Andrew O'Neill @ Free Fringe, Liquid Room

In a darkened room down a crooked staircase in Edinburgh’s Old Town, cult and occult comedian Andrew O’Neill is walking shirtless through the audience muttering incantations and shaking incense throughout the makeshift auditorium. His head adorned with elongated goat horns, he explains he has entered into a spiritual alliance with Hermes the God of the spoken and written word.

Though objectively this might sound weird and outré, O’Neill somehow straddles the worlds of both alternative and mainstream expertly. When it seems like he is being unnecessarily strange in shouting ‘We must cage them!’ at random, it is only to set up a later bit about the proliferation of backyard trampolines. It is almost a reverse call back and really the only ‘alternative’ comedy on show. O’Neill is a master of his crafts, both witchcraft and comedy, and also shows a tender side when he sings songs about his cat and the impact pet ownership has had on his life.

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Andrew O'Neill's Black Magick Fun Hour, PBH Free Fringe at Liquid Room (Annexe), until 27 Aug (not 21), 5pm, free