Brighton Fringe 2012: Not drowning, but raving

Brighton is awash. Aside from the torrential rain, the Great Escape music conference has hit the city, adding a huge injection of hipsters to the Fringe and Festival crowds.

Usually, it’s fun to guess who is here for which event (Great Escape; leather jacket and directional haircut; Festival, arty scarves, glasses; Fringe; anyone’s guess) but rain macs have made everyone homogeneous. Whatever; there’s a carnival atmosphere as everyone rushes to their shows.

Among those on my agenda in the next few days are a couple that promise the sort of esoteric delights at which the Fringe excels.

First up is Eau Eau 7 – surely the only James Bond-themed synchronised swimming show, taking place at the council-run Prince Regent pool tomorrow (Saturday). It’s the fourth of Brighton Swimming Club’s popular Fringe offerings (Last year’s Lights, Water, Action! Was also a sell-out) and, while disappointed they didn’t take the pun even further and subtitle it ‘Dive Another Day’, it looks brilliant.

Another city landmark gets a Fringe makeover in Sky Lounge, which sees the ghostly former inhabitants of Brighton’s Embassy Court return for two nights only. The iconic Art Deco tower block has its own artist-in-residence (this IS Brighton) and after the success of last year’s 1930s’ tearoom, here she moves the action on to 1959 – period dress optional, cocktails obligatory.

Weekends also mean comedy and with 164 shows listed in this year’s programme (the largest yet) there’s plenty to choose from. Among those that demand further investigation are Cab Happy which, somewhat unbelievably, promises dancing, opera and ‘street antics’ – all in the back of a four-seater people carrier; Pig-With-The-Face-Of-A-Boy which boasts ‘a complete history of the Soviet Union – set to the melody of Tetris’ and The Great Puppet Horn Returns, whose antics with things on strings must be seen to be believed.

Inbetween, there will be a visit to the Hurly-Burly, which has brought its brand of Glastonbury Festival anarchy-for-kids to the not-so-hallowed grounds of St Peter’s Church, and a trip down the rabbit hole at The Warren – Brighton Fringe’s newest venue, where the late-night Fringe Club offers musical entertainment of the scheduled and unscheduled variety. Last Saturday saw an impromptu a capella performance from a local choir, this weekend it’s a Great Escape venue; will the next big thing in Japanese electro-pop serenade us over pints in the fairy-lit garden?

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