Tony Cowards: Festival of Football
Show type: Edinburgh Fringe 2007
Tony Cowards has two passions in life, football and comedy, which he effectively combines by being a lifelong supporter of his hometown football club, Ipswich Town.
‘Festival of Football’ is a semi-autobiographical stand up show examining the effect that football has had on his life and what it means to be a supporter in these days of Russian oil billionaires and American corporate takeovers. Is football still, as Karl Marx described it, the “Opium of the masses” or is it now the Bolivian marching powder of the prawn sandwich brigade?
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Older Comments
Chris Dickens - 28/08/2007
I pitched up at Festival Of Football not knowing what to expect, only going for the simple reason that it was the only show on in Edinburgh during the time I was there that was about the beautiful game. I'm really glad I went - as I find that although sporting/comedy crossover shows are few and far between, those that are around tend to be very good and this was no exception. Tony Cowards had a warm and likeable manner and perhaps his biggest strength was involving the entire intimate audience in the show, giving it a unique feel. His observations about swearing at football, doing stand up in Swindon, and the tunes teams run out to (among others) were particularly funny and overall I got the feeling that everyone who went to the show I saw had enjoyed themselves and could relate to at least something Tony had mentioned during his musings. All in all a top show, the best free show I saw during my week there.
subs - 22/08/2007
This is the show that convinced my Edinburgh based brother that free gigs can be worth going to! We both enjoyed it hugely - I also loved the half-time oranges (well Kit-kats). Andrew was chuffed at getting the "Johnny Tod" theme tune for Everton. Easily a four star show! ****
JOHN GREER - 20/08/2007
This afternoon I went to see Tony Cowards: Festival Of Football. Arriving to find myself as one of four in the audience was a surprise but, this gave the show an even more intimate feel, with Tony asking everyone where they were from and what team they supported. The subject matter meant we all had a common bond to start with. Tony's material was well thought out and very funny, often very topical. His musing about his support of Ipswich Town resonated with myself as there were many similarities with my love of my team. The music that football teams ran out to section was very funny and his interaction with the audience was very good.
Iain Wilson - 13/08/2007
I went to see festival of football with my girlfriend and my dad, and we all thought it was brilliant. My girlfriend doesn't know the most about football, but she still understood and liked it. Tony Cowards was a very funny man, who was at his best when engaged in banter with the crowd.