After falling in love with the Fringe and stand-up comedy during his time as a flyerer and getting behind the scenes, Stephen Gordon plans to bring the creative process behind some of the best gags onto the stage. By inviting a mixed bill of comedians to perform random notes for material on their phones, there is an underlying promise (or threat) that they could say absolutely anything. A smooth show is not promised for ‘Notes: Comedy B Sides’, but that’s exactly the point!

Unfinished and random thoughts in the Notes app is very relatable for anyone in comedy – how did you come up with the idea?

I got a job as a flyer. I mean, I was on £3.50 an hour but got the little badge for the Pleasance and the Gilded Balloon and the Assembly. And I discovered this thing called stand-up comedy and I was lucky enough that my discovery of it was like the best in the world at the Edinburgh Festival for free. I was in these artist bars with the people that I’d seen on TV and my mind was blown because I thought they were just funny. They were just good. I didn’t realise that there was a craft. And I realised that every comedian has this bank of ideas that they have come to them, this divine source grants them this idea. And then they often do nothing [with it]. I would love it for an act to come on stage, do a note, realise there’s real potential and it ends up in a special.

So what is the show’s format?

The comedians come on, establish their voice and persona, then they perform their notes how they want. I’m not prescriptive in how they do this. There’s going to be some absolute gold, there’s going to be some absolute crap – I’m leaving it up to [the acts] how they do it. The whole premise is chaos. On the 6th August, we’re just going to suck it and see. I wanted to make this accessible as a Pay What You Want. Also, I absolutely need to tell you 50% of my acts are Scotland-based, 40% of my acts of women, 25% of my acts are LGBT+. It was so important to me to platform Scottish acts alongside these big acts.

What’s the most unhinged thing you’ve found in your notes app?

Okay, with comedy, context is so important and these are unfinished but… Uh… it’s a popular misconception that dogs can smell fear, they are actually far better at identifying menstruation. That’s the same thing to men. My grandad went to the hospital to get a permanent catheter fitted. What an absolute piss-take.

What do you think is special about Edinburgh Fringe?

Edinburgh is a weird beast, and seeing it over the last 20/25 years… At the age of 15 I went up to the Fringe and did a two-week run of a play. It was the first time I’d done anything like that, and I got bitten by the bug. Every summer, because I loved it so much. I know it well enough to not underestimate it, but also going in with the right attitude. It’s very rare to go to one place and discover all the culture that you want. I also think the food vans are amazing.

What do you want audiences to take away from your shows?

I’m so intrigued about what the audience draw’s going to be like. Not from a numbers perspective, but is it comedy geeks? Is it comedians? Is it the people who want to unwind or just see famous people? I think because an hour-long Fringe show can be so polished and so ready that it might be a nice antidote to see that rawness coming from those sam comedians that are also doing those hour-long shows.

Sum up your show in five words?

Actual comedians performing unfinished chaos.

‘Notes: The Comedy B Sides’  is at Just The Spare Room at Just The Tonic at The Caves from Thu 6th to Sun 30th August.