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Out of the Blue
Published on Thursday, 28 June 2012
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Assembly George Square (venue website)
Music
1-14, 16-27 Aug, 2:00pm-2:50pm

 Family-friendly. Suitable for all ages.

If you’ve spent any time in Edinburgh, you probably know all about Out Of The Blue: the gaggle of sharp-suited students are back for an eighth consecutive year, peddling their a cappella melodies in a prestigious new home at Assembly George Square.  The line-up of singers may change from season to season, but their enthusiasm for their music never fades, with their unaccompanied versions of popular favourites earning them a rightful place as a fixture of the Fringe.

The emphasis is on fun with this show: bank on quirky choreography, a few bursts of showmanship and an unexpected musical twist or two.  The award-winning all-male singers, named after the dark-blue regalia of their alma mater Oxford, have won a loyal following for their musical mastery and charismatic charm.  And the critics love them too; even our own Lee Zhao, never the easiest man to please, declared them "head and shoulders above most of the musical offerings in Edinburgh” a couple of years ago.

The quality of the music’s important, of course, but for us it’s a simpler equation than that: time after time, their joyful harmonies and youthful antics have broken through mid-Fringe weariness, sending us away with a renewed smile on our face.  If there's one criticism we'd make, it's that the show's rather short – at 10 minutes under an hour, we always leave feeling that we want a little more.  And if you think you recognise the name, yes, they were on Britain’s Got Talent.  But we’ve forgiven them for that.

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FROM OUR ARCHIVES

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.

Edinburgh 2012 Five Stars

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Totally Tom


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The Magical Adventures of Pete Heat


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Bye Bye World


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Barbershopera: The Three Musketeers


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Truth


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The House of Shadows


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Briefs


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Made for Each Other - Free


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Tony Law: Nonsense Overdrive


5 stars Comedy
Ivo Graham and Liam Williams


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Hannibal Buress: Still Saying Stuff


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The Blanks' Big Break


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A Clockwork Orange


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Richard Wiseman: Psychobabble


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Martin Mor: A Man You Don’t Meet Everyday


5 stars Theatre
1984


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Swedenborg, the Devil and Me


5 stars Theatre
The Trench


5 stars Theatre
Casablanca: The Gin Joint Cut


5 stars Theatre
Joyced!


5 stars Theatre
An Evening With Dementia


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Scott Agnew: Tales of the Sauna


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Comedian Dies in the Middle of Joke


5 stars Comedy
Chris Ramsey: Feeling Lucky


5 stars Comedy
The Horne Section - Live at the Grand!


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How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found


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The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle


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Songs of Lear


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Jonny Woo: Wonder Woo-Man


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Josie Long: Romance and Adventure


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10 Films With My Dad


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4.48 Psychosis


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As You Like It


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Appointment With The Wicker Man


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Jessie Cave: Bookworm


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Morgan & West: Lying, Cheating Scoundrels


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Hearts on Fire


5 stars Theatre
Rainbow


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Chris Dangerfield: Sex Tourist


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Chris McCausland: Not Blind Enough


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Chatroom


5 stars Comedy
Peacock & Gamble Don't Even Want To Be On Telly Anyway


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I Heart Hamas: And Other Things I'm Afraid to Tell You


5 stars Comedy
John Robertson - The Dark Room - Free


5 stars Kids'
Dr Brown Brown Brown Brown Brown and His Singing Tiger