the Month on MoodyComedy is a comic who has never previously featured on the website. Reasons for selection can include various current projects the comedian is involved with, or perhaps recent appearances on television programmes or podcasts. There is no strict criteria however, as Comedian of the Month simply stands as a collection of recommendations, highlighting interesting and original aspects of certain comedians and their work.

Avid Twitter users will no doubt have come across my latest Comedian Of The Month before; Adam Hess has accumulated nearly 50,000 followers on the site as a result of his mastery of 140-character humour. He has a sharp wit, a necessary comic trait, but also an eye for the stranger kind of observation, pairing silliness with darker elements.

Hess’ character on stage whilst performing stand up is wholly separate from that of the level-headed, sarcastic comedian we see online. The intelligent twists of logic are still a core part of the package and he certainly presents ideas that are unusual, observational comedy of that which has perhaps never been observed. However, performance-mode-Hess is a bundle of frantic energy, of faux-nervousness and jittery giggles. It’s hard to not find it endearing upon first watching, but further viewing proves that this comic is, somewhat unbelievably, in full control, and not the foppish student he first appears to be.

A particularly admirable ability of this comedian is that he manages to pack a huge number of one-liner gags into a set, and a remarkable percentage of them actually land. It is a common downfall that I have found with many predominantly one-liner comics that a lot of the jokes are, completely unavoidably, stabs in the dark; things that cause uproar on one night may fall to the sound of silence the next. Adam’s apparent spontaneity brings a wonderful animation to each performance, which carries him through even when the laughter dies out (which, of course, is infrequently).

Having already won the Chortle Student Comedy Award in 2011, Adam Hess is making waves on the comedy scene and brings his debut show to the Edinburgh Festival this month.

For more information, visit Adam Hess’ website and follow him on Twitter.

JUNE COMEDIAN OF THE MONTH

Jack Barry: The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

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© James Deacon
Who? Jack Barry
What? Alien
Where? PBH’s Free Fringe @ Banshee Labyrinth – Cinema Room (Venue 156)
When? 20:55

What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?

I’m very excited! In the past I have found it very stressful, but a couple of years ago I finally realised that it’s all meaningless. We’re all going to die, so why worry about the Edinburgh Fringe? I just want make sure that everyone who comes to see my show every day has a lovely time and we all leave good friends.

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

This year my show is all about foreigners! I love foreigners, my girlfriend is an immigrant, my grandmother is an immigrant and I was even an immigrant when I was a child (I lived in China). So I wanted to write a show about the funny things that make us all different, and how they should be seen as positives rather than negatives. Also, it’s good to see the funny side of trying to stop your girlfriend from getting deported.

What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

The hardest thing has been to finally talk on stage about my deepest, darkest secret. That I was in a low-budget Chinese feature film when I was thirteen. It’s excruciatingly awkward. I play an American character but refused to do an accent. My girlfriend and I have been together for five years and she’s only just found out about it. Usually I’m criticised for being an over-sharer, but this I’ve kept bottled up.

Has your attitude towards the Fringe changed at all in recent years?

I suppose so. When I first started going to the Fringe I was a bright-eyed student, who was just excited to be there. I went out every night and got drunk and then I’d be on the Royal Mile at 10am to flyer for six hours. These days I’m a grizzled veteran and all that youthful innocence has gone. I still enjoy it, but it’s in a much more restrained manner.

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

Plenty! There are lots of people coming from other countries to do their first Edinburghs, which is very exciting. Especially as my show is about immigrants. Ray Badran, Aaron Chen and Catherine Cohen will all have amazing shows. I’m also looking forward to Helen Bauer’s debut. I think she’s a bit German. I’m also always excited to see all my friends’ shows. My old sketch partner Annie McGrath has a new show. I’m living with Adam Hess, Mat Ewins and Rhys James, so shout out to all of them too!

Where would you like to be in a year’s time?

