Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

‘This is a punk rock comedy show: it’s rude and loud,’ says former Scottish Comedian of the Year Rosco McClelland, dressed in white T-shirt and denim waistcoat, looking a bit like a nice guy cosplaying a US trucker and sounding a little like a student of Billy Connolly.

He damn sure isn’t wrong about the volume. If you like your comedy intimate and calm, this isn’t the show for you. In fact, 15 minutes in I’m rummaging for tissues to stuff into my throbbing ears.

As for the rudeness, well, this popular comic doesn’t stand on ceremony. He’s friendly with his audience, and never punches down, but there’s a lot of sexual content here, from online onanism to more specific physical explorations. Some of it’s pretty funny but does it really earn its place in the show? That’s obviously subjective. I’d say not necessarily, but loads of people in the audience adore it.

The laudable theme of Bring Out Your Dead – inspired by him having been to the funeral of someone his own age (early 30s) – is taking chances. He illustrates this with a rather shocking bit of footage that might have come with a content warning, but you can see what he’s aiming for: we need to seize life and embrace adventure.

One of the more successful ruminations on the theme involves The Proclaimers, and McClelland is at his best when extending a vivid metaphor about mental health and bins. Without wanting to give the joke away, the concept of a dripping bag is wonderful.

This show is crying out for some variety of pace, some light and shade, and it’s frustrating when he mentions a panic attack that happened during an intimate moment but then heads off in another direction.

I’d love to hear more on his thoughts about mental health bros and how they can be a front for dodgy right-wing groups. And his joke about how, as a man in Scotland, you must choose between mental and physical health or you’ll be excommunicated from the clan, is such a rich observation. More of that, please.

Conversely, there are times when he spends a little too long on subjects that don’t necessarily warrant it, or relies on observational stuff that he definitely has the skills to take further.

Review date: 22 Aug 2023
Reviewed by: Ashley Davies
Reviewed at: Monkey Barrel Comedy (The Hive)