We are delighted to announce the first winners of The SAM Awards. After a very strange festival, not the easiest of year to launch a new award,   The winner of the best solo LGBTQI Act is the wonderful Aidan Sadler with his show Tropicana. The winner of the ensemble best LGBTQI act is Comedy Queers hosted by the delightful Dan Tiernan. Each night during the run four different queer comedians join Dan on stage We look forward to welcoming you to a comedy night in November where we will present these prizes in person and raise money for charity because that’s what we do.

https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/mary-paulsonellis/emily-nobles-disgrace/9781529036176   In this evocative and disturbing historical, gothic mystery, Mary Paulson-Ellis again considers what happens when someone dies with no apparent heirs.   The story revolves around three women in a faded seaside suburb. Two, Essie and Emily, are alive and involved after the discovery of the body of the third, Isabella. Isabella was a hoarder. Her former boarding house is full to the brim with her possessions and accumulated junk. But, as with all belongings, these objects are imbued with memories and have hidden tales to tell.   Essie is part of the team of cleaners that empty the houses of the dead. They have the task of clearing the boarding house. Essie’s search for information and memories of her own past bubbles up while disposing of Isabella’s possessions.   Emily Noble is a young, lonely PC with a past in the same suburb as the boarding house. She is hiding from thi...

  4 stars Comedy Queers are back at The Counting House but instead of being a midnight show this year it starts at 6 pm and also the other change is the host is no longer Sian Davis but this year it is Dan “I hear voices” Tiernan. Looking like the lovechild of the muppet’s Beaker and an alpaca, Dan Tiernan controls the stage and audience from the start and in between Introducing the four acts (apart from when he seems to have an acid flashback and started hearing voice). Each night like in past years there will be 4 different acts. On the opening night, it was Ruth Hunter, Natalie Bryce, Roisin Cared, and Chris Weir. The 3 support acts were all very funny, they covered the usual areas at this year's fringe, Covid19, lockdown, gender identity, and a few jokes about relationships breaking down. All 3 acts (each getting about 10mins) from their first joke had the full house laughing out loud to their last joke, then came the headline Chris Weir who’s first joke fell flat and th...

So this September RuPaul's Drag Race UK is back but like season one it is a bit rich calling it UK they all live in England and only two are from outside England, Victoria Scone from Wales and Choriza May from Spain, I'm guess the Scottish queens so dominated season 2 they want to give the English Queens a chance. We will bring you some T with queens over the coming weeks in the run-up to the shows starting next month. Victoria Scone Veronica Green Vanity Milan Scarlett Harlett River Medway Krystal Versace Kitty Scott-Claus Ella Vaday Elektra Fence Charity Kase Choriza May Anubis Global drag icon, and judge supremo, RuPaul presides as twelve of the nation’s most fabulous queens compete over ten weeks to be crowned the UK’s Next Drag Race Superstar. With over 21 million requests for series one and two on BBC iPlayer, RuPaul's Drag Race UK has become firmly established as a much loved, highly lauded competitive reality smash hit for BBC Three. Series one and two of RuPaul’s ...

                                                What is your fringe show about ? My show is called 'Cake', it's a stand-up comedy, and it's all about goal setting. The show I would have done in 2020 was all about planning the ultimate  well-attended  wedding day. And for obvious reasons, my show this year is not about that. Over the last year, sat inside with nothing to do. I got so obsessed with setting goals, planning out my days, making schedules, deadlines, just to try and stay focused and sane. And it all got a bit much. This show is me talking about that, what my goals were, why they were my goals, and what happens when we set goals for ourselves we don't achieve. But it's like...funny? How many times have you performed at the fringe? This will be the first time I've brought my own stand-up show to the fringe, but I've been coming nearly every year...

  Bromance 4 – 29 Aug 15:00 Assembly George Square Gardens - Spiegeltent Palais Du Variete Tickets:  https://assemblyfestival.com/whats-on/bromance   BMT Artists: · Arthur Parsons · Adam Fullick What is your fringe show about ? Arthur: Our show is about male friendship. Clumsy and limited male friendship where communication is physical first, and is followed by words Adam: For me, the show represents the journey of friendship three young males. How many times have you performed at the fringe ? Arthur: This is my second year. I was at the fringe performing BMT’s second show KIN four years ago Adam: This is my first time at the Fringe! What's your most memorable moment from the fringe? Arthur: Climbing Arthur’s seat after our last performance of KIN with all the other circus artists at the festival and watching the sunrise Adam: Connecting with audience members after the show. What is the worst thing about the fringe? Arthur: The constantly mounting fatigue with no time to ...

