Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

Metroland are five blokes from North East England who’ve built up a cult audience for their online skits. Their comedy feels like mates just mucking about for their own entertainment, but that looseness conceals some sharply surreal writing.

Proudly working-class, their sketch heroes include builders, toilet cleaners and homeless guys. And on the menu are sausage rolls, Pot Noodles and a heartfelt paean to the delicious mysteries of the Scotch egg.

Before we properly tuck in, they get us into a receptive mood for laughs via a dance instructor teaching the pelvic thrust, participation pretty much mandatory. But don’t feel you’ll look stupid, that is very much the job of of the troupe in the fetching pink shorts: John Dole, Caden Elliott, Jack Fairley, Connor Lawson and Jack Robertson.

They have the secret of comedy. It’s in a Space Raiders box they brought with them. And while trying to do their handymen sketch The Grafters – portraying various tradesmen as if a gang of children’s TV characters – demonic voices taunt and beguile them over its contents.

The secret has certainly been deployed in several of their sketches, most notably the Thumb War scene, in which a minor disagreement over the rules of engagement escalates fast. 

And their natural funny bones – as well as their strong chemistry as performers and friends – are on display during a standout improvised game in which they try to make each other laugh, with the threat of a custard pie in the face of the loser. It’s a similar premise to Amazon’s Last One Laughing and the forthcoming U&Dave show Silence Is Golden, but the pressure is palpable in real life, especially as they know each other so well.

The quintet like to extend their odd scenes as long as possible, which has mixed results. If you don’t buy into the concept of the stench of a men’s public toilet made manifest, with its own hopes and dreams, this becomes a very long few minutes. However, it does segue into a story of a minor angel going off the rails because he feels overshadowed by Gabriel.

Similarly, the well-deserved tribute to the breadcrumbed glory of the Scotch eggs starts very strong, but becomes just too repetitive. 

That said, the weakest sketch of the hour is the shortest, treating the preparation of a Bombay Bad Boy Pot Noodle as if it were a gourmet TV cooking show. It’s a pretty obvious idea, and – unusually for this mob – fairly straightforwardly executed, with no unexpected left turns.

They are all great performers, rough around the edges maybe, but the lack of polish is part of their charm – and helps set them apart as they challenge the middle-class dominance of sketch comedy. They are a welcome addition to the scene.

Review date: 7 Aug 2024
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Pleasance Courtyard