The Great Brain Robbery

#edfringe

Wrote this 100 miles from home. Squashed in the Avensis. Cruising home to family and normality. 

Final show was a belter. What seemed really bleak just prior to curtain up became a wonderful surprise and a perfect end. Really great show and a great end to our short run and big adventure. 

I hung out for a bit with my oldest friend who had come across from the west coast of Scotland with his family to see the show, which was amazing. We chatted and caught up and then the guys arrived back at the venue, we loaded up and hit the road. 

It was a cold and damp morning but the audience and their response warmed us up. As we flyered outside I took pictures of the gang with the infamous Cow which stands proud outside our venue and which has been a constant figure of anchor during our time at edfringe. I thought it would be nice to close out the blog with the pics, final day portraits if you will. I half jokingly expressed my disappointment that no one had taken my picture, even though they knew my plan. Craig asked if I wanted my picture taken, I replied I wanted someone to want to take my picture. I was petty and as you can see below there is no pic of me. My fault.

One of a number of things I’ve got wrong. The most common question over the last couple of days is what next? I don’t know, I’m not done working through this yet. I wish I’d done more to get more slots, to get more press, to gain more followers, to do more interviews, to get more people through the door. The sense of what might have been, what if, hangs over me. I don’t know how the others feel.

I’m proud of what I did, but feel I could have done more, but then I always feel like that.

It’s 22.45 and we are hurtling past Derby.

If the above sounds negative, it is just tiredness, mental exhaustion. It’s been a blast. Performing the show, a show I’m supremely proud of has been a thrill. To be a performer at the fringe, with a show people have genuinely enjoyed and responded to is a joy I will treasure whatever happens next. And to do it with my friends has been incredible. They have driven, cooked, designed, booked, erranded, flyered, cleaned and performed and made it all a reality, and I will always be proud and grateful for that.

I will miss seeing the guys in the morning; Alison, So on and So Forth, Sleeping Trees. That moment on stage waiting as the audience file in. That moment as the show ends and the audience clap and that wave of pride swells, that feeling of achievement. I will miss looking across and sharing that moment with dear friends. There is something about the daily show, the context of the fringe that sets it apart from anything we have done before as a group, I feel.

What is next? Who knows. I don’t want to lose that feeling though. It’s too vital. 

Earlier in the journey I watched Man On Wire on my iPad and saw parallels with Phillipe Petit. Whilst his focus and bravery far exceeds mine I see similarities in the ideas of chasing the impossible, doing things that have no answer to the question ‘why’ and the sacrifices that come from doing things like this.

Edfringe has changed me, doing it, since the proces began. Or maybe I just changed at the same time as doing this. Maybe I haven’t changed, but unveiled. Time will tell me exactly.

For now I will enjoy it, bask in the achievement. Try not to dwell on my failures and be proud of it, for it has been a great adventure. I am lucky, and thankful, to my friends for doing it with me, and my family for being so supportive again, as always. And it is to them that I cannot get home soon enough.

- NeilBrain

THE BRAINS

AlexBrain

CraigBrain

JamesBrain

JustinBrain

MicheleBrain

Edfringe 2011 Soundtrack 

Records

Wilco / Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Spiritualized / Amazing Grace. Royal Bangs / Flux Outside. Them / Them Again. [Smog] / A River Ain’t Too Much To Love. Pavement / Slanted & Enchanted. Josh T. Pearson / Last Of The Country Gentlemen. The Warlocks / Phoenix. Pulp / This Is Hardcore. TV On The Radio / Return To Cookie Mountain. Kruder & Dorfmeister / The K&D Sessions. Dead Meadow / Old Growth. Edwyn Collins / Losing Sleep. Dennis Wilson / Pacific Ocean Blue. Four Tet / There Is Love In You. 

Radio

6 Music. Radio 2. Resonance FM. Classic FM. 

BYE x.

#edfringe

Now we are swinging, and I can see why folks do a whole run, from a performance perspective, as you can really get into a nice groove. We are flying. Today’s show was very different in that Kevin Gilmartin was coming. Kevin is local and won the competition of being our 100th follower on twitter and thus the prize of having his name in a sketch. Not doing things by halves we decided to put his name into 8 sketches. We were disappointed when news came through that he wouldn’t be to make it but when we learned it was due to a kidney stone we felt compelled to continue our course in tribute, and cos we learned it.

