Phil Nichol: The Simple Hour

Former Perrier award winner Phil Nichol may have labelled this The Simple Hour, but there’s nothing simple about delivering a set with enough energy to light up the New Town on a damp Edinburgh evening.

This year’s show sees the Fringe regular step back from his recent experimental character comedy and return to the raw standup and songs with which he made his name.

Still, as the comedian says, “it’s an Edinburgh show, so there needs to be a point”. The theme, introduced early in proceedings, is an attempt to create a set he could perform in front of his mother. Given the nature of much of the material, presumably Nichol’s mother is a pretty unflappable sort. If nothing else, it’s a handy way to introduce an ingenious running gag involving a clown horn.

The slightly spurious theme also provides a convenient jumping-off point for a greatest-hits set featuring riffs from previous solo shows, as well as from his days with Corky and the Juice Pigs, the comedy band he used to front. New material stitches it all together seamlessly but, make no mistake, this is about the old favourites.

Nichol is so animated you half-expect to see an ACME label on the back of his guitar. He leaps about the stage and into the audience, swiftly changing accents and subjects to deliver one-liner after polished one-liner.

Those familiar with Nichol’s work will recognise the majority of the jokes but, like with a favourite band, sometimes you just want to hear the hits – something Nichol gleefully delivers in spades.