Adam Buxton presents: The Best of BUG
The comedian’s music video-themed show is still going strong
Who’d have thought there was so much comedic scope in music videos and the inane YouTube comments they attract? But scope there undeniably is, as Adam Buxton has proved with his hugely successful show BUG. A bimonthly event at the British Film Institute in London, with additional dates up and down the country, BUG returns to Edinburgh after several successful Fringe runs, this time taking residence for a night at the Filmhouse.
Buxton provides an enlivening commentary, hopping from one music video to the next, occasionally throwing a specially-made animation into the mix. Tonight there’s a lot of love for Bowie (Buxton recently did a Bowie-themed BUG at the V&A to tie in with their current exhibition), plus a bizarre Brad Pitt advertisement interlude which includes a manipulation of the actor’s face that this reviewer is still trying to scrub from her memory. But the real laugh-til-you-cry moments come when we reach the YouTube comments. Buxton’s reimagining of the characters behind the often eccentric, typo-ridden posts is nothing short of brilliant.
it wouldn’t be half the show it was were it not for some top quality music videos. Tonight’s selection includes Megaforce’s dramatic Lily Cole-starring video for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' 'Sacrilege', the archival manipulations of Cyriak for Bonobo’s 'Cirrus' and Of Monsters and Men’s hugely popular animated promo for their single 'Little Talks' [you can watch them all below]. The effect being that the event feels less like your typical night of stand up and more like a cultural foray into the art of music videos, albeit with a very funny commentary. As diverse as it is, it all comes together beautifully and may just have you trawling through YouTube hoping to relive the chuckles.
Reviewed at Adam Buxton presents: The Best of BUG, Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Tue 7 May. For details of the next BUG, see bugvideos.co.uk.