Edinburgh Fringe 2026
14th Year! John Hunt Four O’Clock Afternoon Blues and Swing
21st Century Blues Legends
Genre: Live Music
Venue: Jazz Bar
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
John Hunt has been coming to the Edinburgh Fringe for a while now. Fourteen years, in fact. His show features a selection of his own compositions together with some well known covers, each arranged in the traditional blues or swing style, as appropriate.
Top class music and amusing craic from an absolute master of his craft, who’s free and easy style makes you wonder whether he ever plays the same song the same way twice.
Review
Down to the basement of Edinburgh’s cosy Jazz Bar where, in the words of slide guitarist extraordinaire John Hunt, there are no windows, so it could be any time of the day or night. Imagine it’s 4am, not 4pm, he intones, and have a drink. Cheers!
That’s his quixotic introduction to an hour of sublime blues and swing featuring a selection from the extensive catalogue of his own compositions and covers featuring the work of a range of other artists. Ever one for the dry, droll aside, Hunt tells his appreciative audience he’s glad he’s not a stand-up comedian. If he uses someone else’s joke, he’ll get sued, but if he sings someone else’s music, he can just call it a homage. And, at last, I’ve found a kindred spirit – John Hunt doesn’t do social media! Or reviews, probably.
Continuing the quaintly bizarre introduction, we meet his first guitar, a stripling at just over twenty years old and fashioned from an old B&Q shelf, plus a few other bits recycled from various other instruments. And probably a few bits of scrap metal from his shed. Waste not, want not.
Now, I’m assuming anyone reading this has a love of blues and swing and knows what sort of sound a slide guitarist creates, in Hunt’s case a cascade of smooth, almost weeping notes, redolent of the human singing voice which provides the perfect backing to his gravelly baritone/bass voice as he moves through his repertoire, each song segued with dry humoured anecdotes that outline the genesis for the next number.
“Wedding Blues” was an ironic take on the wedding of a favourite Uncle and Aunt after they’d been partners for thirty years – “at least you know the type of psychosis you’re getting hitched to”. Or “White Rolls Royce”, a tirade at the person who stole his car, more of a clapped out death trap than a vehicle worthy of thieving. Other songs from his stable that lodged in my memory included the reflective “The Clouds Will Soon Roll By”, “You’re Hot” and “Mobile” which, true to form, had nothing to do with portable telephony.
Midway through the set, we’re introduced to his second homemade guitar, this one a veritable veteran at over forty years old, fashioned from repurposed copies of Melody Maker (remember that?). Oh, and more bits from old instruments all held together with copious quantities of glue.
This is the segue to a series of covers, including a selection of songs made famous by Frank Sinatra (but, of course, not written by him), each of which he’s arranged in the finest tradition of blues and swing.
It’s a great way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon, top class music and amusing craic from an absolute master of his craft, who’s free and easy style makes you wonder whether he ever plays the same song the same way twice. So, if blues and swing are your thing, this comes thoroughly recommended.
