Eurobeat - Almost Eurovision

Every year the Fringe has at least one big, energetic, late night show that packs them in and promises its audience a good night out. It doesn't always deliver on that promise but this year's certainly does.

Eurobeat - Almost Eurovision is as glittery, glossy, camp, tacky and loud as they come. It's also - and this I didn't expect - slyly, sharply and even wittily funny in between the moments of broad, lay-it-on-with-a-trowel humour, which are so well done that they are funny too.

The crucial word in the title is 'almost'. At times this is so close to being Eurovision that you could almost be there. Take for example the woefully under-rehearsed UK couple Rayner and Shiner, a boy/girl act who don't seem to have had the same wardrobe advisor. Then there's the Swedish act, AVLA, with their new number Same Old Song and the boys' teeth blinding the back row of the audience.

Some of the acts seem to have picked up tips from earlier generations. Greece's Persephone, for instance, with her black horn-rimmed glasses, or Iceland's Gert Grollmersdetter, with her strangely varying voice pitch and her aggressive attitude.

One of my own favourites was Ireland's Ronan Corr, whose challenging lyrics, 'La La La La', emerged strongly from the smog of stage smoke that hid him from us and us from him. The classiest act by far was Germany's Nepotism with their post-modern, techno, Kraftwerk, Stockhausen style Be-Bop For Veronda. Short on words but high on pretension this should have won ' but when did classy ever win Eurovision?

As so often it's the hostess who comes close to stealing the show. Boyka (Mel Giedroyc having the overdressed time of her life) has a clear contempt for her male co-host and a clear liking for some of the post-song, sweaty male torsos on display.

This Australian treat has cult status written all over it. High art or serious theatre this is most certainly not. Late night entertainment for an enthusiastic, cheering, whooping audience it certainly is. It's one of those rare shows that actually delivers more than it promises.