It seems to come earlier every year, but the Fringe is already upon us, with many comedians giving us some sneak, cheap previews of their August hits. Here’s an A—Z of 50 shows to see before the lull-priced mayhem truly begins. Venue booking information is at the end of the listings.

Stephen K Amos [)0 his friends call him SKA. we wonder? Not sure. but this is sttrely his year. Gilded Balloon Teviot. Wed 3 & Thu 4 Aug. 9.30pm. £6. Appelby’s Journey to the 21st Century Debra-Jane Appelby. who‘s just scooped the Funny Women award. has an interesting background. Check out the August tabloids for details. Baby Belly. Thu 4 Aug. 7.10pm. £4.

Bill Hicks: Slight Return The dead. poetic comic is remembered once more with this Stars in Their Eyes-type show from Chas Early. Pleasanee Courtyard. Tltu 4 Aug. 3.45pm. £5.

Guy Browning The very amusing Guardian columnist brings us his debut Fringe show. Pleasanee C ourtyard. Wed 3 & Tltu 4 Aug. 6.10pm. £5.

Brendon Burns Will we get Burnsy or Brendon this year‘.’ Let's hope he leaves his scary antics back in Glastonbury. eh? Pleasanee Dome. Wed 3 & Thu 4 Aug. 8.30pm. £5.

Adam Buxton The Adatn half of Adam 8; Joe transforms himself into a miserable East European actor called Pavel. Pleasanee Courtyard. Wed 3 & Thu 4 Aug. 9.20pm. £5.

Cabaret Decadanse Decadent cabaret. we suppose. Gilded Balloon Teviot. W ’d 3 Aug. 7.15pm. £5.

Tony Carter Not a chap to hide his bushel under his. or anyone else‘s bushel. it's time for you to get Carter. On your Comedy wishlist. The Stand II. Mon 1 Aug. 9pm: Wed 3 Aug, 8.50pm. £5.

Jo Caulfield The most accomplished lady stand-up on the UK circuit? Oh. probably. Pleasanee Courtyard. Wed 3 & Thu 4 Aug. 8pm. £5.

Dan Clark You may recognise him from his Electric Eels or Estate Agents days. but Mr Clark has his shoe on another foot. A solo stand-up one. l’leasanee Courtyard. Wed 3 & Thu 4 Aug. 8. I 5pm. £5.

Colin and Fergus Everyone's favourite sicko sweet double act are back to appall and amuse. I’leasanee Courtyard. W Jr! 3 & Thu 4 Aug, 6pm. £5. Congress of Oddities Sketch show monstrosities from the darker reaches of Victoriana. Pleasanee C ourtyard. Wed 3 & Thu 4 Aug. 10.45pm. £5.

Bruce Devlin The gay Dom Joly (his words. not ours) launches his debut solo show. The Stand 1/. Sun 3] Jul, 9pm: Wed 3 Aug. 7.20pm. £5.

DJ Danny Character comedy with a spin and a twist. Pleasanee Courtyard. Wed 3 & Thu 4 Aug. 10.45pm, £4.

Omid Dialili He may be back with No Agenda but it's unlikely that our Omid won‘t touch on recent events. And anecdotes about Whoopi. maybe. I’leasanee Courtyard. Wed 3 & Thu 4 Aug. 8.50pm. £7.

Dutch Elm Conservatoire With conspiracy theories coming out of their ears. this sketch troupe are set to clean up. l’leasanee Courtyard. W 'd 3 & Thu 4 Aug. 5pm. £5.

Rhod Gilbert A hot tip for this year. the Welsh wizard casts a caustic eye on the year [984. Pleasanee C ourtyard. Thu 4 Aug. 8.25pm. £5.

Janey Codiey The former tenant of the Kings of Comedy household reflects on innocence. Untlerlwlly. Thu 4 Aug. [0pm. £5.

The Great Australian Showcase Will we find the next Adatn Hills. Mark Little or Rolf Harris? The Stand II. Thu 4 Aug. 8.50pm. £5.

Natalie Haynes The naughty but nice

Nat giggles her way through more cunningly crude routines. Pleasanee Courtyard. Wed 3 & Thu 4 Aug, 7.20pm. £5.

Richard Herring The yoghurt-loving former comedy partner of Stewart Lee muses on the dafter side of life. Pleasanee C ourtyard. Wed 3 & Thu 4 Aug. 8pm. £5.

Miles Jupp Don't mention Archie as the gentleman who used to prefer brogues goes hell for leather with a solo show. Underbelly. Thu 4 Aug. 8. I 5pm. £5.

Phil Kay Manic freewheelin‘ genius from the special Kay. Gilded Balloon Teviot. Wed 3 & Thu 4 Aug. 10.30pm, £5. Kiki 8: Herb Cabaret chicanery from folk who have opened for the Scissor Sisters. Pleasanee Courtyard. Wed 3 & Thu 4 Aug. [0pm. £6.

Daniel Kitson Misery in spades. but funny with it. The Stand, Wed 3 & Thu 4 Aug. [0.30pm. £7.

Stewart Lee The comics' comic (whatever that can mean) with more angular stuff accompanied by ajazzy soundtrack. probably. Underbelly. Thu 4 Aug. 8.40pm, £5.

