EDINBURGH 2023: Review: OLLIE HORN: NOT MUCH, Just The Tonic at The Mash House

What’s the worst gig you’ve ever had? I bet that Ollie Horn has had one much, much worse than you. Ollie Horn: Not Much is a stand-up show from Horn about some of the worst gigs that he has ever performed at, including a brothel in Krabi and an Apple store. Yes, you read that right, a comedy show in an Apple store. Spoiler: It goes just about as well as you would expect standup in a retail store to go.

Horn does a brilliant job of describing the worst gigs that he has ever had (even though, according to him, there are no bad gigs when you are doing what you love). Something that fascinated me was that he purposefully spoiled the ending to his final story in his opening monologue and was still able to make it a surprising reveal at the end. You know you’re living a bit of an insane life when your audience can completely forget a promoter dying an hour before a gig while listening to your other stories.

If there’s one thing I learned from Ollie Horn: Not Much, it’s that you can never have too many intros. Indeed, the intro became a running joke throughout the show, starting with Horn repeating the intro when some latecomers arrived. Even his final bow became another intro, with the crowd cheering more for his final intro than his bow! Horn was able to form a fantastic connection with his audience, even with some confusing and drunken interjections that were handled well (and yes, one of those did end with another intro). 

Ultimately, Ollie Horn: Not Much is a witty and fun show that manages to let the audience both sympathise and laugh with Horn as he talks us through his horrifying gigs of days past.

You can clearly see the passion Horn has for his craft, his eyes lighting up each time he talks about his love for comedy and his desire to perform. Luckily for us, this certainly wasn’t his worst gig! So, ladies and gentlemen; presenting Ollie Horn!

Ollie Horn: Not Much runs at 18:25 at Just the Tonic at The Mash House in Just the Cask Room from 7 to 27 August (no performances on 14 August). You can buy a ticket in advance to guarantee entry or Pay What You Want at the venue. 

Photo Credit: Gabrielle Boudville

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