August 31, 2025 Fringe Review
Daring Work
Low DownGags Army features British military veterans who step into the spotlight to share their lives through comedy. The performers use firsthand stories from service in places like the Falklands, Iraq, and Afghanistan, bringing out the blunt realities and transitions that come after discharge. The show originated from workshops where veterans used humor as a release, building confidence and connection as they shifted into civilian life, never easy, and often with little or no support.Gags Army is not only about the stories these comedians tell ; it blends direct accounts of adapting to daily life after military service, personal reflections on tough situations, and the rough-and-ready wit familiar to those in uniform. The camaraderie formed on stage mirrors support networks from service days, using shared banter, resilience, and honesty. Participants have found it helps process stress, tackle isolation, and foster new purpose. For audiences, Gags Army “offers voices seldom heard outside the barracks or briefing room, straightforward, unfiltered, and rooted in lived, often painful experience.”ReviewThe format of Gags Army is pretty classic with three stand-up comedians getting about 20 minutes each to do their routines, with a little bit of explanation at the end, in this case from Nick Cheng who tells us about the charity work that is underpinning bringing these very able and funny comedians to the Fringe.This is comedy with heart but it does not stop all three comedians offering plenty of knob gags, dark humour rooted in some very wry and sharp observation.Jim Bob, who was in the army, (the Bolton lad who is a self-confessed Santa lookalike) spends more than half of his allotted time in audience interaction, responding to various questions posed to audience members. Their various jobs create the opportunity for some pretty cutting clips from this witty comedian, and much of the audience laughter comes from a humour which borders on being a bit harsh with his targets but ultimately ends up being at the service of a shared experience of comedy that had most people laughing for all the right reasons. It is observational comedy that runs through the whole evening and our first comedian knows his stuff. He is at ease with the interaction and this is augmented with some laugh-out-loud observations of topics such as social media.Jay Saunders & Hawke the PTSD assistance dog take to the stage in the second act. (Jay was a navy officer). What I really valued here was a really skilled stand-up comedian who uses himself as a target for much of his observation but also offers some revealing insights into what it is like to be in and come out of the navy with PTSD and a lot more to deal with. It shocks me to this day how little support is offered to veterans who find it difficult to cope with the trauma of being in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. We owe them more and at least this charity is giving them a chance at standing tall and proud and in this case being very funny. This is another fast-paced comedian who knows when occasionally to slow down and let the challenges of finding love and dating apps sink in. There were hoots of laughter and howls of delight at the struggles of just being a human being in the world out there, especially up north! Comedy can often arise from the simple stories we tell of trying to exist as human beings. I have never been in the army but I found this routine very relatable, as did many members of the audience.The third comedian was LongHu, the Chinese kindergarten teacher who “terrifies the dads”. This is the alter ego of stand-up comedy pioneer for veteransNik Cheng (Nick was in the Navy Submariner service, non of his material in this show, sunk to the bottom). He is a very skilled and charismatic performer and material here included living in China, falling in love and getting married. There was plenty of reference to the husband but ultimately I think that his husband is a lucky man for the wit, outrageous humour, but loving rootedness of this routine.LongHu is a harsh comedina until you realise how wise he is, a wisdom born of suffering, learning, insight and a sharp eye for a laugh. That really dscribes all three that were on show tonight.Indeed all three routines and comedians demonstrated the skill of creating sharp and often harsh comedy about simply dealing with the consequences of serving their country.I fully enjoyed this show and it is not to patronise the project or the three comedians to say that this is daring work. It is courageous and daring to put yourself in front of an audience. They are clearly still learning their craft and still learning to cope with life after being in the army and the navy. But I think this is a generous hour because all three comedians gave of themselves more than many stand-up comedians I see, but also they succeed in delivering that with punchy comedy, and a little bit of self-deprecation that sometimes went a bit too far. I think we should always laugh at ourselves but we shouldn’t make ourselves too much of a figure of fun, and sometimes it was the observation of life more broadly rather than beating oneself up that provided the most quality comedy.Overall the standard was very high, with the usual occasional miss amongst the many hit routines and gags and I look forward to seeing more comedians up at the Fringe from this important project that goes beyond its importance and stands on its own feet as a proud and funnt show at the Edinburgh Fringe. 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