Review by Michael Bonnet

Anyone who has ever had the misfortune to stray into the one part shambolic to two parts self-aggrandising world of student politics will find the setting for this satirical offering from Tom Basden embarrassingly familiar. But a political party with no name, five members and a meeting room that doubles-up as a garden shed proves rich enough a concept to comfortably provide an hour’s worth of laughs.

Self-styled leader Jared (Joseph Banks) chairs the assembly, much to the dismay of cynical mocker Jonsey (Owen Petty), ditsy feminist Phoebe (Harriet Layhe) and “passionately, passionately liberal” Mel (Lauren Orrock). While permanently bemused Duncan (Sam Prior), only invited to prevent a voting stalemate and whose father conveniently owns a printers for promotional material, is just disappointed that this isn’t a party in the conventional sense.

Not that there would be time for such frivolous activities with the serious business of adding to a manifesto that currently consists solely of the word “democracy” and money permitting, a space program. These would-be world leaders decide that they have to bravely take an opinion on everything. No matter if it’s patently obvious: “I’m very much against terror”, or more often than not a topic which they have no knowledge of whatsoever: how paint is made, what Armenia is famous for, the origins of the rainbow flag, or simply, China.

Basden’s lampooning of the idealism and naiveté of youth is both cutting, sympathetic and, one can only suspect, nostalgic. The pretentiousness of a group of middle-class students who see the employed and the working class as exotic is undeniable. But the debates that go off on every conceivable tangent and cultural reference points which include a Thomas the Tank Engine moneybox as the party’s treasury, remind us that this is just children playing at politics. It’s not their ignorance which we should hold against them, but their earnestness. As Duncan, who develops from class idiot to the sole voice of reason, muses “do we not need any real adults to form a party?”

The jokes are undeniably slick and confusion between what constitutes sex-trafficking and dogging draws one of the biggest laughs of the evening. It could be said that Party tells us more about students than it does about politics. And whilst it’s certainly true that this isn’t a political satire in the vein of say The Thick of It, there are lines that transcend the play’s light-hearted setting. Early on for instance there is a discussion of whether the politically correct pronoun to refer to Muslims is “them”, “they” or “those”, whilst by the end the party’s preferred method of voting has evolved from “weakest link style” to the single transferable vote, culminating in a most satisfying finale.

Tom Basden’s Party by Stone Fox Productions runs at Etcetera Theatre until 13th January

Last Friday we had a rather special lunch here in Spoonfed Towers. Instead of the usual bland and overpriced supermarket sandwich, gobbled down at our desks, the editorial team were instead treated to some rather fine burritos courtesy of the generous folks at Benito’s Hat.

With Chilango’s and Tortilla both within walking distance of the office, we like to think we know our burritos. But Benito’s Hat certainly impressed. Not only did they deliver – so we could stay where we belong, hunched over our crumb-strewn keyboards – but they delivered bloody good burritos.

One editor moaned that his wasn’t spicy enough, and one had never had a burrito before (yeah, we know) but the overall impression was an impressive one, with Felipe’s tender chicken thighs receiving some particularly high praise. Keep it up Felipe!

Here’s what each of our editors had to say:

“If I ever taste a better burrito, I’ll eat my hat – actually make that Benito’s Hat!” *****

“Top-notch eats!” ****

“My first ever burrito – an emotional experience” ***

“My armpits are spicier.” **

“Send my regards to Felipe. His tender chicken thighs were quite spectacular.” *****

“Banging Friday buritto – made my day.” ****

The days of shooting Tequila between barrels of lager and splicing them with sambucas are over. Tequila Chamucos have set their raison d’etre to improving the reputation of the Mexican drink from being the late night turbo-charge to obliteration into something of a delicacy. We popped into their promotion evening and discovered that, much like champagne, Tequila can only be so called if it is made from 100% agave and manufactured in the Tequila region of Mexico. The consideration and consumate attention of the brewing process is equal to that of any bottle of wine. Barrels are aged for varying durations for fuller flavour, and if sipped (yes, SIPPED) it can awaken the palete with aromas of butterscotch, caramel, vanilla and chocolate. Unlike wine, Tequila does not improve with age so the bottle will need to be finished, but finished SLOWLY (preferrably in an El Coco cocktail!).

If you’d like to know where to try Tequila Chamucos, click here

by Danny Byrne (SuperDanvillain)

Listen up, cheddar heads! Britain’s multi-award winning cheddar, Seriously® Strong is offering Spoonfed readers the chance to win a Fortnum & Mason food hamper crammed full of indulgent treats and goodies worth £250, plus (plus!) a year’s supply of their intensely tasty Seriously® Strong cheese.

So if you love cheese, and we don’t mean the 90s rom-com or 80s dance-pop variety, then you’re going to want to get your hands on this. Imagine if you’re going to a festival or one of our fair capital’s parks; what could be better than having a hamper to take with you that will make everyone around you go green with envy.

