GARY LE STRANGE

On a recent Team CL road trip across Ireland, we spent a large majority of the time receiving some very strange looks from other drivers while stopped at traffic lights. These looks may well be attributed to the fact that as we sat there, we’d be singing along to last year’s Gary Le Strange release, Polaroid Suitcase, and quite often accompanying ourselves with the appropriate Face Warrior hand gestures. In short, Gary Le Strange shows stay with you. Happily, this year – his second Fringe show – is also accompanied by a new CD release, and hopefully new dance sequences that we can learn and perform for the bemusement of passersby. Waen Shepherd’s character creation took off in a big way at last year’s Fringe, capturing the imagination of everyone who saw it and earning for Waen a Perrier Newcomer award, and more importantly a clutch of Comedy Lounge titles. This year, we are invited to join the Face Academy, and we for two are very excited. Combining comedy lyrics with some genuinely brilliant musical numbers is no small feat, especially with his ability to combine that kind of lyrical greatness with tunes that wouldn’t be lost in an I Love The Eighties compilation. Add to that the fact that the banter between the songs could carry the show on its own, and it’s clear that last year’s show was no one hit wonder. Songs of special interest this year include the brilliant Warriors of Style, What Love Is, and Photocopier, which made me cry for five minutes the first time I heard it.