FRINGE DIARY: DAY 7 – THE COMEDY CELLAR IS OFFICIALLY A QUEUE-ONLY CLUB
- Michael Porter
- Aug 8
- 2 min read
Another sellout. No flyers. No shouting on the Mile. No desperate promo tactics. Just a packed-out basement and a crowd that knows where the real comedy is.
Ian Christopher opened last night. He’s been busy smashing his own gigs all week, but I told him he needed to come see these Dutch lads. He showed up. He got it.
Because once you see Efde & Efde, it’s game on
I’m buzzing about them every night — and I’m not the only one. Every time they’re on stage, it’s something completely different. Last night? They brought out a microwave. A real one. Hauled it into the room, built a bit around it, and somehow made it work. Big laugh. I helped carry it all the way here, so thank fuck it landed.
They’re like Paul Currie meets Tony Law meets Laurel and Hardy — wild, clowny, absurd — but sharp. Every night they give me a reason to be excited about live comedy again.
They also helped film the show — proper legends. Because yes, I’m still running this entire thing solo.
Halfway through the show, I clock this lad in the crowd. Plain clothes. Smiling. Bit too quiet. Turns out he’s a serving Edinburgh police officer.
Audience starts heckling him. I start roasting him. He’s loving it. Absolutely loving it. Gave as good as he got. At one point I asked if he was undercover, checking whether the IRA had reformed in an Edinburgh basement
Honestly? He was the best audience member of the night. Sharp. Up for it. Didn’t flinch. And yeah — he was also the only troublemaker in the room. Classic.
Bob Graham closed and smashed it. Held the energy right through. Big finish. Left the room flying.
We’re getting to the point now where if you’re not queuing by 7:30pm, you're not getting in. We’re turning people away every night. This thing’s rolling. If it keeps going like this, I'llsell out the full run.
Persistence pays off. All those late nights. All that work. It’s hitting now. RSVP below because the weekends gonna be busy! Follow @comedycellaredinburgh
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