To be in with a chance of winning this seriously® awesome prize, simply fill in the form on Spoonfed’s Seriously® Strong competition page and answer the question.

This competition closes 25 September, and winners will be notified by 12pm the following day.

Terms and Conditions

1. The prize is for the named winner.

2. The prize cannot be exchanged and there is no cash alternative.

3. Your information will not be passed onto any third parties that are not connected to McLelland Seriously® Strong or Spoonfed.

4. The Promoter will not be liable if a Prize cannot be taken by a winner for any reason.

5. Competition closes 25 September. Promoter reserves the right to substitute prize for that of an equal or greater value if necessary.

1. Create a PanelPicker account on SXSW.com
   
2. Wait for the confirmation email then validate your account
   
3. Vote for the Bullseyehub panel by clicking the link below, signing in and clicking the “thumbs up” icon.

• Leveraging Content Distribution to Get Customers : Spoonfed Media founders Alex Will and Henry Erskine Crum will share information on how to use content distribution to gain customers and how to measure the effectiveness of a content distribution plan.

Voting ends on Friday, 2 September so please vote ASAP! We really appreciate your support!

Thanks in advance,
The Spoonfed Media Team

3/5 stars

The debut solo stand-up show from Matthew Crosby is a somewhat lightweight affair. Barely checking in at 45 minutes long, Crosby doesn’t seem to have been aiming that high in terms of themes or subject matter.

What we get instead is a consistently funny if somewhat forgettable show about being a nerd, his changing physical appearance and Nandos. There are some decent original touches, such as the opening B feature (a filmed sketch) and the way Crosby structures the show around a PowerPoint presentation. He is quite inventive in his use of this device, successfully exploiting its potential for some good visual gags.

Crosby’s also a likable presence on stage with a very clear comic persona: he’s a nerd. This might not be the most original premise to base a show around, but it would be pointless him pretending to be anything other than that, especially after he shows us some pictures of himself as a youngster looking geekier than Bill Gates in Star Trek fancy dress.

It also allows for some fun audience interaction as he attempts to discover his fellow nerds, and tries to establish the difference between nerds and geeks. I’m surprised how natural Crosby proves to be in this role considering this is his debut, and he comes across as charming and quick-witted when bantering with the crowd.

All this made for a very entertaining performance, but there’s really not a great deal more to say about a 45 minute show with some embarrassing pictures and stories about Nandos in it. As a debut, it’s probably quite a success. In future, let’s hope Crosby spreads his wings a bit more and tries for something a bit more ambitious.

Rupert Uzzell

Matthew Crosby – Adventure Party is at the Pleasance Cellar at 4.45pm until August 29.

The debut solo stand-up show from Matthew Crosby is a somewhat lightweight affair. Barely checking in at 45 minutes long, Crosby doesn’t seem to have been aiming that high in terms of themes or subject matter.

What we get instead is a consistently funny if somewhat forgettable show about being a nerd, his changing physical appearance and Nandos. There are some decent original touches, such as the opening B feature (a filmed sketch) and the way Crosby structures the show around a PowerPoint presentation. He is quite inventive in his use of this device, successfully exploiting its potential for some good visual gags.

Crosby’s also a likable presence on stage with a very clear comic persona: he’s a nerd. This might not be the most original premise to base a show around, but it would be pointless him pretending to be anything other than that, especially after he shows us some pictures of himself as a youngster looking geekier than Bill Gates in Star Trek fancy dress.

It also allows for some fun audience interaction as he attempts to discover his fellow nerds, and tries to establish the difference between nerds and geeks. I’m surprised how natural Crosby proves to be in this role considering this is his debut, and he comes across as charming and quick-witted when bantering with the crowd.

All this made for a very entertaining performance, but there’s really not a great deal more to say about a 45 minute show with some embarrassing pictures and stories about Nandos in it. As a debut, it’s probably quite a success. In future, let’s hope Crosby spreads his wings a bit more and tries for something a bit more ambitious.

Rupert Uzzell

Matthew Crosby – Adventure Party is at the Pleasance Cellar at 4.45pm until August 29.

2/5 stars

Mistaking anal pedantry for wit is a common problem in a lot of stand-up comedy at the moment. I think it’s this that annoys me so much about Josh Widdicombe’s new Edinburgh show.

On and on he goes, nasally whining about everything under the sun, making these supposedly clever and incisive observations, when really all he’s doing is pointing out the bleeding obvious. One typical example of his approach is to tell us about something someone said to him that is obviously quite stupid, and then he’ll ingeniously point out where they went wrong. For example, he mentions a friend of his who claimed that laser quest was what war would be like in the future. Cue Josh for two minutes of sarcasm, saying, “I don’t think it is what war will be like in the future.” Well, give yourself a pat on the back sir, and a gold star for effort. Such incredible powers of mighty deduction and lofty reasoning cannot possibly go unrewarded.

