It’s our final day of the Edinburgh Fringe. After packing in 40 shows over just five days, the inevitable FOMO still lingers. Have I missed this year’s massive sensation?
Probably. But with such a staggering amount of incredible art on display, it’s perfectly fine to have a blast without catching the critics’ top pick. As the body aches and the mind blurs dozens of performances into a chaotic, brilliant fever dream,
I’m just grateful to have experienced another Fringe. What an absolute privilege it is to witness so much talent in one place.
Bilal Zafar returns to the Fringe with a refreshing change of pace in his latest high-tech hour, Rubicon. Stepping away from his usual narrative-driven storytelling, he instead pulls back the curtain on his life and career.
He revisits his early TV and film appearances, then smoothly shifts into a masterclass where he tries to help audience members act as well as he does.
The show becomes a brilliant multimedia showcase of the interactive style he usually reserves for his popular Twitch streams.
From showing us his back-and-forth with high-end department store customer service to fully integrating his live game show segments, Rubicon is proof that Zafar feels more than comfortable experimenting outside the standard stand-up format. Watching this dynamic and inventive new journey unfold live is an absolute pleasure.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
@zafarcakes_
Jordan Brookes: The Part of You That’s Always Screaming
Jordan Brookes, the multi‑award‑winning master of comic chaos, returns to the Fringe with The Part of You That’s Always Screaming ,a show that’s already been causing a stir.
I caught a work‑in‑progress last year and it was one of the best hours I’d seen, so seeing the finished version in front of a full Fringe crowd felt essential.
Jordan has his die‑hard fans, but the real joy is watching newcomers try to process his strange, physical, occasionally confrontational style.
This time, he builds a whole hour from a simple moment on a train to Peterborough, spiralling into an over analysis of how strangers see him. With the prompt, “Imagine me on a train,” he gleefully drags the audience into his own spiralling self‑doubt, asking for their thoughts and then challenging them.
There are moments of physical comedy so wild they leave parts of the room howling, the kind of laughter that genuinely hurts—while others sit baffled, which only makes it funnier.
Jordan remains one of the bravest performers at the Fringe, always willing to push into uncomfortable territory and risk alienating a few people to create something unforgettable. One of a kind.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
@JordanBrookesComedy
Stamptown has been a Fringe staple for a decade, and finally seeing it live makes it clear why it’s become a cult phenomenon. Hosted by Zach Zucker as his gloriously chaotic alter-ego Jack Tucker, the show is an 80-minute rock ‘n’ roll circus of clowns, comics, and circus acts, all fuelled by the tech’s rapid-fire sound cues that constantly derail and amplify the madness.
As a first-timer, it took a moment to adjust to the sheer anarchy: roller-skating performers whipping past your seat, bizarre characters sprinting through the aisles, and a rotating cast delivering everything from emu-morphing clown work to dazzling juggling.
Amid the mayhem, a recurring deadpan “stargazer” act provides perfectly timed breathers, a welcome contrast from the surrounding chaos. The energy is infectious; the crowd is fully locked in, many proudly sporting Stamptown merch.
And with a Netflix special on the way, the show’s cult status is only growing. But truly, nothing beats experiencing this fever dream live at the Fringe.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
@stamptown
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