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An Indie Boy's Guide to Sex and Girls
Published on Friday, 17 August 2012
2

2 stars

Chiquito
Comedy
4-25 Aug, 3:40pm-4:40pm
Reviewed by Andy Frain

 Free and unticketed. No pre-booking required.
 Recommended for age 18+ only. Venue may not permit under-18's - check with venue before booking.

A gig next to the toilets of a Mexican restaurant: such are the joys of the Free Fringe.  In truth, however, the venue is more than satisfactory, in unfortunate contrast to the disappointing show held within – where Marc Burrows’ ode to Britpop and its association with his love life falls well short of its potentially interesting premise.

Burrows clearly loves his subject matter, and his passion for music is admirable. But at times his adoration for indie kings just comes across as music snobbery rather than anything humourous. On the rare occasions he ventures out of the topic of music, he treads well-worn material, ranging from ‘women turning into their mothers’ jokes to Michael Jackson gags a good five years out of date.

An ill-advised musical section in the middle relies on one joke, which quickly wears thin (although it does also finish on the best joke of the show). To be honest, the act would benefit from losing any singing altogether, despite Burrows’ impressive voice. Most disappointing, however, is that the show somehow manages to feel both rushed and overly long, with my friend and I sharing a ‘how long left?’ look worryingly early on. 

Granted, there are a few high points: an excellent one-liner about how liking The Beatles affects someone’s sex life is a particular highlight, and a few decent in-jokes near the beginning will please hardcore fans of 90’s Britpop (this is surely the only show at the Fringe referencing Kula Shaker). But these moments are far too few within an hour long show. 

It’s never nice when such a pleasingly endearing idea for a show proves a disappointment. I genuinely wanted to like it, but it simply lets itself down in too many areas. It feels haphazard and at times unaware of whether it’s a piece about Burrows’ relationship with music, or a regular stand-up show. It’s unfortunately closer to ‘Menswear’ then it is to ‘Blur’. 

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These are archived reviews of shows from Edinburgh 2012.  We keep our archives online as a courtesy to performers, and for readers who'd like to research previous years' reviews.

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