The idea went down well in a show that was really well received. Really buzzing again.

Especially as some dear friends were there, who are practically the only people up here or coming here who have talked up the show socially and that means the world to me. As ever, never really enough time to hang out and say thank you properly.

Earlier myself and Craig took ourselves to breakfast at the Square cafe in New Town. It was where we went for breakfast when we came to Edinburgh for my stag weekend. It’s a lovely cafe. I had steak and eggs, for breakfast, exquisite, and then headed and chatted to the venue.

Post performance plans to catch a good movie were scuppered by timing. Edinburgh hasn’t latched onto the idea of staggering start times for good movies, despite 7 or 8 cinemas in a 3 mile radius. So I found out, thanks to my friends where a couple of the Anthony Gormley statues along the Water of Leith walkway were. I learned 1 is at Ocean Terminal looking out to sea and knew I wouldn’t get that far, and also that 3, sadly, had been swept away. I’m a fan of Gormley and I found 2 on my beautiful TV on the Radio soundtracked walk along the walkway home to Leith.

James and Craig cooked, we ate and drank, we played the rizla/post it note game, and the movie star game and name that tune. And generally, enjoyed each others company.

Apart from rehearsals and shows we don’t hang out all that much, and certainly not as a gang, just the brains and with Alex fully integrated into the team it was the perfect way to mark the end of this journey. Friends together, enjoying what they achieved.

Tomorrow we head home to God knows what. The world outside the bubble.

- NeilBrain

#edfringe

Great show today. Felt on it today. So on it I managed to do 3 festivals. Performed at the fringe and took in events at the TV fest and the book fest.

The show though was fantastic, we were good again, we are really hitting a nice stride. The crowd seemed made up of folks escaping the rain on Cowgate but they were really vocal gave lots of applause. It was incredibly rewarding. More nuances and enhancements put in, and the one moment of genuine corpsing was genuine, and the audience seemed to like that too.

On the way out we bumped into an older couple who had seen the show and they were effusive with their praise and their smiles were wide. That was a lovely moment for us.

We dashed off from there straight to the Filmhouse where a good friend of mine and Justin’s was presenting the first episodes of his new comedy for Sky Atlantic at the TV festival. Was really enjoyable, very strange and with some funny moment and fantastic musicality. See it when it airs next month, it’s called This is Jinsy. He is coming to our show Saturday and then we will have a proper catch up.

Meanwhile Craig and James were having loved ones time (not anything like a conjugal visit I don’t think) and Michele and Alex just pottered about. Me and J grabbed a lovely Mexican, meal and then headed to the Book fest.

All situated in Charlotte Square it’s a tranquil haven of peace. So quiet, Justin described it as like being in a different city and that is exactly right.

We sat, chatted, read, drank coffee. Soaked it in. Before our talk which was about modern Russia and Ukraine and featured AD Miller and Andrey Kurkov. Kurkov is a Ukrainian writer of blackly comic crime fiction and one of my favourite authors of all time. Couldn’t believe he was here when we were discussing and reading from his new book. He was funny and insightful and I got a copy of his new novel signed by him, which made me ecstatic as we headed off into the balmy Edinburgh night, Justin to see a show, me to home.

- NeilBrain

#edfringe

Hit the wall yesterday as we tipped well into the 2nd half of the run and I realised that the chances of adding slots and reviewers to what we already had slipped into bleak. The mental tiredness built and built and I wandered zombie like through most of the day.

Our third review came through and it disappointed, mainly because it was unusable for quotes, the reviewer couldn’t count and spent most of the review talking about her history with cream eggs. We learned nothing and it teaches nothing about us. 3 stars, reads like a 2.

I was alive and vibrant for the show, which was another good one, loved playing with the nuances of a couple of sketches, eeking out new funnies. That is what I will miss when this is over, that daily chance to perform and evolve.

Nice crowd, more friendly faces including James’ wife Lorna. Good responses, and today I wondered for the first time, if postcards would await us on our return. We have been leaving stamped postcards on seats for people to post their thoughts and comments to us. Beautifully designed as ever by J, they are one of our old school touches that we know sees us further out of step with contemporaries but hey.