I’ve been saying for the past ten years that I’m going to have a year off from Edinburgh next year, so hopefully I’ll be at home and not worrying about Edinburgh. In all likelihood I’ll be at home filling out a questionnaire for MoodyComedy, trying to get people to come and see my 2020 Edinburgh show.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR JACK BARRY: ‘ALIEN’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2019

Lou Sanders: The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

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© Megan Gisborne
Who? Lou Sanders
What? Say Hello to Your New Step-Mummy
Where? Monkey Barrel 3 (Venue 515)
When? 15:15

What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?

Sexual frustration. Only kidding – I am weirdly optimistic and looking forward to it! For real.

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

The premise is certainly not what I thought it was when I wrote the blurb for the brochure. Turns out it’s about relationships and me analysing whether I am efffd in the head.

What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

Structure. I hate structure. It takes me ages. And if I will be judged on my searing honesty. Am I being too revealing y’know? But I think it’s important to not just reflect a sanitised, nicer version of yourself. I wanna see the more challenging/challenged side of people too.

Has your attitude towards the Fringe changed at all in recent years?

Yes, I like it more! I see more stuff and I stress less.

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

Luke McQueen, Annie McGrath, Ray Badran, Gaby Best, John Kearns, Adam Hess, Kate Berlant.

Where would you like to be in a year’s time?

Hawaii. Just for a bit.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR LOU SANDERS: ‘SAY HELLO TO YOUR NEW STEP-MUMMY’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2019

Ed Gamble: The Edinburgh Interviews 2018

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© Avalon Entertainment

Who? Ed Gamble
What? Blizzard
Where? Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance Above (venue 33)
When? 19:40

Are you prepared for what this year’s Edinburgh Fringe has in store for you?

This sounds ominous. Do you know something that’s in store for me that I don’t? I thought I was prepared for just doing my show, but you’ve made it sound like they’re going to do The Purge or something. I’m prepared for my show, but not for The Purge.

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

It’s about me finally embracing being a nice guy onstage and then coming to terms with the fact I’m anything but. That’s what I think it’s about anyway, but everyone else seems to think it’s about cats and dogs. 

What was the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

This is my 5th hour in a row, so there’s always a worry that the well has run dry. Luckily though, if you keep digging you often end up finding the freshest water. More poetic insights like that will be available in my show.

Who would most enjoy your show?

Anyone with a goddamn pulse.

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations? 

Tonnes. Really looking forward to seeing Jordan Brookes, Catherine Bohart, Lazy Susan, Sarah Keyworth, Rosie Jones, Jack Barry, Lolly Adefope, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Rose Matafeo, Felicity Ward, Matt Forde, Ivo Graham, Nish Kumar… the list is long and I will try and see all of them. I’ve already seen previews from Adam Hess, Sean McLoughlin, Lou Sanders and Steve Bugeja and they are all on brilliant form.

What is your favourite thing about Edinburgh as a city?

The architecture, the smell, the food, the cobbles. Everything really. Apart from all the English people during August. (Please buy tickets.)

What are your plans for after the festival?

Have a massive sleep, naturally. Then I’ve got some Mock the Weeks, then a holiday, then I’m touring Blizzard next year.  Mainly sleep though.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR ED GAMBLE: ‘BLIZZARD’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2018

Flo & Joan: The Edinburgh Interviews 2018

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© Avalon Entertainment

Who? Flo & Joan
What? Alive On Stage
Where? Pleasance Courtyard, Cabaret Bar (venue 33)
When? 16:00

Are you prepared for what this year’s Edinburgh Fringe has in store for you?

We can only wish that we knew what was in store so that we could be better prepared. As far as we currently know, what’s on the cards for us is a 27 show run of our new show in the Pleasance Cabaret Bar, so we have Googled the location and know how to get there, and the content of the show itself is nearly ready. But we still have a bit of time to juche her up a bit.

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

We don’t really approach shows with a premise but we try and write songs as we are inspired/panicked throughout the year, and we collect them up and put them in what we hope will be the most pleasing order for an audience, like the Now albums, if they’re still a thing? This year things that have popped up a lot in the old zeitgeist and consequently our show includes (but is not limited to) sex robots, lady crisps and British pride (or lack of), and we’ll be showcasing our primary school level mastery of a few instruments as well.

