Edinburgh Fringe 2014
Dave Waller: Where My Folk To?
Dave Waller
Genre: Storytelling
Venue: The Wee Pub
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
"Dave grew up as a rap nerd in a Cornish village. Not a great recipe for working out where you fit in the world. Now he embarks on an obsessive quest from Bodmin to Brooklyn to discover his future – by remixing his past. Encountering MCs, beatmakers, male voice choirs and car boot sales, his journey becomes a funk-driven ode to the power of doing. Full of multimedia and a load of properly weird Cornish vinyl, this show is designed to delight anyone who longs for a life where all the pieces fit."
Review
Dave Waller is a relaxed, endearing storyteller. This is his story and its a tale that begins inchildhood and reaches up to the present. Addressing us directly, we hear of a Cornish boy who never ftted in, hated the Floral Dance and fled into hip-hop music and the realm of "not-Cornwall".
I won’t spoil the story, which contains some charming surprises, some self-analysis and a satisfying conclusion – all the more for being realistically human and not as cheesy as some of the vinyl that Dave shares with us.
This is a story of juxtaposition, where we can find a higher resolution from the mashing up of unlikely opposites. Dave Waller attempts to find resolution and, in the end, some kind of resolution finds Dave Waller.
A tale shared out of a box of records, a turntable, and some well realised film and visuals, we have here a talk, an hour of autobiography, a bit of improvised comedy, some interaction, and a lot of charming little details that lend authenticity to the narrative.
The show deserves a better venue and the street behind the performer (through windows) added to the relaxed feel but also distracted. Sometimes Dave Waller is a bit too downbeat; mostly though he is an able and chilled improviser and an endearing storyteller.
You’ll learn about hip-hop and a bit about yourself. You don’t need to be into hip-hop to be infected by Waller’s enthusiasm. I’m more than happy to recommend this hour on the Free Fringe.