PRESS

Reviews of Elvis’ 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Show Gin & Catatonic? at The Gilded Balloon:

“Richly inventive metaphors and memorable one-liners emerge like the finest of single malts….lines that slip down smoothly with just the right amount of burn”
(Dominica Plummer, The Spy In The Stalls ★★★★★)
Click here to see full review (https://thespyinthestalls.com/2024/08/elvismcgonagall/)

“A show that really typifies what the Fringe is all about….every word is well honed and crafted….poetry, impersonations and astute political comedy….like a cross between John Cooper Clarke and James O’Brien on steroids”
(Simon Darnley, London Born And Bred ★★★★★)
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“An impressive and very funny tirade of invective all linked seamlessly with prose as lyrical, polished and hard-hitting politically as the poems”
(David Chadderton, British Theatre Guide ★★★★★)
Click here to see full review

“A wickedly sharp turn of phrase and rhymes to take your breath away…. one of the nation’s finest political poets….absurdly funny” (Ross Chalmers, Entertainment Now ★★★★)
Click here to see full review (https://entertainment-now.com/2024/08/edfringecomedy-review-elvis-mcgonagall-gin-and-catatonic/)

 

Reviews of Elvis’ 2018 Edinburgh Fringe Show Full Tartan Jacket at The Voodoo Rooms:

“….a sharp and savvy political commentator who pulls no punches with searing wit, astute observation and a thrilling gift for hyperbole. A deceptively intelligent commentary on modern life that is inclusive, accessible and utterly hilarious. “Full Tartan Jacket” is everything that an authentic Fringe show should be - entertaining, thought provoking and affordable for all ”
(Chloe Caprani, Ed Fest Mag ★★★★★)

“He delivers a stream of beautifully worded invective barely pausing for breath with brilliant wit and wordplay. I haven’t laughed as much as this at anything else at this year’s Fringe and probably for quite a few years”
(David Chadderton, British Theatre Guide ★★★★★)

 

Reviews of Elvis’ 2015 Edinburgh Fringe show Countrybile at The Stand:

“….where Manchester has John Cooper Clarke, Dundee has Elvis McGonagall….wonderful writing, tack-sharp humour and uncompromising politics….hilarious”
(Marissa Burgess, The List ★★★★)

“Wonderfully acerbic left-wing verse… McGonagall is a lyrical master, weaving in plenty of Scottish colloquialisms and bags of humour… this is exactly the sort of thing the Fringe was made for” (Daisy Malt, Three Weeks ★★★★)
Click here to see full review

 

Reviews of Elvis’ 2009 Edinburgh Fringe show One Man And His Doggerel at The Gilded Balloon:

“A bracing throwback to the days when comedy made room for militant eccentrics with a knack for scansion and a bolshie hankering to change the world….righteous ire, directed at very deserving targets….McGonagall’s verses are shot through with a moral umbrage and rhetorical power”
(Brian Logan, The Guardian ★★★★)
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“A Fringe debut that is everything it should be - funny, angry and full of tightly written quick-fire verse. McGonagall combines anger, polish and carefully crafted verse in a way which recalls John Cooper Clarke. If the word ‘poetry’ is putting you off, get over it”
(Susan Mansfield, The Scotsman ★★★★)