The Old Auction House is playing host to a number of Tunbridge Wells Fringe events and on Wednesday evening, it was the turn of Flitt, Folio & Friends to take to their stage.

It’s a gorgeous, open-plan venue in the heart of the famous Pantiles and we were treated to two hours of poetry, songs and comedy from this dynamic duo.

The show had a loose running theme of ‘Tunbridge Wells: The Musical’, a wonderfully niche idea with local references aplenty. Particular highlights were a tongue-in-cheek ode to the Park Run and ‘Dogging in Dunorlan’, a catchy ditty with hilarious, carefully constructed lyrics. A shame maybe that both of these came in the first act and, after the interval, the performance seemed to segue into a less structured singalong type format.

Their guest (‘friend’ rather than ‘friends’ as the show title suggests) was Paul Stepto, a Tonbridge based singer songwriter who took to the stage with his trusty guitar to beautifully deliver a range of tuneful folk-type tracks.

Flitt & Folio command the stage with ease and give confident performances throughout, swapping into different characters and showcasing their wide range of talents. It’s the poetry and silly songs which really shine and a nice use of multimedia adds to the production, with screens dotted around the venue showing animations and pre-recorded sketches. A disappointment to all that sound and microphone problems hampered some of the piece but credit to the performers for continuing admirably.

It was a very relaxed show, certainly with a fringe festival feel to it. Some clear direction would help the duo to fulfil their potential in future but the packed audience proves this pair are clearly loved and have a strong following for what they do.

⭐️⭐️⭐️