Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Canada always seems to hold an affinity with most people round the world, possibly because of its laid back approach to life, the sincerity and friendliness of its people and the fact that it is so vast, arguably so much more natural, less spoilt by human progress; it is a terrain built on the rugged and intrepid, the explorer and the indomitable, it is a country that produces absolute stirring stories.

To make your way as a Canadian in the world is one that is fraught with people wanting to know you, wanting to see for themselves that seemingly innate affability and can do attitude. Sometimes it can be misplaced, sometimes it can just be a thrill and in Michelle Christine, degree holder, Call of Duty hero, record breaking employment loss, of two days, a natural and engaging story teller and very funny woman, Canada’s next favourite export in the world of comedy is a an hour well spent in the company of.

If being dressed as a Mountie was not appealing on many levels enough, Michelle Christine’s 50% Scottish 100% Crazy show at Spotlites on George Street was the perfect tonic to finish upon in a week in Edinburgh which has seen more water hit the streets of the old beautiful city than arguably the time of year deserves. Perhaps it was just to make Michelle Christine feel at home, the sound of rain pounding the pavements enough to make any Eastern Canadian yearn for the sight of Niagara Falls in the Autumn.

Whilst not strictly a stand up show, not an hour set up with jokes spilling, tumbling on the floor like an exhausted woman playing a first person dance off routine as the glitch in the system refuses to take yet another life on screen, the time was perhaps more in keeping with a humorously comic sense of confessional. The summer where she spent playing Call of Duty after she realised there were no jobs with someone with her degree qualification, her mum’s love of a television programme which led to a dynamic shift in her parent’s relationship and the very open way in which she first experienced a new way of expressing love with her husband, the hour was replete with great insight and personal familiarity.

This was a fantastic set in which it felt more like the moment in which you shake someone’s hand for the first time, the spark of energy between you somehow acting as if there suddenly appeared the person you could sit and listen to for days on end. This was a Mountie on a mission, to entertain and enthral, Michelle Christine is the latest in a long line of comedians from Canada but she is also one of the most engaging. A great find on the Edinburgh streets.

Ian D. Hall