Aidan Sadler: Melody – The Voodoo Rooms, The Ballroom

Variously described as “an absolute tornado” and a “demonic David Bowie”, cabaret performer, musician and comedian Aidan Sadler brings their show “Melody” back to the Edinburgh Fringe. Billed as a collection of “top steps to surviving the apocalypse”, this show doesn’t quite deliver on that promise. However it does provide an entertaining hour of 80s inspired synth music, original songs, and masterful crowd work.

Sadler attacks the stage with energy, clad in a two-piece ruffled costume which apparently cost more than a month’s rent in London, and a pair of chunky platform boots. They are faced with a small but perfectly formed audience, all of whom are immediately on side. The best comedians can make crowd work look easy. Trying to perform a set which Aidan admits is built on audience interaction, to a small group of people in a large room on a Tuesday night – that seems like an insurmountable challenge. However it is a huge testament to their skill that they not only involve everyone in the room, but manage to make them all feel comfortable, even those hiding tentatively at the back. Sadler invites us all to choose the relaxed version of the show or the full-scale version, with the proviso that we must give full scale energy, resulting in whoops and cheers. This feels like true Fringe – artist and audience working together to create the show experience.

The show itself is a mix of stand-up and mainly comedy songs, composed by Sadler and their band. The music is catchy, with infectious synth sounds and toe-tapping beats. The stand-up covers extremely topical and serious themes, yet never becomes moralising. Sadler discusses politics, disgraced TV presenters, the cost of living and the aforementioned apocalypse, often coming close to the bone but never crossing the line into being offensive. The apocalyptic part of the show seems very minor, but one senses that this is a section which requires more audience input than available in the room. There are a lot of similarities in Sadler’s style to Reuben Kaye, another immensely talented and likeable performer.

Given that this show played last year’s Fringe to rave reviews, it feels that this is something which both deserves and will definitely get a bigger audience. Sadler never takes themself too seriously, and as a result we all had great fun.

Reviewer: Torya Hughes

Reviewed: 6^th August 2024

North West End UK Rating: