Loaded’s Pick of the Edinburgh Fringe 2025 – Part Two
By Fred Spanner
The Fringe madness kicks off on 1st August, and if you thought Part One, last month, was tasty, here comes another spicy helping of comedy chaos. Grab your tickets now before they’re all gobbled up by drama students and middle-aged divorcees who “just adore stand-up.”
MC HAMMERSMITH: Hippity Hoppity Get Off My Property
1:55pm, Monkey Barrel 1
Imagine Eminem… but if he’d grown up in Waitrose. MC Hammersmith is the poshest battle rapper since Jacob Rees-Mogg accidentally rhymed “fortnight” with “port flight.” This hip-hop hurricane spins razor-sharp freestyle bars entirely off audience suggestions; no script, no prep, just pure lyrical wizardry. Think Shakespeare with a subwoofer.He’s got 200 million TikTok views and is the only freestyle comic to smash an arena gig. Miss him at your peril.
WOODY FU: One-Man John Wick
8:50pm, Assembly Crate
Guns. Lots of guns. Not real guns, but all deadly funny. Woody Fu recreates an entire John Wick sequel with just himself, fake weapons, stunts more daring than a Deliveroo bike in rush hour, and a crowd willing to become assassins or emotional support dogs. It’s Keanu meets Fringe, with a wink at action flick tropes and the emotional range of a sock puppet. Sold out in LA and San Fran. Now it’s Edinburgh’s turn to get merked.
BECKY UMBERS: Put That Cat Back In The Bag
8:40pm, Snug Bar, at Assembly
In her riotous debut hour, award-winning Kiwi comedy queen unleashes the inner weirdo we all try to keep zipped up. It’s a joyride of oddball tales, unfiltered observations, and a voice that swings between Saturday morning cartoon and someone who drinks wine out of a mug. She’s already bagged Best Debut at the NZ International Comedy Fest 2019 and copped a Best Female Comedian nod in 2022, so this isn’t her first rodeo. But it might just be her funniest.
IAN SMITH: Foot Spa Half Empty
12:30pm, Monkey Barrel 1
Stress. Fertility. Buying spells on Amazon. Just your standard lunchtime show. Ian Smith is back, and he’s brought the chaos. Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee and Radio 4 regular, he’s that rare comic who makes existential dread actually sound soothing. If you’ve ever thought about panic-buying crystals while watching Have I Got News For You, this one’s for you.
SIKISA: Serving Justice
5:50pm, Monkey Barrel 1
Stand-up superhero Sikisa is out to serve justice, and jokes. She’s smashing stereotypes, dodging nonsense, and bringing the belt home with tales of wrestling, motherhood, and immigration truths. Credits like Live At The Apollo and Off Menu mean she’s already comedy royalty. Now she’s laying down the law. And it’s bloody hilarious.
BELLA HULL: Doctors Hate Her
1:55pm, Monkey Barrel, Hive
Post-breakup, Bella Hull found herself dabbling in the occult. Not in a “wears black lipstick” way. More “burns sage and hexes her ex.” Smart, sharp, and so funny your spleen might quit. After two killer Fringe runs, she’s back with punchlines and potions. Also, she’s absolutely not liable if your GP actually starts hating her.
IVO GRAHAM: Orange Crush
9:20pm, Grand, at Pleasance Courtyard
Britain’s poshest spiral is in full swing again, despite swearing he’d skip 2025. Ivo’s back with tales of existential meltdowns, over-apologising in train stations, and why his wardrobe now includes bright orange. A show about identity, career chaos, and probably crying in a Pret toilet. You’ve seen him on everything, now see him unravel live.
ERIC RUSHTON: Innkeeper
3:20pm, Monkey Barrel, Hive 2
Back in 2004, Eric Rushton absolutely smashed his school nativity. Then he vanished. Now, fuelled by antidepressants and rage at the job market, he’s back on stage and funnier than ever. Winner of basically every comedy newcomer prize that matters, Eric’s deadpan digs and slow-burn stories are Fringe gold. Think “sad clown,” but northern.
STUART MCPHERSON: Crisps and a Lie Down
5:15pm, Monkey Barrel, Cab Vol 1
Stuart McPherson is the voice of every knackered thirty-something who just wants to eat Wotsits and be left alone. He’s got takes on relationships, generational beefs, and why dying surrounded by loved ones sounds like a logistical nightmare. Scot Squad star and podcast king. Come for the laughs, stay for the existential snack cravings.
LIZ GUTERBOCK: Nice
7pm, Southsider at PBH's Free Fringe
Liz Guterbock is American by birth, British by sarcasm, and one of the smartest comics on the circuit. Her second show, NICE, takes aim at bullies, burnout, and what it means to be polite in a world run by gobshites. She’s already made Dave’s Joke of the Fringe list and The Guardian’s top ten. Trust us; she’s actually nice. Just don’t cross her.
VITTORIO ANGELONE: You Can’t Say Nothing Any More
7:35pm, Monkey Barrel 1
Vittorio Angelone swears blind he’s never been to the Edinburgh Fringe. Which is odd, considering he’s definitely back again this year with a new hour that’s sharper than a Belfast barber with a hangover.
Titled You Can’t Say Nothing Any More (and said exactly like that, in a tone reserved for moaning pub uncles), Angelone’s latest stand-up show dives into his upbringing in Belfast – minus the bombs and barricades of his folks’ generation. He’s got guilt about that. Maybe even a twisted bit of FOMO.
The lad’s asking the big questions: Do comedians have to be political now? Are we all just swinging helplessly on the Culture War’s big old pendulum? And what’s actually off-limits these days – if anything?
DAN TIERNAN: ALL IN
10:25pm, Monkey Barrel
Dan Tiernan isn’t here to faff about. After steamrolling the 2023 Fringe with a sell-out run and more gongs than a crap kung fu film, he’s back in 2025 – and he’s going all in. No filter. No fluff. No prisoners.
Tiernan’s the stand-up world’s Tasmanian Devil: fast, fierce, and flinging out punchlines like confetti at a fight. Dubbed “one of comedy’s most distinctive new voices” by The Guardian (and they don’t say that lightly – or ever, really), Dan’s here to rinse the Fringe in sweat, laughter and whatever else spills out.