Ro Campbell: Midnight Meltdown

An undeservedly small audience files into Ro Campbell’s midnight show in Stand II, and half of it seems Fringe-weary, and wary of this stubby-holding Aussie who, though sadly lacking the moustache from the flyer, is direct and upstanding. I’m not sure what else they were expecting from a show entitled Midnight Meltdown.  

In fact, having watched Campbell’s career for a few years now, he seems to have mellowed into a more solid style, and in fact he played the atmosphere perfectly for most of tonight’s show. Although still unapologetically ocker, his material is never clichéd – stories of his life on Shetland and seasickness contrast well with a tale about stealing the coin that originally got his ancestor sent over to Australia.

If anything, Campbell retreated too easily from dark subjects and black humour in tonight’s show. Towards the end, he backtracked on fairly uncontroversial political views, perhaps on the misguided basis that the audience were about to turn on him. This sense of apology let down what was otherwise an engaging show with one of Scotland's most talented comedians.