Ukuleles at the Edinburgh Fringe 2008

This year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival kicks off this Sunday and, as ever, there are a handful of uke acts plying their wares.

Learn to Play the Ukulele in Under an Hour (How George Formby Saved My Life)

Donal Coonan (from Channel 4’s thisisaknife) and Sam Brown (not Joe Brown’s daughter) set out to show the joys of the ukulele by teaching the entire audience to play the ukulele in under an hour. Ably assisted by Sally Phillips and her ukulele machine.

Venue: Gilded Balloon

Jimmy McGee with SideShow

Sideshow is billed as “The Weirdest Show on Earth” and featuring, “freaks, outcasts, and attention seekers.” For some reason, they thought Jimmy from the Bobby McGee’s would fit right in. The presence of a great number of bendy and busty women convinced him to join them in Edinburgh.

Nigel Birch in Dancing On Your Grave

Or The Cholmondeleys and the Featherstonehaughs present ‘Dancing On Your Grave’ featuring Corpse De Ballet to give it its full title.

Nigel Burch has been strumming on his banjolele the Flea-Pit Orchestra for more than a decade. This year he’s been providing musical back up to The Cholmondeleys’s twisted music hall show.

Venue: Assembly @ George Street

Liz Bentley-On-Sea

I wrote about Liz Bentley when she appeared at last years festival. This year she’ll be some aquatic strumming at the Sweet Grassmarket Swimming Pool.

Ukulele At The Edinburgh Fringe

The 60th Edinburgh Festival Fringe kicked off at the weekend and – amongst the many desperate self-publicists wandering around in lurid, skin tight clothing – are a few ukulele acts.

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

Sugar Plum Fairy (mp3)
My Baby Does (mp3) via UOGB

The biggest names in the uke world appearing at the festival will be the UOGB who will be appearing at the Assembly for three nights (this Thursday to Saturday) as part of the tour supporting their new album Precious Little.

Stuckey and Murray

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Comedy duo who call their music ‘Cognitive Rock’ or ‘Cock’. If that video wasn’t enough to convince you of their cerebral charms, check out the Ukulele Song and download a couple of mp3s on SoundClick.

Appearing at the Underbelly all month.

Liz Bentley

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Comedy songs and poetry taking a light-hearted look at bulimia, multiple sclerosis, expressing green breast-milk, public indecency and life as a therapist and a therapee. Her website says she’s willing to smash up a ukulele if enough people want her too. Now that’s just sick and twisted.

Appearing at Just The Tonic all month.