4amcab Edinburgh Fringe Tour 2013 – Day 2

Irritating little alarm clock crickets interrupted my deep slumber at 9am. I groaned and went back to sleep. One hour and 50 minutes later, I woke up in a panic. Bridget Christie! The show I refused to believe had been scheduled at 11.10am was starting in 20 minutes half way across town. I leapt out of bed, and began a madcap rush across Edinburgh to reach the Stand in time for the show. It was well worth the rush. Bridget’s show is fantastically good, impassioned and articulate stand up – as funny as it is enraging.

Fired up by this brilliant performance I then saw John-Luke Roberts’ Sock Puppet, Nick Helm: One Man Mega-Myth, Stephen K. Amos’s talk show, Ronny Chieng, Henning Wehn’s Christmas do and Lili La Scala’s Another F*cking Variety Show which ripped the roof off the Pleasance Dome on its last night at the Fringe leaving me frankly shattered and exhausted at the end of the second and final day of the 4amcab 2013 Edinburgh Tour.

So much brilliant, brilliant stuff. I am now starting work on a 56 slide presentation for Lee tomorrow morning.

Thanks for coming along for the ride.

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4amcab Edinburgh Fringe tour 2013 – Day 1

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This is venue number 33, the Pleasance courtyard. I could quite happily just put a tent up in the middle of the square and spend August popping in and out to shows all day, every day.

But then my eyes would eventually start bleeding, and that would be bad for all concerned.

So today I saw some amazing stuff. Max and Ivan were amazing, totally cohesive sketch comedy full of great characters and subtle observational dialogue.

Doc Brown was angry, eloquent and trying to find his way through the phase of his life where he’s left rap behind and is moving onto adult things. Sorry, grown up things.

Then the late night cabaret featured the brilliantly surreal Tony Law and Benny Boot. Both utterly joyous.

Lots of stuff to think about for the podcast, Lee will be getting an earful when I get back to London.

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Off to the fringe

It’s 0652 and 4amcab is killing time in Pret at Kings Cross, waiting for the 0930 train to Edinburgh Waverley. Derek’s in a mood, Squish the seal has had an altercation with a luggage trolley and Mairead is talking about the time she went to Edinburgh with her ex-husband, Martin, and discovered he was having a torrid affair with someone called Jenny.

This trip is not looking promising.

But we’re a comedy podcast and stoked to be going up to the craziest comedy festival in the universe. It may be the tail end, it may only be for two days, but 4amcab is on the road and we’re super excited.

I hate to think what Lee’s reaction to the expenses claim will be.

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S2Ep4: Spudmarine

Time: 0400 hours
Location: Onboard a high tech, high spec, military stealth submarine, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean
Mission: Classified
Additional: Woof!

Elsewhere, Svetlana has invited her new man to meet her Mother, but things are not going to plan. Derek and Merrick the (Bi) bipolar (Polar?) bears continue their adventures and there’s a tense stand off.

PLUS! 4am products for you this week: A must-read magazine for new parents and also an upgrade for life itself.

Your 4amcab awaits, just.

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Video Extra: Behind The Scenes

When we recorded the Christmas Special of 4amcab way back in December of last year, we decided it might be a nice extra treat to do a bit of behind the scenes filming.  I took along a camera phone and did my best in amongst directing and recording the episode.  So, join us in a back room in the basement of the Alban Arena in St Albans to see how the show is put together.  Included in the vodcast, for that’s what a podcast with pictures is called, we’ll see the actors running through some of the scenes and also hear the final mix that was included in the series finale.

The real reason we all do this, though, is to have an excuse to go down the pub, so we did a bit of filming over a pint or two afterwards.  A big thanks to Chris Baker, Chris Luck, Anna MacLeod Franklin, Will Franklin, Jo Emery, Dan Warren and Helen Miller for not only being flippin’ brilliant in the show but also for agreeing to let me film them without giving any notice whatsoever.

News about Series Two of 4amcab will emerge shortly but in the meantime, here’s a look at some of the faces behind the characters from the show.  Enjoy.

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S1Ep6: Ghosts

The last 4amcab of Series 1. Or is it?

Sarah and Steve have a hot tip off.  They head to a secret location in the hope of spotting a real life ghost hunter.  Will they find their target?  Will they get that 12 part TV series?  Will Steve grow a pair?

