For years, Pappy’s have established their reputation as one of the most beloved sketch troupes on the Fringe. Despite their lack of success in TV and radio, which they cannily note, their release of the Flatshare Slamdown podcast has continued their success out of the particular madnesses of the Fringe hive, as they romp through a series of quiz rounds based on the subject of flatmates - beefs, passive-aggressive notes and hours on the internet abound.
The size of their following is evident - the sweltering Pleasance Upstairs was crammed to capacity. Riffing off each others’ sentences and showing a real shared delight out of winding each other up, they work tremendously in boosting the energy of the crowd through a marathon hour and a half recording and sparring with guests - which on this occasion were the brilliant David O’ Doherty and Celia Pacquola. Watching a live recording has a strange dynamic compared to a live staged performance but the effortless natural bantering between the group felt like sharing with a very funny friendship group rather than watching distanced performers. Brilliantly lax jingles, including a ‘Quickfire round’ song that lasts longer than the round itself, add to the sense of anarchic fun; it’s fitting that the marathon show ends with Tom Parry overturning a table and removing his shirt, as Matthew Crosby tries his very best to play host and do the outro.
The skill of the live performers brings a lot to the limitations of a recording. While it cannot be the quality of a show meant for the stage, the raucous late night atmosphere and the promise of great future guests including Nick Helm and Rhys Derby will surely herald more late night fun.