“Horrible Man but Very Funny – Nearly Died Last Year“

That was how it started. That message and our instant reaction to it (derisive laughter) meant only one thing: we had to grab tickets and head over to the Barrel.

The day had been hit and miss so far. We’d woken up with grand plans, only to discover that someone had turned our relaxed Edinburgh Saturday into a scene straight out of The Revenant! Okay, I’m exaggerating – but seriously, there was a ridiculous amount of snow for a day that had been forecast as “mild”.

Between the cancellation of the football (the “clash of the titans” that would have been East Fife v Edinburgh City) and one of my pals taking a spill on the ice, the day wasn’t shaping up well. At least we’d demolished an amazing breakfast at Mackays on the Mile and were now holed up in Cocktail Geeks, picking drinks from their Fallout menu. I’d stumbled across a nuclear-looking mix of absinthe and vodka ominously named “Luck”, and it was during my second of these that we received the message about Freddy Quinne’s gig. As it turns out, that drink might actually live up to its name!

The Monkey Barrel remains one of our favourite comedy venues, and as we took our seats and the room filled, it just felt like we were in for a good night. Freddy Quinne is best known for his imperious ability to savagely destroy an audience member – one of the elite comperes on the circuit – but for this hour, the stage was all his.

There was the obligatory crowd work, with which he more than lived up to his reputation. But don’t mistake this for some sort of Matt Rife gig – there was substance to this routine and a story to tell. Once he’d taken control of the room, our clown was in full flow and on point. Material switched seamlessly from insightful takes on mental health to room-dividing gags about Lucy Letby, all packaged around the tale of how our clown nearly died from Legionnaires’ disease… yup, it’s a journey.

This was a truly enjoyable night of comedy, where the laughs came thick and fast. And I can’t close without mentioning a cracking turn from support act Jack Traynor, who delivered some novel takes on tourists and strong observational material about regional Scotland. We’d definitely check out a longer set from him.

Be lucky.

Clown Stars: * * * *

@Monkey Barrel Comedy Club, Edinburgh

You can find Freddy Quinne’s dates on his website or catch him on the Dead Men Talking podcast.