First show of the Fringe is always exciting and this is the first of a number of shows produced by AntiSocial Tap who have been providing comedy to Dunedin for over two years now. Armed with my glass o’wine I settle into the comfy seats of the cinema where they perform. It’s a late start and the air is somewhat free and easy, but there’s a chair and some balloons to liven the mood. 

Our MC for the evening is Kathryn Hurst, one of the producers and comics for AST. She wanders over to the mic and gets us going. Her style for the evening is very loose and it feels, as the evening goes on, that it’s all a bit last minute. There’s laid back and then there’s laid back.

With chat to back – well side – stage about what’s going on, and the lack lustre intros, I feel we’re in a friend-of-friend’s lounge on a Friday night more than at a Fringe performance. There’s a singular lack of atmosphere that is surprising and disappointing for a group that’s been around this long.

The lights are four par cans from the side – hey it’s Fringe, I’m not looking for vari-lights, but why not use the lighting bars or position the lights in such a way that whenever a comic comes close to the audience they don’t disappear into gloom. There’s not even a poster outside for those who are looking for the venue. 

Adamina Carden, Luke Dawson, Finn Sigglekow are the new blood and each brings a fresh energy to their style. Adamina has a bohemian chic; Luke exploits his small hometown. Both have material that is a little hit and miss but worth developing. Luke especially has a great connection with the audience and as his confidence grows he’s going to come up with some great set pieces.

Finn Sigglekow is the first to stand still and grab eye contact with the audience and so immediately stands out. He has a good sense of listening to the audience and playing along with them. Each show a lot of promise and I would rather have heard more than to take a break in the middle of a one hour show. 

Rob McLellan was the Antisocial Tap 3 Minute Man – I felt like you had to be there to get that one. A nice compact set of semi-rhetorical musings and wonderings in the style of Jimmy Carr. Nicely delivered and a good change of pace for the show. Very funny – which is always good. 

The evening ends with AntiSocial Tap regular Thom Adams. Thom displayed a lot of what the newbies needed to get past in their own sets. Delivered at a rather breakneck speed, a lot of punchlines whizzed past without taking time to let us in. Whether this was nerves or choice of delivery, Thom and the three newbies need to add commas, full stops, exclamation marks, pauses to shape their material. A bit of vocal dynamic work would go a long way too. 

I hope the newbies are on each night so they get a chance to gain experience and refine their material. And I also hope the standard of MC support and the lights get looked at. 
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