After the show we split up for shows. Myself and J watched Eric’s Tales Of The Sea, a sweet and charming remembrance of Eric’s life as a submariner. It was a nice hour. Jacket Potato. Vacant wander. Some of the gang watched and enjoyed So on and so Forth then headed off to see vocal group The Magnets, which contains a friend of Justin’s. They enjoyed that whilst myself and James headed in to see a highly acclaimed sketch group in the big room at our venue.

I don’t think it was my mental fatigue, because James thought the same, and so did the girl across the aisle, although we were in the minority, in thinking that it was rubbish. The majority disagreed and were howling but I failed to see any ideas and laughed, not heartily, twice. It was a tired collection of hackneyed set ups and no punchlines. I could see, in the performances, that with good ideas the group being unstoppable but also felt that it was a class of reputation before content and of the sketch stuff I’ve seen this year it was amongst, if not the weakest.

Our 8pm slot was cancelled, the venue double booking the night. So I took the chance to head home and snooze, bathe, read. There’s no quiet here. Being in the middle of the festival, wanting that tranquility that re-orders the mind, is impossible as bustle is everywhere, in every corner of every room. My heart goes out to those who have been here a month.

Refreshed we all met up at the Electric Circus for our final slot of the fringe. At Late, Live & Loud. Great venue, lovely hosts, it was clear songs would be best. As the evening got underway the crowd were presented with a host with a tough ask and one of the worst and most inane and offensive stand up comedians we’ve ever witnessed. It was up to us to reclaim the situation and we delivered a three song set that finished with Into The Zone, the infamous song that has been scarring people this week, reviewers and friends alike. It shocked, but they also loved it, and they won’t forget it. We tried to stay, but the comedian after us was just as awful so we took our leave and headed home. A shame, as it was obviously just a dud night.

But we were professional and delivered solidly, with gusto. Which is all you can ask. Right? Well if you have anything else to ask please, answers on a postcard.

- NeilBrain

#edfringe

Question: who in their right mind takes an unknown comedy show to the Edinburgh Fringe, for the last week only, in the middle of a recession.

Answer: oh that will be us then

Remedy: make the most of it. Enjoy it, work hard, offer 2for1s like crazzzy and go home stuffed with memories.

Day 10 was weird, woke up to another review, another 3 stars (this one reads like a three star) but one with some nice things to say and a great quote about Craig which we will use Ad Infinitum.

I had a strange feeling, given the tiredness and stress of feeling out of place, too old, not egotistical or vile enough like all those people here who size you up by working out if you can progress their idea of career and success. Never been that person, never will be, but still feel adrift at times, wondering what I’m doing, if it is worth it.

It is. We may be old fashioned and enamoured of wigs and glasses and yet to embrace narrative overly or have generic music for scene changes but we like it like that and those who come seem to enjoy and not feel financially or temporally cheated. Is that enough? Who knows. But I like our show, and little beats the feeling of crouching in damp wings watching peripherally my friends at work and play.

Show 4 was good. Nice crowd and we were on it. 4 is the most shows we have ever done consecutively and it’s nice to know all the lines and changes and be able now, to play with phrasing, pauses, nuances and delivery. And having a few shows left to hone that all is exciting.

Lots of friendly faces in the crowd today, friends we have made up here from other groups, a friend from another show, Hotel Medea, one of the 2011 successes of the fringe. So happy she managed to see it. She’s from home.

And there were other friendly faces from home in the form of older, old friends and my beautiful wife and best friend. It was great to see friendly faces given the tough show the day before.

My wife Roma didn’t know she was coming up with our friend Sarah until the morning. She thought she was going to Alton Towers. Wish I’d seen her face and will be forever to Sarah for helping me make it happen. Made me very emotional that two of the people I’m closest to got to share in this.

Hope the others in the gang whose loved ones arrive imminently or are here have the same experience.

Post show we grabbed burger and coffees and chatted before seeing So on and so Forth’s full show which was a joy. Slick, clever and so so funny. A tremendous show.

Then it was goodbye to my wife and Sarah and a sulk and a sandwich with sad music and my Stewart Lee book. Was nice to bump into Doctor Brown so I could tell him in person how much I loved his show. Top 3 highlights definitely.