Meanwhile, the 4amcab Pathology lab have a double homicide to deal with, Derek is off to save a tabby cat in a tricky spot and Mairead continues to rebuild her life after that messy divorce from ex-husband Martin.

In and amongst we have the usual selection of 4am ads, offers, scams and backwater cable channels for your delectation.

The last 4amcab (penultimate, really – watch this space) is here.

Would anybody ‘like’ a sandwich?

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Calling all animators!

Are you a frustrated animator with an itchy pencil finger but nothing to draw? Fancy casting Derek, Mairead, or the ALL NEW Fat Pipe into glorious 2D (or even 3D) reality?

If so, please get in touch. We hope it would be mutually beneficial. A portfolio piece for the animator, and a thing of beauty for our sleep-deprived listeners to cast their eyes over whilst allowing one of our sketches to penetrate the lateral cortex.

So do get in touch, and if you know a talented animator, please send this on, we’d love to hear from them.

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S1Ep5: Doctored

Just another regular night shift at St Joan’s. Dr Whom and Nurse Fielding are attempting to answer that existential question: where can you get a decent meal at 4am?

Clive is conducting another of his ‘urban twitches’, Baz and Terry engage in conversation, and Dave goes to see his doctor with a bad headache.

Meanwhile, we take a trip to the Forest of Codeine to see if Derek can save Deborah the Zebra (she is a Zebra, right?) and Dave goes to see his Doctor with a bad headache.

It’s time for another ride in the 4amcab.

Oh, and Mairead has a date. Watch out.

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Other podcasts we like

We’re a liberal bunch here at 4amcab and as such we’d like to tell you about a couple of our favourite podcasts, that we have nothing to do with.  Some nay sayers might say, “Nay, they are your competition for listeners!” but the way we see it is that if we tell you about them and you enjoy them, then we’ll get that nausiating smug feeling and karma might come into play.  I’d like to tell you about two shows that are quite similar to the sort of thing we do but also have their own twist on produced comedy.

Kim Noble’s Prawn Facts
Kim Noble's Prawn FactsIf you’ve never entered Mr Kim Noble’s world, then prepare for a bizarre treat.  He reminds me of that awkward schoolboy that sat in the corner of the classroom and had pockets full of marbles and snot all over his face.  A misfit that never really managed to develop his social skills at the same rate as everyone else.  Of course, this could be an elaborate cover and he may be the life and soul fo the party in real life.  His Prawn Facts podcast, of which there are currently seven episodes available, take the form of an investigative journalism approach to a theme or subject and are forged from phonecalls, vox pops and monologues that circle around and back to where they began.  An entertaining and creative listen.  Follow him on twitter too for photos and commentry of him surreptitiously touching things in public without their owner knowing.

FISTBUMPIN’ with Flat 29
FISTBUMPIN' with Flat 29Imagine a trio of performing arts graduates who specialise in music and sound and have a bit of time on their hands.  Sounds like it could be awful, but FISTBUMPIN’ (for they use capitals themselves) with Flat 29 is a delight.  It’s a composition of sketches and music of their own creation and the closest thing we’ve found to 4amcab so far.  Of course, they are very talented musicians and we can barely play the triangle (even if Rachel holds the hitty part) so they’ve got a great additional element to what they do.  They are clearly good friends too and the inclusion of an occassional outtake, left in for comedy value, is perfectly judged.  They are also on twitter too, so follow them for more details of their stuff as and when.  Should also mention they also have an album which, rather generously, they allow you to listen for free on their website.

 If you do go and listen to either or both podcasts, tell them that @4amcab sent you ;-)

 

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S1Ep4: Hainault?

Martin has been burning the candle at both ends, then taking a blow-torch to the middle just for good measure.

Falling asleep on a night bus to Hainault, he finds himself stranded and alone at 4am. His cries for help appear to have been answered when a cab pulls up and offers to take him home. Until the cabbie finds out where home is.

Will our hero make it to Clapham?

Meanwhile, speaking of ham… Charlie has found a gold-ham ticket to Billy Bonka’s magical abattoir, the rapture breaks out in North London, Flatsy take to the silver screen and Callam is fighting to keep THE SHIRT ON HIS BACK!

Join us for another nocturnal adventure in the 4amcab.

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