Words: Elodie Marriott 
Image: Laurence Winram

5 stars 

Endlessly impressive and unbelievably quick-witted, MC Hammersmith may be the most talented man at the Fringe. 

Showing us around the family estate, this white, upper-class rapper promises improvised bangers in every room, and boy does he deliver. The tour format works extremely well to keep the show engaging, and the witty interludes considering his grandfather’s problematic Germanic infatuations are as intelligent as they are funny. But far from letting his persona dominate the set, MC Hammersmith rides entirely on his skill, with only the occasional “drop that bloody beat,” accompanied by a jaunty strut and thrusts to punctuate his rhymes. 

A masterclass in crowd work, he interacts with half of the audience, memorising names, jobs, and favourite carpets, all while expertly avoiding any dread that the threat of participation sometimes evokes. For the section ‘A Dance Move That Doesn’t Exist’, submissions included: The Slinky Dinosaur, a suggestion so viscerally explicit I can’t bear to type it, and the Prawn Linguine. With a demeanour so affable, no one objects to MC Hammersmith’s request for a room-wide finale of wiggling about like a seafood pasta. 

If you’re going to see just one show this Fringe, make it this one. 

MC Hammersmith: Hippity Hoppity Get Off My Property
Monkey Barrel 1 at Monkey Barrel Comedy 
13:55
16 -25 Aug