Met Justin who with Michele had seen the superb ‘Alvin Sputnik’ show. We wandered and ended up in The Snug at the Hotel Du Vin for a gorgeous whisky. That was pre Hannibal Buress, an American stand up who wrote for 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live. He was nominated for best newcomer at the Fosters Awards that afternoon and we were so excited. Probably the most excited for a show here as we had no idea what to expect. And he was spectacular. Throat was raw from laughing. His delivery and wordplay is exceptional and he managed to be original and different as well as mine the staples of black comedy - rap, racism etc in brilliant new ways. It was a joy and it went straight into my top 3 of the fest.

Back to Leith and straight to bed. The guys had Live at the Apollo on and I thought nah, I prefer Live at the Edinburgh fringe. In person, and neither of these guys can hold a torch to Hannibal Buress.

Amazing day.

- NeilBrain

#edfringe

Woke up to our first notices. Gathered round the breakfast table some of us pored over the first review of our show. We couldn’t have been happier with what Keith said, feeling proud and vindicated with our output.

There’s a phrase uttered a lot around the fringe, something like “” star review, reads like a ” star review”

Think we know what they mean now, certainly read like a four star review, but alas, the all important number of stars is 3. Financially, for bums on seats, we kind of needed the 4th but take that always overarching factor away and we are left with a fantastic critical interpretation of what we are doing here, and that will last beyond the immediate.

You can make up your own mind here -

http://www.edinburghspotlight.com/2011/08/fringe-review-the-great-brain-robbery/

It was a bleak, quiet day on the streets, the kind that makes you laugh at the bleakness. The irony being, even though numbers weren’t great we were. Tight, on point, slick and for the most part as written. We nailed it, which I guess is the nature of the beast.

We split up again, some grabbing drinks, some heading home. I stayed out and bought records, did some writing and listened to some tunes. Met up with Michele and we headed to see all female sketch group Lady Garden. They were really good, some great ideas, that were refreshingly not rooted in the stereotypes of a lot of female sketch comedy. Nicely staged and great performances.

En route to the bus stop we bumped into Tim Vine and Michele overcame her celebrity stage fright and asked for a photo. He was lovely and seeing the guitar Michele was carrying asked about the show. We had a great chat as we wandered, he was gracious and as friendly as you’d expect.

Home. Dinner and a lot of laughter as we sang songs from our catalogue and watched our young tech Alex get progressively blasted on red wine.

And then we headed out to play a slot at the wonderful Itsy Kabarett. 2nd time there, even better than the first. Great response from a great crowd and we let em have it. We were buzzing, our favourite performance of the fringe so far.

Went for a drink with the girls running it, in a cheap Czech bar, then home, smiling and buzzing at the end of a day of lessons, realisations, great performances and fateful sightings.

- NeilBrain

#edfringe

That is more like it. In the swing. Another good show. Getting more used to the space. Not sure whether it was the 2for1 offer or the fact we flyered right up to show time but we had a good crowd and the two reviewers enjoyed it. Met one, Keith, from Edinburgh Spotlight for a coffee after me and Justin bought some records. We have been friends on Twitter for a while and it was great to put a name to a face. He also recommended a great place to meet, the Spoon cafe.

The show crowd were warm and effusive if not as vocal as Monday and of the sketches only one felt like it caused tumbleweed, last chance for that tomorrow (today really).

The evening dissolved into quiet. I headed out into the night with my iPod and watched the night. Tried to see the show ‘Choose Death’ but it had sold out and so couldn’t get in with my pass.

So I had a drink with some guys from Gagging for Attention, a stand up troupe from DeMontfort University Leicester which was nice and then night bussed home.

Tomorrow sees the return of slots and shows I have tickets for and we should hit the show 3 groove where it feels less tense and more enjoyable on stage because we have hit our rhythm

Curious to see what the reviews say also

- NeilBrain

#edfringe

And so we are off. An intense day of teching, prepping and running and we have officially arrived. A modest crowd and a reviewer, we think from Three Weeks (hopefully) enjoyed what had to offer. It was pretty slick for a first attack and we didn’t mess up much, and nothing calamitous. We got through it, there was laughter, and applause and a sense of relief and release within the camp.

