The Edinburgh Fringe is almost upon us, with a host of TVO favourites set to descend upon the city between 2nd and 26th August.  In the build up, we’re bringing you a great show to go and see every weekday – from our regulars to shows beyond the usual confines of Onion Land.

Today’s showcase piece looks at the latest offering from cult surrealist and Ealing Live veteran Tony Law…

THE SHOW:

Tony Law: Nonsense Overdrive

THE VENUE

The Stand Comedy Club

THE DATES

1st – 26th August

THE TIME

12:40 // Bonus evening show @ 19:40 on 25th August

TICKET LINK

Nonsense Overdrive // Nighttime Nonsense Overdrive

It is, perhaps, an understandable, if somewhat lazy cliche to class The Velvet Onion as a “Mighty Boosh fansite”.  Really, we get that a lot.  Of course, the Boosh is a huge part of the reason we exist, but so too is the work of seminal comedy ensemble Ealing Live, which is arguably the real heart of our wider family of comics, actors, musicians, writers, directors, producers and various other creatives we cover on a regular basis.

For those not in the know, Ealing Live was a hotbed of great comedy talent around a decade ago.  Those early shows were directed by none other than Paul King, and featured the likes of – amongst others – TVO regulars  Alice Lowe, Barunka O’Shaughnessy, Gareth Tunley, James Bachman, John Hopkins, Justin Edwards, Katy Brand, Lucy Montgomery, Richard Glover, Shelley Longworth, Simon Farnaby, Steve Oram, Tom Meeten, Waen Shepherd and a certain young Canadian surrealist by the name of Tony Law.

Law was already familiar to this particular young comedy fan and aspiring writer at the time, due to his show-stopping appearances alongside Rhys Thomas on the Daisy Donovan hosted panel show Does Doug Know, which, to further the TVO connections, was produced by one Spencer Millman back in 2002.  His manic outbursts of whimsical nonsense had marked him as one to watch, and as the years went on, post Ealing Live, Law continued to be a comedic force to be reckoned with.

Flash forward to 2013, and Tony has spent more than a decade as a cult presence on the alternative comedy scene.  Like a fine wine, he gets better with age, and recent years have seen his stock rise with a return to panel shows (such as Never Mind The Buzzcocks), and increasingly large venues to house his chaotic ramblings.

After selling out at the Fringe in 2011 and 2012, his latest show promises yet more glorious mayhem from an unrivaled Dali-esque mind.  As the guide book states, this is “a deeply hidden, powerfully meaningful show. Tony has been travelling back and forth through historical empires, deep space and time zones to bring you Nonsense Overdrive.”

Now comfortably sporting a visual look that best suits the words he throws at audiences, Tony returns to Edinburgh as one of its reigning champions, and there are few out there who can rival his wit and enthusiasm.  Long may he reign.

Nonsense Overdrive runs from 1st to 26th August at The Stand Comedy Club.  Tony is also set to appear in improv show This Is Your Trial between 5th and 9th August at Bob’s Bookshop. We’ll have another Edinburgh recommendation tomorrow, and every weekday throughout July, so stay peeled!