The upstairs bar in the Waverley is plastered with the faded posters of Fringe shows some 40 years old. ‘There could be another dead comedian in here if this goes badly,’ says Amelia Bayler as she takes to the miniscule stage. There’s never any likelihood of this being the case. Bayler’s brand of musical comedy is as delightful as it is chaotic, and for a Sunday lunchtime show, she’s also drawn an enthusiastic crowd who are keen to engage with every messy minute.

Bayler is a unique performer with an outsize personality who you feel could thaw out the most frigid room. Her songs are about heartbreak and coping mechanisms and junk food (the junk food one of those coping mechanisms). But even dealing with breakups and her ongoing battles with her addictive lizard brain, there’s never anything less than a joyous, celebratory feel. Her songs are upbeat, two minute dopamine hits that somehow leave enough space for various ad-libbed moments and running commentary throughout.

Bayler has broadened her sonic palette in this second full show from the nu-rave, high-energy pop of her first. Her songs are just as silly and lo-fi as in ‘Greatest Hits‘ but ‘Easy Second Album’ also takes in musical theatre, jangly pop, and ‘landfill indie’. There’s even a wee blast from her punk past, with a song called ‘Cum’ from a previous band, the charmingly monikered Miscellaneous Meat. It is exactly how you think that would sound, like Sarah Silverman fronting Bikini Kill.

‘Easy Second Album’ is also slightly more structured than previously. Not to the point where it detracts at all from the nervous, anarchic energy that is a big part of Amelia’s appeal, but the songs are nicely placed throughout and logically relate to the topic at hand. It’s still clear however that she’s moving things around, audibly discarding one song and commenting on the placement of others. One example that also provides a curious insight into how her brain works is her deciding one more adult-themed song should be played after 12:45. Apparently 12:30 would be too early for such risque material. Who knows what kind of internal watershed has been crossed in that fifteen minutes?

There’s is so much to love about Amelia’s shows. Her genuine interest in and connection with her audience; her willingness to lean in to things that don’t go quite right; her unerring nose for a catchy melody; the intensely DIY feel of it all. There’s a guileless joy in performing and a lack of cynicism to her that makes it almost impossible not to get swept along. She’s clearly doing something right when you find yourself humming along to a few old(er) favourites, ‘Tupperware’ and what’s become something of her signature tune, ‘What’s the Vibe?’. She has clearly progressed as a performer and songwriter, but crucially hasn’t lost any of that ramshackle charm. What more can you say? It’s Fringe in the purest sense.

‘Easy Second Album‘ is at Scottish Comedy Festival @ Waverley Bar until Wed 14 Aug 2024 at 12:15