Sam Campbell @ Monkey Barrel
Sam Campbell powers the Fringe after midnight
A force of nature, Sam Campbell is like a class clown who demands the entire school's attention. Once he has it, he’s not going to give it up. His non-stop Gatling gun approach to comedy raises the bar for the late-night show and is one of the gems of this year's Fringe.
Quick to debunk any myth that his show will be about something, Campbell yells out different themes for his hour, before quickly demolishing these ideas with the bemused face of someone not bothered about such things. References to Hannah Gadsby's Nanette are never dismissive, but a themed or narrative based show is not what Campbell will be doing tonight.
His opening film bemoaning his disdain for observational comedy also shows a performer whose attention span doesn’t fit with long-winded routines. His pace never slows, his ideas never run dry. Campbell’s arsenal of offbeat physical, prop and multimedia comedy throws the audience into a whirlpool of non-stop hilarity and fits of laughter. Not to be missed.
Sam Campbell: The Trough, Monkey Barrel Comedy Club (Room Two), until 26 Aug, 12.15am, £6/PWYW
Scroll on to read more of The Skinny's 2018 Edinburgh Fringe comedy reviews; click here for a round-up of all the best reviews from this year's comedy and theatre programme