Tom Thum - Beating The Habit.

He may have first come to the attention of many people as a member of Tom Tom Crew but Tom Thum easily wins over any audience and shows just how well he can hold a show on his own in this solo . . . . . . . . . extravaganza.

If you think that beatboxing is all about JUST drum noises backing up some rap lyrics or if you think that vocal effects have been taken to their very limits by someone like the excellent Michael Winslow then I urge you to check out this astoundingly talented young man.

I've heard people pretend to scratch and mix records before but I've never heard anyone who could make me REALLY hear the vinyl and the needle crossing that surface while the tune is being created. I've heard people create impressive bass before but I've never heard anyone who created a bassline that shook through my entire body. I've heard bagpipes before but never someone trying to sound like bagpipes . . . . . . . . . . and a T-Rex at the same time (a result of a moment in which Tom accepts challenges from the audience to recreate a variety of sounds).

I was really, really tempted to find another online clip of this man and put it in this review but, to be honest, that just wouldn't be fair (ohhh, okay, I couldn't resist putting a link in below because it's one of the many highlights). With an audience that seemed to range from 6 - 60, I advise you to just accept that you will have a good, albeit loud, time and to go along for something unique and feelgood from start to finish. In fact, I suspect that only good manners prevented the star from naming his show "Aural Sex" because the audience certainly emanated a rosy afterglow feeling as they left the venue.

It may be stretching it a little bit to say that this is a show to unequivocally recommend to everyone but it's certainly a show that you may even enjoy even if the thought of the musical style (all done with the vocal stylings of Tom Thum, even if it often sounds like he has a whole set of synthesisers backing him up) doesn't seem all that appealing to you.

The musical moments, which make up most of the act, will have you ready to get up and dance but there are also plenty of laughs in the show. Whether it's Tom trying to sell people his Box Of Beats or the "harrowing" look at the pain caused by a beatbox obsession, there was plenty to get even the most cynical audience member laughing along with everyone else.

Go along, have fun, LOVE the music and then make sure to stop by outside and by a CD. Because a great beatboxer is for life, not just for The Fringe.

*****

http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/music/tom-thum-beating-the-habit

August In Edinburgh.

It's that time of the year again, The Fringe is happening. The Fringe then mutates into the full Festival, which also incorporates our wonderful Book Festival here in Edinburgh.

And I am stuck in a day job that will get busier and busier (I work in a hotel and this is a peak period for hotels). I like my job. Well, to be fair, I have times when I hate my job. Believe me, if I could set up some Kickstarter scheme to allow me to watch and review movies 7 days a week then I would jump on it like an unconscious Mary Elizabeth Winstead (or, indeed, like some other more important and legally sound imagery). But, in general, I have a lot of things to enjoy. My workmates are a bit mad and they put up with me being . . . . . . . . more than a bit mad. I also get some nice coffees.

Where was I? Rambling, as usual. The point I was trying to make was that a lot of people in Edinburgh who live and work here all year round just end up hating the Festival time. That's just sad.

This is a beautiful city and it's busy most of the year. Yet it's never more vibrant and paradoxically draining (physically AND financially) and rewarding than it is during this time of year.

My wife and I already went along on Friday night to Radio Forth On The Fringe 2012 and enjoyed a number of great acts, one of them I had to rush out and get tickets for the very next day (yes Tom Thum, I mean YOU). It was mainly comedy, yes, but there was also music and magic and even some risky stunts from the impressive and amusing Tumble Circus.

Then on Saturday I took my daughter to the circus, one based at Ocean Terminal this year, and had a great time. I overspent, I've seen better and the portaloos were already stinking to high heaven but I got to ogle exotic women and enjoy some great acrobatic displays before being dragged up to take part in a physical comedy routine. When I went back to my seat, to compliments from other parents and at least one high five, I was a STAR! Okay, I was only a star to my daughter and the others in that big top who were relieved that they hadn't been picked but a moment of stardom is a moment of stardom. I'll take what I can get and The Festival hands out such moments with a wonderful regularity and a lack of concern for sex, sexuality, race, monetary value or social standing.

That Tom Thum show at the Underbelly (I think) is on Tuesday. I am taking a friend and am determined to enjoy the evening. Beforehand, I am going to see An Appointment With The Wicker Man at The Assembly Rooms and after those main events I may even try to catch one or two free shows from the huge selection that makes up the superb PBH's Free Fringe.

Basically, I am going to try and make the most of this most wonderful time of year. As I do every year. I encourage others to do the same. Yes, it gets harder to move along the streets. Yes, bus journeys can take double the amount of time. Yes, prices are bumped up in many places. Yes, there is plenty of shit to avoid while searching for the good stuff. It's not supposed to be easy, it's supposed to be worth some effort. And, let me assure you, it most definitely bloody IS.