What was the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

The hardest thing for us is getting the songs in the perfect order. They’re not all related in content so there’s not a natural order they would fall in, and getting it wrong really interrupts the flow. Also, it’s not necessarily an obstacle, but dragging the menagerie of aforementioned instruments around Edinburgh like Dick van Dyke in Mary Poppins will be a challenge and likely the cause of many arguments we have this year.

Who would most enjoy your show?

There’s a bit of stuff for everyone. If you’re a little weird, we got you. If you’re silly, we got you. Old and young, come along. And if you think you don’t like musical comedy we would especially love to see you.

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

We always look out for a show from Tom Walker who we go back and watch multiple times over the festival with different friends. Sarah Keyworth, Catherine Bohart, Lou Sanders, Maisie Adam, Glenn Moore, Adam Hess, Kiri Pritchard-Mclean and Heidi Regan are all people we’ve had a good old time gigging with this year so people should go and see their shows too.

What is your favourite thing about Edinburgh as a city?

It’s just a bit beautiful isn’t it? And as you look at its beautifulness you’re getting a workout climbing around it too. Brilliant. And there is no shortage of drinking establishments. That’s important.

What are your plans for after the festival?

We are going on our first UK tour! We are very excited about that. We’ve also been working on a podcast series of mini musicals which we’re hoping to release into the world before the end of the year. Enjoying having personal space again. We’re sharing a room during the festival and along with the show we’re going to need a break from each other.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR FLO & JOAN: ‘ALIVE ON STAGE’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2018

Pity Laughs: The Edinburgh Interviews 2018

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© Milo Robinson

Who? Pity Laughs
What? A Tale of Two Gays
Where? Just the Tonic at The Caves (venue 88) ​
When? 16:05

Are you prepared for what this year’s Edinburgh Fringe has in store for you?

Mark: It’s always difficult to be fully and totally prepared but I think we’re more prepared than we ever have been before. Content-wise, having been up last year with a show that had similar themes, I think we know more clearly what you can and can’t get away with and where the “line” is for the audience. People will laugh about bereavement and they will laugh about you being depressed and being a closeted gay, they just need to be told that they can and it’s up to you to create that environment.

Will: Logistics-wise – not that I’m at all interested in logistics (I’m gay!)-

Mark: So am I!

Will: Hush, you! (They make out, cat-fight then make love).

Will: (Zipping up his fly) Where was I? Oh yea, we’ve now got two and three years’ worth of Fringes under our belts respectively –

Mark: And all sorts besides!

Will: Hush!!

The cycle repeats itself.

Will: (Cleaning up) Right, serious now, this is getting silly. So after our previous experiences we’re much wiser and savvier. We’ve got 5 previews of our show booked in in the early summer where last year we did none (!), we’ve already got our publicity being drawn up and developed and we’ve thought through marketing strategies for the show, so we’re a bit further on than usual…!

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

Mark: We’re both gay and my parents are dead.

Will: I’ll say!

Mark: The premise is that Will (who functions as an audience and, reading further, a societal surrogate) ‘wants’ my bereavement.

Will: This is all true by the way. I would be genuinely thrilled if my idiot parents died a horrible death.

Mark: As you can see, he is jealous of my ‘get-out card’ and because his life hasn’t been sad enough, he has chosen to make one up. So Will tells the audience his fictional life by means of his parody gay literotica Man to Man-

Will: -while Mark performs stand up about his real life; the travails of being gay and losing your parents at a young age.

Mark: While the topics are dark and elements outrageous, it’s also a very silly show.

Will: We love making each other laugh about being gay, and I’m always making jokes at Mark’s expense about not having parents (e.g. hey Mark, your parents are dead, you stupid prick!!!), and so we just want to make other people laugh.

What was the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

Will: We also perform separately. Mark is on the London stand-up circuit while my gay literotica is available as a blog (https://man2manfiction.blogspot.co.uk) and coming soon as a podcast.

Mark: The hardest part-

Will: Has been my cock!

Mark sighs, then obligingly sucks Will’s proffered penis.

Mark: … has been bringing the two elements together in a way that makes the show more than a sum of its parts. In general we find split bills unenjoyable and we don’t advertise our show as one; it’s a show on its own terms.

Who would most enjoy your show?

