Act 5 - Zen Zen Zo, 2009

Zen Zen Zo were easily my favourite of 2009. I had glimpsed them posing on the Royal Mile and they had caugt my eye even then, before I'd seen them perform to promote Zeitgeist.

They have presence, which is a difficult thing to achieve in a street full of people who want to be noticed. Jamie Kendell and Jennifer Guerts simply stare at you until you find yourself uncomfortably transfixed. An effective tactic that A Clokwork Orange adopted in 2010 although that was to convey madness. Having said that, if you check out the showreel for Zeitgeist, you may agree that the prodution is not exactly what you would call sane.





Then there was Mark Hill, throwing partial nudity into the mix.







And then the dancing began and they were very, very good at it.







A fantastic promo performance. And if reviews are anything to go by the full show of Zeitgeist is fantastic.

Act 4 - Clanadonia, 2009

Raaaaaaaaaaaar!!

Like bagpipes and drums? Like Highlander? Then you'll love Clanadonia!

These guys were definitely the highlight of the day for me. I'm surprised I'd never heard of Clanadonia before but having watched and listened to them now I'll definitely be going back to catch them again.

Pictured here is Tu-Bardh Wulsin, bass drummer with bags of charisma and "general lunacy".



Wayne Manning of Clanadonia smiles at Tu-Bardh Wulsin during a drum duel. One of my favourite shots of the day.



Tu-Bardh Wulsin doing what he does best.



Robbie MacFarlane trying to hypnotise the crowd into buying Clanadonia's CD.





Here's some footage of them at Hunter Square during the festival in 2007. Video cannot really do them justice though - you need to feel those drums!

Act 3 - The Carpetbag Brigade, 2008

The Carpetbag Brigade were performing on the Royal Mile to promote their show The Vanishing Point.



I've seen many stunning photos of these performers. Their pale make-up and quirky costumes make them stand out, not to mention their impressive physical theatre on stilts, which certainly catches the eye.





And this girl's red hair made her even more photogenic.







All in all, definitely one of the most entertaining sights of 2008.

Act 2 - Al Millar, 2008

Alakazam aka Al Millar aka The Human Knot is a contortionist who also happens to have a wicked sense of humour and a great rapport with his audience.  It was fun to capture everyone's faces as he wriggled and twisted and squeezed his body through tiny spaces.





Here he fits himself through racket #2, finishing off by manipulating his limbs through a toilet seat; a trick he likes to call Trainspotting.  The guy is a mad talented genius. Just look at how enraptured his audience are.





And he's through!



His grand finale takes place high atop a pole while he juggles knives.





Love this guy!

Act 1 - Ophelia, 2008

Ophelia stands motionless with a mournful expression.



But throw her some money and she will spring to life, twisting and turning and dancing joyously.





Children love her and she's certainly photogenic.



I'm unsure if she was promoting a particular show or was strictly a street entertainer but I enjoyed photographing her immensely.