Heading to the Edinburgh Fringe isn’t just about packing your best flyers and perfecting your punchlines, it’s also about curating the ultimate soundtrack. For many performers, music plays a key role in setting the tone for their show and winding down once the curtain falls. We asked a selection of Fringe acts to share two tracks that bookend their day: one pre-show song that gets them hyped and ready to perform, and one post-show anthem that helps them relax or celebrate. From high-energy bangers to soul-soothing classics, here’s what they’ll be playing on repeat this August and why!
Joe Sib brings his high-octane energy and heartfelt storytelling to the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time with California Calling, a punk rock memoir-meets-stand-up show that’s as loud, honest and unforgettable as his journey from skateparks and garage bands to the comedy stage. With a life steeped in music – from fronting punk bands to co-founding an influential record label – it’s no surprise that Joe has the perfect tracks to soundtrack his Fringe experience. Here’s what gets him hyped before stepping on stage, and what he unwinds to after the last laugh.
Pre-show track: AC/DC — Problem Child.
Nothing fires me up more before a show than this. It’s loud, raw, and reminds me exactly why I do what I do — feels like plugging straight into an electric socket.
Post-show track: Pavarotti — anything he sings, honestly.
After the chaos, I need something huge and beautiful to bring me back down to earth. Pavarotti’s voice is like a reset button for the soul.
Joe Sib’s debut stand up show ‘California Calling’ will be at the Gilded Balloon Pip @ Appleton Tower for the entire fringe @ 9pm for tickets go to www.edfringe.con
Scout Durwood is no stranger to the spotlight, but this year she brings a brand new kind of brilliance to the Edinburgh Fringe with the worldwide premiere of Apocalypse Cabaret: Songs from the End of the World. A dazzling, genre-smashing blend of comedy, music, burlesque and existential dread, Scout’s show is a joyous howl into the void – and proof that if the world’s ending, you might as well go out singing. With a career spanning NYC cabaret, MTV and Spiegelworld, Scout knows how to make an entrance and an exit, so it’s only fitting we asked her to share the two tracks that frame her festival days: one to fire her up before curtain up, and one to come down with after the glitter settles.
One pre-show track (for getting hyped) – What Was I Made For by Billie Eilish.
I use What Was I Made For as a warm up because I love it, and also because it’s a song that I can sing both in my belt and my head voice, so I use it as a warm up to check out the overall health of my cords
One post-show track (for chilling/celebrating) – I Release Control by Alexa Sunshine Rose.
I Release Control is seven minutes of chanting. I have intense anxiety on and off stage, so I do a lot of work to ground myself after shows.
Apocalypse Cabaret: Songs From The End Of The World will be at the Underbelly Bristo Square Dairy Room at 9.20pm for the entire fringe for tickets go to www.edfringe.com
Making their dazzling European debut at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, Tomáš Kantor arrives armed with Sugar, an outrageous, seductive, and gloriously camp cabaret thrill ride that’s already swept up awards across Australia. Starring as a cheeky, gender-fluid sugar baby with a dream and a dangerously Pretty Woman-inspired business model, Tomáš brings powerhouse vocals, biting wit and irresistible charm to Assembly Checkpoint for a limited run.
Equal parts pop spectacle and raw storytelling, Sugar is a show about love, luxury and transactional truths, wrapped up in glitter and glam. With that kind of energy, it’s no wonder Tomáš has a carefully selected soundtrack to match. We asked them to share the two tracks getting them through Fringe – one to strut into the show with, and one to come down from the high.
One pre-show track (for getting hyped) – Primadonna – Marina.
It’s perfect. It’s basically my character SUGAR’s manifesto: the full delusional, more-is-more, pop-princess, femme-fatale fantasy. Plus, it’s giving undeniable pump-up get-glam shake-my-bussy bop.
One post-show track (for chilling/celebrating) – Everything in its Right Place – Radiohead.
This one helps me come back to myself: moody and grounding but in a hypnotic, glitchy, lullaby way. I’ve been to the edge of reality, popping off at the precipice, and I need to download back into my matrix.
Sugar will be at the Assembly Checkpoint @ 4.20pm for the whole fringe for tickets go to www.edfringe.com
Returning to the Edinburgh Fringe with the smash-hit Showstopper! The Improvised Musical, director and co-creator Adam Meggido knows exactly how to bring the noise. With over 1,400 unique musicals created on the spot since its inception, Showstopper! has become a true Fringe institution, thrilling audiences with its spontaneity, wit and jaw-dropping musical invention.
As a world record-holding improviser and seasoned director of Olivier-nominated West End productions, Adam has mastered the art of turning chaos into theatre magic. We asked him what music helps him get in the zone before stepping into the high-wire world of musical improv, and what track helps him unwind when the curtain comes down. His picks are as characterful and entertaining as the shows he helps bring to life.
One pre-show track (for getting hyped) – Lose yourself – Eminem.
Okay I know it’s a bit old school, cheesy even, but I remember listening to this in the early days of Showstopper before some of our biggest gigs. It encapsulates that wonderful live adrenaline feeling of ‘this is it.’ in my case, we’re about to go on in front of a packed crowd and make up a show on the spot. This is your chance. Take it. I always enjoyed playing it loud pre show; it made me feel that someone else was taking on the anxiety for me. ‘My shot’ from Hamilton does the same. They always make me smile and remind me of the wonderful risk that we are about to take in our show.
One post-show track (for chilling/celebrating) – Schubert string quintet, 2nd movement.
Few pieces of music come close to the calm serenity of the second movement. If you need to align yourself back to reality, this is the track.
Showstopper! The Improvised Musical will be at the Pleasance Courtyard Grand at 5.20pm for the entire fringe for tickets go to www.edfringe.com
Dylan Adler is bringing his sweat-drenched, scream-laced, piano-pounding hour Haus of Dy-lan to Edinburgh for the very first time, and the Fringe will never be the same again. A classically trained pianist turned unhinged gay musical comic, Dylan mixes confessional stand-up, acrobatics, trauma, poppers, and absolute bangers into a queer tornado of comedy chaos.
Fresh from The Late Late Show, After Midnight, and his smash Netflix Is A Joke set, Dylan’s musical madness arrives in full force at Pleasance Courtyard this summer. Whether he’s discussing being a “double JAP”, shouting at his therapist, or stealing their toilet paper, Dylan’s shows are both unflinching and hysterical.
We asked Dylan what tracks help him channel his theatrical rage before heading on stage (and which song helps him come down after leaving it all, and more, under the spotlight). His choices are, as expected, intense, funny and deeply dramatic.
One pre-show track (for getting hyped) – 212 By Azealia Banks.
This is my ultimate pump up song. It’s also the perfect tempo for speed walking if you’re running late to something. One of my favorite things in the world to do is to walk around NYC while listening to 212.
One post-show track (for chilling/celebrating) “Dreams” by the Cranberries.
Dreams is my favorite song of all time and it always calms me down and makes me feel grounded. After a good show I like to walk the streets listening to “Dreams” or really anything by the Cranberries.
Dylan Adler’s debut comedy show ‘Haus Of Dylan’ will be at the Pleasance Courtyard Beside for the entire fringe for tickets go to www.edfringe.com