Will: Perverts.

Mark: The show certainly isn’t for the faint-hearted. Will’s sections do contain some pretty harrowing (yet hilarious) descriptions of gay sex. They’re intended to lampoon what straight people think gay sex is like; in practice the irony is lost on quite a lot of straight people who emerge believing that “all gay men do is anal sex” (a genuine quote).

Will: That’s all I do.

Mark: I do make jokes about being an orphan and about his parents’ deaths, from cancer and suicide. The description is pretty clear on all our publicity and ticket selling sites and we also have content warnings on the door, so we do hope that anyone who might be triggered doesn’t end up at the show!

Will: To cut Mark’s long and boring story short, I couldn’t care less about people being triggered. It’s natural selection if you ask me. If you love smut and/or dark comedy you’ll love the show, and if you don’t come and see it your homo- and orphanphobic.

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations? 

Mark: Glad you asked! Our production company (StraightUp) is bringing up two other shows, Space Doctor, a sci-fi parody running at Gilded Balloon’s Wine Bar at 12.15pm every day, and Dank Verse, a stand-up show from our colleague and performance poet Will Penswick, 2-16 August 4.15pm, Laughing Horse @ the Place. We’d recommend both highly! Other than that, Willis & Vere always serve up an absolute feast of metatheatre, so A Serious Play About World War II will be worth catching, and we think Adam Hess is the funniest human being on the planet, so we wouldn’t miss him.

Will: I’d only recommend our shows. I’m a stick in the mud.

What is your favourite thing about Edinburgh as a city?

Will: The rain. Not being able to buy booze in shops after 10pm, but it’s ok because the pubs are so cheap. The hills and the fact that half the city seems to be on a different plane to the other. Flyering.

Mark: Come on now. The Meadows when it’s sunny are an amazing place to rehearse or chill out. The vibe around the festival is amazing.

Will: Ha! Gayyy!

What are your plans for after the festival?

Mark: We host two monthly comedy nights in Barnes and Clapham, both South London, and are taking on a few more, so we’ll be focusing on those immediately after the festival as well as hoping to get Space Doctor a London transfer somewhere. Then towards the late autumn we’ll start thinking about Fringe 2019… when we’ve caught up on some sleep!

Will: I don’t plan to sleep at all, I just plan to have sex with men.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR PITY LAUGHS: ‘A TALE OF TWO GAYS’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2018

December: Comedian Of The Month #35, Jordan Brookes

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Each Comedian of the Month on MoodyComedy is a comic who has never previously featured on the website. Reasons for selection can include various current projects the comedian is involved with, or perhaps recent appearances on television programmes or podcasts. There is no strict criteria however, as Comedian of the Month simply stands as a collection of recommendations, highlighting interesting and original aspects of certain comedians and their work.

Happy New Year everyone! The final Comedian of the Month chosen for 2016 is Jordan Brookes, who came to my attention when he was named one of of the ‘Top Ten Ones To Watch in 2017’ by an expert panel consisting of Beyond The Joke‘s Bruce Dessau, Bob Slayer and Corrie McGuire. He even appeared alongside two MoodyComedy favourites: Stuart Goldsmith and Adam Hess.

Jordan Brookes reminds me of many of the people I knew at school. He is competent and clearly knowledgeable yet in an unobtrusive way, endearing himself to audiences almost without effort. Jordan utilises sarcasm and drudgery, which stand in contrast against the awkwardness that accompanies him onstage. And this comedian is strangely self-assured, despite audiences being perhaps inclined to assume he is an anxious character based on first impressions.

© Jordan Brookes

Often bordering on performance art, Jordan Brookes’ comedy starts small and develops with ease into something broader and more conceptual, such as his failed-time-travel skit. He is confident and artistically unafraid; a truly thoughtful comic with a calm air about him that reassures audiences that he knows what he is doing.

Jordan Brookes’ 2016 show ‘The Making Of…’ is now available on the new comedy streaming site NextUp, which is a site definitely worth signing up to at only £3.50 a month for unlimited access to stand up comedy content.

For more information, follow Jordan Brookes on Twitter.

NOVEMBER COMEDIAN OF THE MONTH