Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

Joe Sib is a vivid first-hand chronicler of a world we’re  losing – if we haven’t lost it already.

As a teenager in 1980s California, he discovered punk and threw himself into the scene whole-heartedly, following every band, local and touring, as well as setting up many a short-lived outfit himself.

This was a time when the only way to hear the music you wanted was to travel to a record shop (it took him three buses each way) or go to a gig. He consumed all he could, because to him, and the musicians, being part of the scene was the alpha and the omega. The live experience was overwhelming too, with fans living fully in the moment in the way you never can when someone’s got their phone out. And someone’s always got their phone out at gigs today.

Sib discovered the music in the early 1980s through the skate park he hung out at. Reluctantly on the first visit, but there this once-awkward teen soon found a supportive tribe of like-minded teenagers who became a surrogate family following his parents’ divorce.

Sib’s enthusiasm hasn’t dimmed over the years and he talks passionately about his experiences, especially with The Ramones, with whom he became friends.  

Given Sib has been on stage all his adult life, the last 16 of which has been in stand-up, he knows how to sell a story. Sometimes maybe a little too much, as he over-eggs the drama, when not quite all the details are as significant to us as they are to him.

There’s certainly quite a lot of padding in the workmanlike family story that eventually leads us to the guts of the music anecdotes. And if you’re not already into the 1980s punk, he probably won't convert you.

The main issue is that for a comedy show, there aren’t many hard laughs. He’s clearly a funny guy, but this is more spoken-word storytelling, sharing his personal memoir through the prism of the music that was so important to him.

If this is – or was – your scene and you’re not so worried about the LOLs, his war stories will certainly hold you rapt once he gets into them. But everyone else can safely tune out.

Review date: 4 Aug 2025
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Gilded Balloon at Appleton Tower