Kevin McGeary has taken some time out to talk to me about his debut performance at the Edinburgh Fringe this year. He has been performing for a few years and is taking the leap to join the Edinburgh Fringe glorious mayhem.

What’s the name of your show and the Venue where you are performing?

My show is titled ‘Are Musical Comedians a Chinese Psyop?’ and it is at Space UK.

How long have you been preparing to take your show to the Edinburgh Fringe?

I started dabbling in musical comedy back in 2012 when I was living in China. My Chinese-language songwriting had some initial success. Only after I moved to Manchester did I start regularly performing in English, that was 2019. I finished my first English album in 2020 and just finished my fifth.

I booked the venue for the Fringe back in December 2025 because now feels like the right time. I have written so much material that the only dilemma will be what to leave out.

Tell us a bit about your show without giving away any spoilers?

Structurally, it takes the same form of a normal set by a normal singer-songwriter. But the lyrics take on every taboo subject of the day. When I mention a certain subject, audience members will be tensing up thinking “where’s he going with this”? but it will get them laughing against their better judgment. Because ultimately it never punches down.

How long have you been performing musical comedy?

Like I said, I started writing songs in Mandarin-Chinese in my mid-twenties, that would be in the late 00s. It was a study method that got out of hand.

I turned to musical comedy when I realised a Caucasian singing in their language would never be taken seriously. So I decided to turn a weakness into a strength and write deliberately silly songs.

I understand your day job is an educator? What Subject do you teach and age range of pupils?

I teach a range of subjects. I teach guitar, mostly to teenagers. I also teach English as a second language. And I teach Mandarin, I have a YouTube channel titled Monday Mandarin, that contains lessons from Beginner all the way up to Upper Intermediate. My language teaching is mostly for adults.

I started teaching when I was twenty-three, and it was never my first choice career. But as a shy person, it slowly helped me learn how to command attention and prevent audiences from becoming bored.

What, if any expectations do you have about performing at the Edinburgh Fringe?

Well, I am an experienced performer, but this will be the biggest challenge yet. I maintain an average of one open mic per week, but those are mostly to tiny audiences who are barely paying attention.

I also have of experience of playing to audiences who have paid to be there, but that is a different set of challenges. So my only expectation is that it will be an emotional rollercoaster, and there will be magical memories along the way.

Audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe can be unpredictable. Would you still happily perform to one Audience member?

Yes. Getting bums on seats is the hardest part for all but the most established performers. And even if you have a track record of bringing the house down, maintaining interest is a lottery.

So I would soldier on. Anyone who isn’t already famous is in the same boat – and fame is an even crueller master than obscurity.

Where will you be taking your show next?

The Edinburgh Fringe will be so new and so far outside my comfort zone, that I have no creative plans beyond it. I’ve never even been as an audience member. It’s not about any worldly ambition, just being my best self.

https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/are-musical-comedians-a-chinese-psyop

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