James Loveridge and Other Losers

Tucked away downstairs in Jekyll and Hyde's, away from the flyer-saturated Old Town, it is easy to miss what may be two of the funniest young comedians at this year’s Fringe, James Loveridge and Sam Hastings.

Sam Hastings proved himself to be a master of the well-timed pause in a tight and controlled act that encompassed ethnicity, STDs, drug use, complex family arrangements, vegetarianism and arranged marriage. The highlights though were his fictional dialogues between two US soldiers in ‘Nam. Like a one-man Armstrong and Miller, they were so well constructed and acutely funny that it could be a show in its own right.

Star of the show James Loveridge, all charm and cheek, proved not be as unique as his companion, but no less funny. Despite prompting two walkouts with Russell Howard-like adolescent wank jokes, he had the rest of us in stitches throughout a polished yet ever-evolving act, with asides and quips just as strong his actual jokes – mostly funny stories about himself - and all tied up neatly at the end.

An impressive debut from two very different comics.