Fringe Reviews - Late'n'Live, Robert White +++

More fringe fun.

Late'n'Live is a fringe institution - late night comedy from 1am to 4am, showcasing some of the best and worst of the festival. You never know who will be on until the day of the show, and I have seen everything here from the biggest names in comedy to brilliant unknowns. It's a chance for newcomers to promote their own shows (and we have been to see acts off the back of Late'n'Live so it works) and for the established guys to do a more relaxed set - sometimes dying on their feet in the process!

Last nights selection included an energetic and amusing compere whos name escapes me (it was Patrick Monahan). The first act was a New Yorker with a Greek name I couldn't pronounce even if I could remember it (I now find it's Costaki Economopoulos who is in a show supporting Caroline Rhea) . He was mildly amusing, but didn't seem to realise that many of the brand names, celebrities and cultural references he was using aren't understood in the UK... Even when we did catch up, things are less funnny after 5 seconds of mental "eh?".

The night was far from wasted though, with three great acts...

Robert White - PICTURED - A guy I've never heard of, who has his own gig in a tiny venue. Nonetheless, he was the highlight of the evening (MrsCyclops is trying to get us tickets for his show tonight!). Some of his humour was pretty cringey but his character is very animated and delightfully camp so it worked very well. Currently he's tied with "The Noise Next Door" (see Friday for my "Discovery of the Year" award (after a disappointing Fringe last year where I didn't award one)! Update: we went to see his show this evening, and it was brilliant if a little risque at times! A rising star!

Arj Barker - This was the "big name" of the evening as he's part of the very successful "Flight of the Conchords". It's often nice to see big names doing a more relaxed set (often after a few beers) but Arj was perhaps a little too laid back and may have had a beer or two more than was strictly necessary. He was funny, but he never really found his stride so I'm not rushing out to buy tickets for his own show. I'm sure he doesn't care - it will probably sell out without my custom!

Axis of Awesome - Comedy songs and parodies - including their YouTube hit "4 Chord Song". Very entertaining, a couple of their songs had be laughing myself silly. I don't think I'll go and see their own show because I suspect we saw the highlights, but if you've not seen them already at something like Late'n'Live, I'm sure they will be worth going to see!

The only damper on the evening (a hazard of late night comedy) was the idiot behind us who tried to pick a fight with my friend S (to the point of grabbing him round the neck). Fortunately S is calm, hard as nails, and a police officer. He just stared down the little toerag and told him to back off in no uncertain terms. The little toerag in question just about soiled himself and decided to leave the show early... Comedy in itself...