Steve Gribbin: Fringe 2012
Live Review
Stand 3 and 4

Edinburgh is not a nice place when wet, and possibly the only place in the world where you can see a man in a wombat suit walking dejectedly up the street. I soaked, cold, and wanted something to hate and luckily veteran Steve Gribbin presents a series of targets from bankers to royals and takes them down in turn.

Gribbin’s popcorn political gibes are in the same vein as Mock The Week, great for a harmless laugh without delving too deeply. A musical comedian at heart, his 'scabrous songs' are mostly parodies of hits with suitably reworked lyrics that pleasingly never outlive the joke.

It feels like a show that works best with a large room of left-wing libertarians who enjoy satire, folk music, and Tory trashing. Despite being an indoor show it was effectively rained off with jutst three audience members, all of whom flatly refused to join in any singalongs – but Gribbin coped admirably, powering through the set without skipping a beat.

The premise is Gribbin is sick of it all and has decided to declare independence and form his own nation. He goes through all the prerequisites such as flags, anthems, songs, and border control explaining his choices and taking punches at Europe, foreign policy, banking, and anything else in the news.

A solid structure, with musical interludes and a fair roster of targets to bash. Gribbin has a good voice, and sharp lyrics. He's no Tim Minchin or even the Amateur Transplants but if you appreciate music, wit, and social commentary you won't be disappointed.