Those looking for a dose of the unexpected, who enjoy wandering off the beaten track, will be delighted by Lach’s Antihoot. Anarchic and disparate - a lot like the Fringe itself - the Antihoot is an evening of mixed artists: comedy, spoken word and music share a space curated by antifolk legend Lach.
The Antihoot started life as a fixture of the Manhattan antifolk scene: a home for artists who couldn’t find one on the normal arts scene. Lach himself is a revered and respected artist in his own right, though the Antihoot is mainly famous for launching the careers of alternative artists such as Regina Spektor and Rick Shapiro.
Kicking off at midnight, in the ballroom of the Counting House pub, the Antihoot usually continues well into the early hours, so taking a couple of ounces of patience would be advised. Audience participation will occur, especially since most members of the audience perform at some point in the evening, so be warned: this is not for shy types.
Every evening sees a different set of performers take the stage. Comedians are given five minutes to impress the audience, and musicians are given eight minutes (or two songs - ‘whichever comes first’) with the crowd. Those are the only rules and they make for an amusing experience. Lach is a gifted compere: he opens the evening with a comedy anecdote comparing the Fringe to San Francisco and he clearly knows his audience well.On any given night, you might be treated to up-and-coming comics, underground musicians and firebrand spoken word artists. Amps will be too loud and guitar strings will break. Some of the artists will be strange, some will be bad, and some will be brilliant. But I strongly recommend taking the gamble and giving it a go, because it will be a lot of fun.