  Prince - Welcome 2 A merica 4/5 Like an updated remix of Gil Scott-Heron’s classic ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’ Prince takes a nearly spoken-word walkthrough of 21st century America on the opening track ‘Welcome 2 America’.  A simmering funk swagger, with a permanent frown, glowering at humanity’s enslavement to Apple products and the need to be famous. Along the way, equal opportunities are dissected and the specter of sex tapes galloping onto the internet is commented on.  Even though this was eleven years ago, Prince very much had his finger on the pulse of what was making the USA rotten from within. ‘Running Game (Son of a Slave Master)’ continues the observations even though he takes a back seat for the first half of the song emerging from the shadows in the latter section. There’s a smooth laid vibe to the music, it's also concise there are no ten-minute funk workouts, it has a gentle flow.  Jazz and funk still feature throughout but it's one of the...

  What is your fringe show about ? Best of Burlesque does exactly what it says, showcases the very best of burlesque talent at the Edinburgh Fringe but not only that, we also showcase many cabaret, variety and circus acts too. At a typical show you will see glittering showgirls, singers, magicians, circus acts, comedy etc. theres something for everyone!  How many times have you performed at the fringe ? We are lucky enough to have been running with Assembly at Edinburgh Fringe every year since 2012!  W hat's your most memorable moment from the fringe? There are too many to count! There is nothing like the atmosphere at fringe, its like another world where everyday is an adventure and anything can happen.  What is the worst thing about the fringe? It can be hard work. Performing on stage every night for 3 1/2 weeks can take its toll on you, you have to stay healthy, stay hydrated and pace yourself. Every show must be as good as the previous one so its important that y...

  Yola - Stand For Myself ⅘ Yola (or Yolanda Quartey to her mum) is an English soul singer with a gloriously big voice and this is her second album. Produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys it treads a very authentic 70’s path.  With lush arrangements behind a lovingly analogue sounding band, it's a perfect vehicle for Yola’s soulful vocals, which never push themselves too far, it's a controlled performance which shines. The album flows from disco to soul to country with general ease and all the styles seem to fit Yola who has no problem with whatever style the song requires. Her heartfelt performance on the big ballad ‘Great Divide’ absolutely shines and takes the song to new heights with every verse. Hopefully ‘Stand For Myself’ will take Yola to a much bigger stage, her versatility and talent looks like it’ll be shining for decades to come.

  Hysteria: A Post-Apocalyptic Cabaret  Sat 28 Aug 20:30 - 22:00  Baillie Gifford Theatre (in West Court) Pay what you can to watch online. Available live, then on-demand until 20:30 on Tuesday 31 August. Baillie Gifford Theatre (in West Court) £16.00 [£13.00]  Buy tickets    As we emerge from the pandemic and step into the 'new normal', many of us are hungrier than ever to build a better kind of society – one that prioritises community and wellbeing over profit. Cabarets and performance play a major role in this, bringing together artists who challenge the very notion of whatever it is that people call 'normal' in the first place. Curated by Mae Diansangu and Hanna Louise, Hysteria is here to guide you into this new world with a Post-Apocalyptic Cabaret. A performance night from Aberdeen, Hysteria was built by and for marginalised artists, making every performance an inherently political celebration, and this is no exception. Through song, spoken wo...

  Wow just wow what a great show. Not only a great voice, some very funny jokes (that the straights didn’t get), but a nice bit of pathos to go with the stories.   Aidan Sadler debuting at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with their show Tropicana 11.15pm at theSpaceUK . You will sing along, you will laugh along and you will almost cry along (but not me I'm a big butch bear, yeah right) Adrian's voice hits all the right notes their vocals are amazing, the dance routines are limited but makes you smile. You have all the hits that you know from the 80s Don’t you want me, Take on me, The look on love, it’s probably could do with a few more joke but hey you can’t everything in this world, no Karen you can’t !!. When you can do a version of Club Tropicana that’s even put a smile on my face, though it’s one of the songs I hated the most, then you know it's a good show, plus there is glitter.     Have a few pints, get a few mates, and enjoy one of the best nights out at this...