Kevin Gildea: Man of a Million Heads

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There are only a few certainties at the Festival: venues and pubs will charge twice the normal price for drinks, it will rain for a minimum of 14 days, the only show you want to see will sell out weeks in advance, if you drink anything you will need to go to the toilet exactly ten minutes before the end of each show and, of course, no one in their right mind ever sits in the front row. Pity poor Kevin Gildea then, who comes on-stage to the disconcerting sight of a full two empty rows.

Nevermind, on with the show. Which is a bit of a shame really, because Gildea's set is sorely lacking in wit and energy and the sparse crowd never threatens to rise above a mild giggle. To be fair to Kevin he started off well enough, mocking the optimism of Edinburgh's open top tour buses and Ireland's ironically obese Health Minister.

The problem with Kevin Gildea is that he doesn't seem to be entirely sure what direction he's trying to take this show. It's name, Man of a Million Heads, is supposed to imply it is about the modern world's information overload, but there's little hint of this theme in the show, which skits from physical comedy to one liners and audience chat without ever really feeling entirely comfortable. In fact, a truly bizarre sketch involving God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit in some sort of gay orgy was actually painful to watch. Back to the drawing board, Kevin Gildea.