Stand

A day in. A night out.

One of our old pals was back in town again for the night and was keen to check out something fringe-wise. I'd signed up on a website earlier in the day, giving 2for1 deals for folk with an EH postcode so we headed down to The Stand 2 to see what we could get into. Now, I don't know if I'd not read the T&Cs properly or what but they had no idea about this ticket deal at the venue and it was only after the pretty helpful and friendly woman at the bar/box office had gone and asked the comedian about to go on if he was happy for us to pay half-price that it all got sorted out. Will have to check that website properly me thinks.

Anyway, the comedian was Markus Birdman and he was pretty decent actually. And a pretty intimate little front-room sized venue too, only about 30 people there. Markus had an easy-going charm about him as he played a bit of vinyl on the onstage turntable whilst telling us about his life, before slipping on a belter of an old reggae 7" (that I know I've heard before, but cannot for the life of me remember the title of) and departing the stage with the message 'follow your dreams' left metaphorically hovering in the air.

There then followed me taking my pal to the Cafe Royal for a pint or two, then Guildford Arms where there was some live jazz on, ending up on Cowgate where some proper old punks with dyed mohicans and bondage trousers were playing at Bannermans. It got a bit late, it was pissing down, we'd had a few beers, I was really needing my bed. This festival business, it's a young man's game I reckon. Today will be a quiet one. As if.

Music - it wasn't this that Markus played to close his show, but it was definitely of this ilk.