one4review | On 14, Aug 2025

On the last evening of Oasis’s stint at Murrayfield, there seems to be a quieter crowd at the Fringe. In the case of Marc Burrow’s The Britpop Hour, presumably much of the demographic for this show were at the stadium. Those of us with a ticket to Marc’s show instead are treated to a fun and energetic hour of nostalgia about such an iconic time for music in the UK.

The hour is inspired by Marc’s attempt to ignite a musical interest in his 16-year-old stepson Oscar by sharing the bands that defined his life when he was sixteen. This relationship adds a lovely, sentimental element, and Oscar even contributes some impressive artwork to the Powerpoint slides which underpin the whole structure of the show. He packs a lot into the hour, including but not limited to dissecting the nonsense lyrics of popular Blur and Oasis songs; teaching the audience how to dance like Jarvis Cocker from Pulp; playing Britpop songs on guitar and comparing them with the earlier songs they ripped off; and a look at some of Liam Gallagher’s tweets (this admittedly leans quite heavily on Gallagher’s humour for laughs rather than Marc’s own contribution to this part of the show).

Ultimately though, Marc’s enthusiasm and passion for this music is plain to see, and this enthusiasm successfully wins the audience over – the final triumph being the concluding indie disco which invites the audience to sing along to a Britpop classic and relive the days of the era’s peak. Although we weren’t at Murrayfield, I for one (as someone who prefers Pulp anyway) spent a far more enjoyable time at Marc’s show.

***1/2

Reviewed by Niamh O’Hara

Underbelly Bristo Square – The Dairy Room

18.10 (1hr)

Until 25 Aug