The pride swelled in me, coupled with a sickness and tiredness. Left me a little disorientated.

We did some more flyering and then some of us had jacket potatoes and we all headed home bar Michele who went out for drinks with a friend who brought a gang to the show and caught a show on her own. It was a quiet night, as tension and anxiety was released in a slow flow. Here. Doing it. Real. Wow.

I was in bed at 9ish, listening to the radio. Hoping for a calm sleep.

#edfringe

There’s a wave of realisation, like that moment when you realise your place in the universe, when you realise that in essence, no one knows you are here, no one knows who you are here. And it cripples you. If you let it.

That wave rolled over us yesterday as we flyered and strolled and talked to people. Around every corner in this beautiful city are more people who don’t know and don’t care. Yet.

And that is the moment. The yet. And the now.

We are but specks but if we are the best specks we can be (paraphrasing Camus there) then we will fulfil our potential and therein lies pride.

So Saturday. Flyering, another good slot at Afternoon Delight, and then off to see our friends Horse and Louis. These two guys are a musical comedy duo par excellence and two of the nicest guys you can meet, genuinely nice people. Like The Beta Males yesterday they were on our first bill on a London circuit slot.

Their show is an hour of songs, skits and human top trumps. Truly, spending an hour in their company is a delight, a great blend of skill, silliness and smut. Free fringe, so go see! Lovely.

We split up to do more flyering and last minute prop shopping. Then I headed to see John Peel’s Shed, a one man show about a man’s love of radio and the impact of John Peel and winning a competition on the great man’s show.

It was a delight, funny, warm, inspiring. Built around the idea of doing what you love and being proud of that even if the ripple is minimal (back to the speck again). And some amazing records, naturally.

Dinner, rehearsing, staging, logistics.

Then myself, Craig and James headed into the night for a slot at a night called Sweet Release.

I could not remember booking the slot. Couldn’t find the correspondence and a couple of folks said it was a pretty ramshackle affair. So hopes weren’t high and arriving at a 2nd floor hotel meeting room for the gig did little to shake the feeling of trepidation. Greeted by an octogenarian who had no idea who we were compounded it. Then.

It all became sparkly. The tiny room was full, and the crowd were great. Octogenarian host Lynn was a blast, forcing Craig to get ever closer to the burlesque act on the bill, while she was performing.

We shared the bill with the burlesque girl, some belly dancers, an old Scottish TV star and girl who ate and sang Swedish folk songs phonetically.

We went down a storm and came off surprised and elated.

Headed into the night under cover of tattoo fireworks, navigating tattooed drunkards and headed home to sleep, for tomorrow we start our show run.

It’s here.

- NeilBrain

#edfringe

It’s true what they say here. That you lose all sense of time and the intense tiredness overwhelms. Our show hasn’t even started yet and I’m already a witness to this. Shows, slots, tweets, flying, talking. It truly is a bubble. Really not sure what day day 5 is. Really should have used dates. Think it’s Friday.

A weird day.

Another slot, this time with the guys from Casual Violence who I’ve been talking with on Twitter for an age now and whose show we had booked to see last night. The slot ran over due to tech issues and it was the most subdued audience we had performed to but we did ok.

I ran off to see a friend’s show. Character comedian Chris Coxen. He’s ace, and a lovely guy but alas the show had to be cancelled, so I grabbed a drink and a refund and headed to meet Justin for The Beta Males. These guys were the first sketch act we shared a stage with last year and they are superb. Lovely guys and strong performers. We were intrigued to see them in a full show setting. And they didn’t disappoint. The Train Job is an intense hour of high energy physical comedy that is clever, slick, knowing without being smug and a lot of fun. I think back to my opening gambit here and think if I’m stressed and tired how must these guys be feeling after the length of their run to date with such a crazy show. Kudos.

Another show, Casual Violence’s show was cancelled, through illness so home we headed for the night. Fajitas and the arrival of Michele, our lady brain to make the group complete. We had cake and worked on our staging. It’s getting nearer and i’m feeling the heat.

Starting to worry no one will see the show and this great week will be eclipsed by a sad one. Only one thing to do. Keep working. Keep smiling. Tomorrow we are all here, and we have our fate in our hands. In flyer form.

- NeilBrain