Richard Lennox

The Edinburgh Festival is almost upon us again.  One of the better sides of living in Edinburgh is that once a year, everything by way of entertainment comes to you.  Whether it be opera, jazz, blues or any other sort of music you can think of; theatre; musical theatre; dance or comedy, the Fringe has it all and right on my door stop.  There are a few things that sound really good to me this year.

There is Bill Bailey to start with.  I have already booked tickets for his stand up show and this will be the third Festival in a row that I have seen his show.  First it was his stand-up Part  Troll and last year it was his comedy theatre.  I really enjoy his sense of humour so am really looking forward to that.

While I have been to Fringe shows before this is the first year that I am planning things I want to see in advance.  I haven't figured everything out as such but I am looking through the guide and online reviews starting with the Music stuff. I enjoy a bit of Jazz and the Fringe festival has its Fair share of Jazz events.  There are a few shows in particular that I am interested in:

• Filthy Six @ The Lot, in the Grassmarket
  Having read good things I took a look at their MySpace site and was able to listen to a few tracks.  Their soul/jazz/funk blend is appealing.
• The Jazz Centre – Colin Steele Quintet
  A great Jazz quintet that I enjoy!

These are two that I think would be good but I am acutely aware of the venues that have surprisingly good acts that are not advertised, particularly during the festival.  I Will be checking these out a little.

I may be back with some more once I get sat down and go through the guide a bit further.