Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

Greeted like a rock star, Grace Campbell immediately takes total command of the room, and the following hour is a triumph for this ‘loud girl from North London’.

A Show About Me(n) centres on Campbell’s need for male validation and what caused it. So alongside vivid descriptions of her sexual experiences and break-ups, she strives to understand what has made her the person she has become.

Campbell’s opening story involves choking during sex, setting not only the tone but also a high bar and high tariff for the rest of the evening. A string of disastrous relationships in short succession provide shocking examples of control and manipulation, but also – thanks to her attitude and sheer force of personality – huge laughs. As do subjects as seemingly random as bike helmets, knee injuries, Maltesers and gout. Campbell talks about everything with a rare urgency as if this is the only time she’s willing to tell her story.

Campbell likes to control and play with her audience, responding to every drink being opened, feeding off every reaction, and telling the men they should only talk if asked to contribute. It works both in creating a very particular crowd dynamic and having a narrative role to play. 

Throughout the hour, Campbell frequently talks about her dad, Tony Blair’s spin doctor Alastair Campbell, as surely everyone knows by now. There’s no escaping the impact on her of growing up in his shadow and everything that came with it, good and bad. Towards the end, the comedian talks about her move to Los Angeles, the relaxed drug laws in California, and her experience of the private healthcare system in the USA. This leads to a brief and brutal foray into domestic politics, hilariously triggering walkouts in protest. It’s a badge of honour for Campbell and the crowd loves it.

Campbell describes herself as ‘famous in North West London’ but we’re watching a superstar in the making, surely destined to become famous just about everywhere.

• Grace Campbell: A Show About Me(n) is on at the Gilded Balloon Teviot at 7pm

Review date: 23 Aug 2022
Reviewed by: Matt Carwardine-Palmer
Reviewed at: Gilded Balloon Teviot