Eric

First night of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe - yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay one of my favourite times of year.

Had a meeting in town late afternoon then it turned out J (a friend from school) was in town briefly for work so I met her and her colleague for a drink. They were keen to check out the fringe so we went up to Pleasance Courtyard. They had about two hours before they had to leave for their flight to we selected a show based on convenience of time/location. It was actually very good. After the show they left and I met up with various others who had come down after work for beers, chat, and another show.

Reviews start here, by the way I'm a tough marker!

Fringe Show 1: Eric Lampaert (3.5*)
This guy told us the story of his colourful life, from growing up with a teenage mum and a professional jockey for a father to living all over Europe. He was a likeable guy, and his delivery fast paced and at times pleasantly tangential. I met him a couple of days later and told him I'd enjoyed his show and he couldn't have been nicer. (pictured)

Fringe Show 2: Idiots of Ants (4*)
I've seen these guys over the last four (or more?) years and they are absolutely great. They are a very slick intelligent sketch act and the whole hour is always consistent in quality and delivery. Plus they seem so lovely. I would recommend them to anyone, they are reliable and would have broad appeal. Good show this year as always.