Showing @ Underbelly, Cowgate, Delhi Belly 19:50 -29th Aug 1hr 16+
It would be too easy to dismiss the Skins star Joel Dommett and MTV presenter Eric Lampaert as a pair riding the wave of skinny jeans, random quips and that Russell Brand look that’s guilty of smothering any young talent, but what the pair actually possess is a refreshing and suitably self-derogatory stab at the image obsessed wannabe. Mainly because of Lampaert’s face. His magnificent gums, shadowed eyes and altogether gangly appearance that leaves him resembling “the lovechild of Tim Burton and a hairy lamppost” push the duo out of the Skins/MTV generation into altogether more absurd realms.
Not exactly a double-act, Dommett and Lampaert each hold twenty minutes solo time, which is bookended by the pair standing and analysing the audience showing off their sharp wit. Dommett regales us with the tale of his cutting edge one-man show experience whilst Lampaert leaps between tales of childhood and quips about anything that pops into his head.
It’s an odd mix; the toff-esque guy from Bristol and the French born and Belgium raised skeletal chap who looks like a recovering heroine addict, but somehow it works. Lampaert is a force to be reckoned with, bouncing around the stage, jumping into the audience and presenting his bum for a squeeze but Dommett isn’t far behind and the pair give a remarkably even-handed show. There’s no real structure to their interactions that bookend their solo slots it seems, shying away from the double-act routine and relying on the audience for a bit of banter is almost the easy way out with a rowdy Fringe crowd full of booze. Whilst not a fully formed performance the laughs keep coming, Dommett and Lampaert will no doubt be back with their own slots next year and that’s something to look out for.