Jeremy Lion Character comedy from the top drawer. That's the one above the second top drawer. Pleasanee Courtyard. Wed 3 & Thu 4 Aug. 6.25pm. £5. Andrew Maxwell Watch this lrish japester fly. Pleasanee C ourtyard. Wed 3 & Thu 4 Aug. 8pm. £6.

Carey Marx He wants to find a bride by the end of August. Can you help make it happen? Underbelly. Thu 4 Aug. 7pm. £5.

Milk Spanish comedy theatre directed by the man behind The Elephant Woman. A recommendation. generally. Pleaswzee Courtyard. Wed 3 & Thu 4 Aug. 5.35pm. £5.

Eugene Mirman Extreme anticipation abounds round this US-based comic who numbers the weird moustachioed guy from Arrested Development as one of his Close friends. Underbelly. Thu 4 Aug. 9pm. £5.

The Monkey Butlers Sketch show madness with the likes of Zoe Lyons and Hal Cruttenden. Underbelly. Thu 4 Aug. 3.30pm. £4.

Moonlourney Former member of the Garth Marenghi crew. Alice Lowe is part of a trio aiming to thrust prog rock into your empty lives. Pleasanee Courtyard. Wed 3 & Thu 4 Aug. 6.40pm. £5. Simon Munnery Old Buckethead is back. We're all saved/doomed. The Stand. Wed 3 Aug. 7. 30pm; Thu 4 Aug. 4pm. £6 (£5).

Joanna Neary Perrier Newcomer nominee frotn 2004 returns with another gallery of grotesques. Underbelly. Thu 4 Aug. 6.40pm, £5.

Robert Newman Everyone's favourite political stand-up (apart from those who go for Mark Thomas) sweats it out with 80 minutes of rib tickling rhetoric. The Bongo Club. Wed 3 & Thu 4 Aug, 8pm. £5

Phil Nichol The former Juice Pigger takes time out from all that stage acting

nonsense for a show of sublime stand-up.

The Stand. Thu 4 Aug. I 0.20pm. £6. David O’Doherty We loved him last year. We'll mostly love him again this time around. Yamaha ha ha. Gilded Balloon Teviot. Wed 3 & Thu 4 Aug. 9.45pm. £6.

Owen O’Neill All his biggest hits with a few extra surprises. No Mick Jagger impersonations. The Stand. Thu 4 Aug. 7.30pm. £6 (£5).

Steve Oram No Meetcn. Plenty laughs. Pleasanee C ourtyard, Wed 3 & Thu 4 Aug. 7.35pm. £5.

Sue Perkins A great set of specs and a few anecdotes about life on the telly. no doubt. Pleasanee C ourtyard. Wed 3 & Thu 4 Aug. 8.35pm. £5.

Puppetry of the Penis They‘re letting it all hang out once again. those filthy beggars. Gilded Balloon Teviot. Wed 3 & Thu 4 Aug. 8.55pm. £6.

Rain Pryor Dickie‘s daughter will be hoping that the hype doesn‘t overwhelm

:~ 'r 1'- f" *4 t; 3.; Fe .

Chlamydia and Calamine Lloyd-

Haemorrhage are back again with more tales of freakery from olden times as they expose the filthy undercarriages of the halcyon days in music hell, sorry, hall. Last year, we described them as ‘wonderfully disgusting.’ More of the same

please, ‘Iadies’.

Pleasance Courtyard. Wed 3 8. Thu 4 Aug. 10.45;)m. l‘5.

her. And praying that people stop writing things like that. Baby Belly. Thu 4 Aug. 8pm. £5.

Spank! Three hours of tilthy fun. And loved by Stewart Lee. So, who are we to argue‘.’ Nobody. that‘s who. ('nderbelly. Thu 4 Aug. midnight. £5.

David Strassman Plenty of strings attached here with sadistic puppets running absolutely amok. l’leastutt‘e Courtyard. Wed 3 6’: Thu 4 Aug. 7pm. £5. Nick Sun 8. Justin Lodge Mr Sun. the winner of last year’s So You Think You‘re Funny gong. laps up more stage time alongside fellow rising star. 311' Lodge. Gilded Balloon Tt'l‘lttl. Wed 3 A'- Thu 4 Aug. [1.30pm. £5.

Tim Vine Dozens ol‘jokcs per second. we‘re promised. How does he do it‘.’ Jeremy‘s brother. by the way. I’Ieasame ('oto'tyard. Wed 3 A’- Thu 4 Aug. 6.40pm. £6.

Topping 8. Butch 'l‘heir I'll/h is _-i to!

to lit/(e In. References to their two

show s. thcrc. I’leastuu‘e ('ourtyard. Wed 3 A'- Thu 4 Aug. 9.30pm. £5.

Mark Watson .\lr Innovation will have two shots s this year. one of which is a 2(l()5-hour comic extravaganza. Not sure where he got that number from. I’lt'asa/u'e Courtyard. Wed 3 A" Thu 4 Aug, 9.30pm. £5.

We Are Klang And we are amused. l-‘unny sketch boys. I’leasant'e Courtyard. Wed 3 it’- Thu 4 Aug. 9.45pm. £5.

The Bongo Club 0131 557 2827

Gilded Balloon Teviot 0131 668 1633

Pleasance 0131 556 6550 The Stand 0131 558 7272 Underbelly 0870 745 3083

1’1 .Jul -1 z\tltt.’1ltlfi THE LIST 43