EDINBURGH 2023: Review: OTTO & ASTRID'S JOINT SOLO PROJECT, Piccolo

What do you get when you take two Australian performers who pretend to be siblings in a German rock band? What happens when the siblings have a fight and decide to perform separately, but still in the same show? How many double entendres can be fit into a song about being a kitten? Those are some of the things you find out in Otto & Astrid’s Joint Solo Project. 

Otto and Astrid, performed by Daniel Tobias and Clare Bartholomew respectively, are German siblings who are in the band Die Roten Punkte (German for “The Red Dots”) and have toured the world with their music. Apparently, they had some kind of major falling out and the duo split up, deciding to go on their own separate tours. Unfortunately, things fall apart and the two are forced to come back together, each performing solo sets as a “joint solo project.”

The show starts off a bit slow with some of Otto’s set, including an angsty acoustic guitar song. It really kicks into gear when Astrid arrives, causing chaos the instant she steps in the room. I absolutely adored Astrid’s solo song, “Tasty Snak,” a song about being hungry for food (and sex. Definitely sex as well.) that had the audience chanting for Astrid’s “tasty snak.” The duo works well together, even though sometimes the schticks would go on for a bit too long for my taste. The sibling dynamic was hilarious, particularly a large argument over personal space which involved a long roll of tape and a small child.

Ultimately, Otto & Astrid’s Joint Solo Project is a fun show that will have you clapping and singing along to their songs. While it has a slow beginning and an uncertain middle, it certainly has a strong ending with some great musicianship and a delightful rock and roll vibe.

Otto & Astrid’s Joint Solo Project runs at the Piccolo Tent in Assembly George Square Gardens at 19:25 from 8 to 27 August (no performances on 9 or 16 August).

Photo Credit: Andrew Wuttke

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