one4review | On 16, Aug 2026

Abandoman returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with a brand-new show. This show is set to bring the audience to a “nightclub” and takes us through the stages of a night out, even ending up at someone’s flat at the end of the night. The show is performed by Rob Broderick and his skill at developing catchy tunes and funny raps is impressive based solely on the audience. I last saw Abandoman at Glastonbury in 2013, so I was intrigued to see how the show had developed since then.

Due to the Improv aspect of the show, not every show is the same. Rob seems to be able to extract useable material from random members of the audience with ease and turn it into a fun, witty song. His combination of hip -hop, dance music and use of the electronics is effective. Rob really knows his equipment and has developed the skill of programming it in the dark which to an amateur looked hard.

Audience participation is key to this show and what I liked was Rob did not just pull from the front. He interacted with the whole audience, pulling material from the back of the room however respectful if people did not want to participate. The audience I was part of joined in the show willingly and respectfully which made the experience for an observer comfortable. The shows are completely unpredictable which in some ways could be risky dependant on the topic. There were diverse topics that came into the show from lawyers to Tesco’s and to a lovely couple who met on a boat. Rob pulled this all together to create catchy tunes and provide a fun night out.

What really stood out was that Rob seemed to enjoy doing the show which in my opinion makes a show. He laughed along with the audience when there was any absurdity but managed to contain and move on from things that he could not make a song about. His constant engagement with the audience kept everyone focused on him and what he was developing. He took very little time to come up with material, which is a skill and kept it funny.  Enjoyable show if you like this kind of comedy performance. The show has certainly progressed since 2013 with the technology that has been added over the years, making the show grow in strength and popularity.

*****

Reviewed by Tracey

Underbelly Cowgate

Until 30 August (not 12, 17 or 24)

20.55 (1 hour)