Last year Fascinating Aida went viral on the internet with their song ‘Cheap Flights’. These three marvellous women, Dillie Keane, Adele Anderson and Sarah-Louise Young, have taken the opportunity to bring a fantastic cabaret show of the same name to Edinburgh this August.Sitting high up in the gallery of a packed theatre space, the audience below me showed predominantly grey hair. Having already heard some of Fascinating Aida’s work, and knowing what was to come, I worried for their sensibilities. But not long into ‘The Dogging Song’ (in Dillie’s own words, ‘look it up, but clear your search history afterwards’), my fears were swept aside as their matter-of-fact comic brilliance had the audience roaring with laughter at even the most throbbingly blue lyrics. Flitting between genres, including a Bulgarian song cycle, a Reggae-influenced rap, and a wartime pep-tune, as well as some classic cabaret variety footwork and props (I’m talking bowler hats, umbrellas and showgirl fans) a night with Fascinating Aida is a feast for the eyes and the ears. Interspersed with their wonderful songs is comfortable banter and a gentle showmanship, lulling you into a false sense of security which the next shocking number will shatter and stamp all over.Having accumulated over 80 years of Fringe experience between them, these lewd ladies are grotesquely sexual and irresistibly alluring. The Fascinating Aida experience is one of those things you just can’t put into words. Just go, go and see how all that experience can make the perfect cabaret show.
