Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

Being a musician was the only thing Josh Weller ever wanted to do but, in his words, he failed. That cruel and capricious business’s loss, however, is comedy’s gain.

In an entertaining hour that zooms by, Weller tells us all about his fleeting pop career. In 2008, when he was 24 and buzzing with questionable hair and trouser choices, a big record company found him on MySpace and offered him a contract with a tasty lump sum up-front. You probably have a vague idea of happens next, but the detail and insight he shares are eye-opening.

We hear about whether he got his money’s worth out of the big-name producer he paid to turbocharge his debut album, as well as how writing teams work (and the degrees to which a magpie-like approach to intellectual property are accepted). And then there are stories of touring, such as what support acts are expected to put up with for the opportunity to opening for bigger names.

Weller, who’s evidently a talented musician, breaks up the story with a cracking thread of musical spoofs. Every now and then he sings a few bars of a song in the style of a particular genre, or to indicate the kind of tracks that would upset parents from various decades. The 1950s and R&B lyrics he presents are pure ‘it’s funny cos it’s true (and bloody horrible)’, and one of the most contemporary examples he plays with will have you clenching your bum if you’re watching with a parent.

Weller creates a few other opportunities to show off his musical knowledge, though one could argue that the nerdy expertise doesn’t necessarily contribute to the comic tone of this show; there’s already so much going for it.

But what his fastidious attention to detail has resulted in is a perfectly structured hour, and his stage experience and obvious understanding of what entertains punters have helped him cram a hell of a lot of easy-going fun into this memorable story.

Review date: 8 Aug 2023
Reviewed by: Ashley Davies
Reviewed at: Pleasance Courtyard