As you might be able to tell, I usually quite like sarcasm, but Widdicombe relies on it way too much. He uses it to highlight lunacy that is already perfectly apparent and obvious to anyone with a few functioning brain cells. Take the ending of this show for instance. Bringing out some objects that are clearly designed in a manner unsuitable for their intended purpose, Widdicombe then stands there pointing this out to us. Is this what observational comedy has come to? Because, as much as I hate to deliver the old cliche, anyone can do that!

It should be mentioned here that I am in the minority with this view, as most of the audience are really enjoying the show. I can see why in certain respects. He’s a very competent operator, and there are the odd moments of good material that do actually crack me up. However, I hope in future he learns to demonstrate far greater levels of true wit and creativity rather than relying on the easy laughs of lowest common denominator observational comedy.

Rupert Uzzell

Josh Widdicombe: If This Show Saves One Life... is at the Pleasance Courtyard at 7:15pm until the 28th August.

4/5 stars

It’s an interesting prospect seeing Tim Vine as a chat show host. He’s primarily known as a scripted comic who specialises in puns, so I’m not sure how this is going to translate into milking humour out of an off-the-cuff interview scenario. However, any concerns I may have had soon evaporate, as he proves to be excellent at quick-witted badinage with his various guests.

He’s helped in this regard by the inventive format of the show.  Instead of interviewing tedious, self-promoting celeb folk,  he talks to us, the ordinary scummy general public. As we arrive, on our seats are little forms to fill in with information about ourselves, should we wish to do so. Vine then collects these and selects from them the people who will be interviewed. Before this we are treated to a selection of his latest gags, featuring his trademark delightful silliness. He enters singing a horrifically cheesy (and all the funnier for it) intro song, immediately energising the crowd with his typical lively old-school showmanship.

The jokes are the usual mixture of ridiculous puns, prop gags and cheesy one-liners. It’s easy to dismiss this type of humour as simplistic, but as anyone whose seen inferior stand-ups try and do the same sort of thing will know, it is a deceptively difficult approach to pull off, and no-one does it better than Vine. After about ten minutes of top quality material, the interviews begin as he starts bringing his guests up from the audience.

Often, the problem with a comedy chat show depends on the interviewee and how funny they are, but this is not the case here. Vine’s quick wit and natural comedic instinct immediately kicks in, seeing him furrow the humour out of the most mundane of conversations. This includes discussing his first guest’s career working in the manufacture of concrete, an avenue most interviewers would avoid like the plague but one which Vine is happy to stroll along. Particularly impressive is his ability to come up with one-liners on the spot. “Well, I think we’re on solid ground here…” and so on.

Equally entertaining is the silly parlour game Vine plays with an audience member where they compete to see who can speak certain words quickest and quietest. This again has it’s own stupid theme tune which he revels in performing, and which further adds to the overwhelming aura of silliness pervading the entire performance.

All in all, it’s a very funny show that the audience appear to really enjoy. As is always the case with Vine, it’s one of the few genuinely family friendly comedy shows at the Fringe, and people of all ages were in attendance and loving it. Definitely one to try and catch.

Rupert Uzzell

The Tim Vine Chat Show is at the Pleasance Courtyard at 3:45 and 5:20pm until 28th August

3/5 stars
The debut solo stand-up show from Matthew Crosby is a somewhat lightweight affair. Barely checking in at 45 minutes long, Crosby doesn’t seem to have been aiming that high in terms of themes or subject matter.

What we get instead is a consistently funny if somewhat forgettable show about being a nerd, his changing physical appearance and Nandos. There are some decent original touches, such as the opening B feature (a filmed sketch) and the way Crosby structures the show around a PowerPoint presentation. He is quite inventive in his use of this device, successfully exploiting its potential for some good visual gags.
Crosby’s also a likable presence on stage with a very clear comic persona: he’s a nerd. This might not be the most original premise to base a show around, but it would be pointless him pretending to be anything other than that, especially after he shows us some pictures of himself as a youngster looking geekier than Bill Gates in Star Trek fancy dress.

It also allows for some fun audience interaction as he attempts to discover his fellow nerds, and tries to establish the difference between nerds and geeks. I’m surprised how natural Crosby proves to be in this role considering this is his debut, and he comes across as charming and quick-witted when bantering with the crowd.

All this made for a very entertaining performance, but there’s really not a great deal more to say about a 45 minute show with some embarrassing pictures and stories about Nandos in it. As a debut, it’s probably quite a success. In future, let’s hope Crosby spreads his wings a bit more and tries for something a bit more ambitious.

Rupert Uzzell

Matthew Crosby – Adventure Party is at the Pleasance Cellar at 4.45pm until August 29.