Review: EDINBURGH 2024: WHY I STUCK A FLARE UP MY ARSE FOR ENGLAND, Underbelly, Bristo Square

“Football starts with people”

Written and performed by Alex Hill, Why I Stuck A Flare Up My Arse for England tells the story of Billy Kinley, the man who stuck a lit flare up his bum during the Euro 2020 final, labeled the “Bum Flare Man” by the press. For those who are curious, Billy Kinley is not the actual name of the man, and this is not a true story. Instead, it is a representation of male football fans as a whole, using the moment with the flare as a central point while exploring what led to that moment. 

We begin with a bit of spoken word poetry which quickly leads into the actual moment in which the flare is lit, with Kinley enthusiastically telling us about how he and his friends, including a man named Wine Gum, were celebrating England making it to the finals of the Euros, drinking beer and snorting cocaine with thousands of others in the streets around Wembley Stadium. There is a radio interview where Kinley is asked why he stuck a flare up his bum, to which he responds, “I wanted to put a smile on people’s faces.”

After seeing the moments of the day itself, we are brought back in time with Kinley, who tells us how he became friends with Alex, a fellow football lover. The two become incredibly close and grow up together, which leads to them joining a group of men in a pub led by Wine Gum, who introduces Kinley and Alex to a world of drugs and fighting they hadn’t previously been involved in. 

While Why I Stuck A Flare Up My Arse for England focuses a lot on the joys and friendships formed through football, it also takes a serious look at the darker aspects of the world of football fans, particularly when it comes to mental health, aggression and drugs. In a beautiful scene that ties theatre and football together, Kinley takes his girlfriend, Daisy, to the theatre to see Les Misérables and finds himself enjoying the show until a significant emotional moment that he is unable to handle.

Hill does a brilliant job of illustrating the importance of watching out for one another when it comes to mental health, using the character of Alex to allow audiences to see how friends can still love one another and still miss major warning signs when it comes to emotional distress. For those who have experience mental health struggles in the past, it is easier to see some of the warning signs, but it is a powerful way to show those unfamiliar how to watch out for their friends who might be suffering in silence. 

Ultimately, Why I Stuck A Flare Up My Arse for England is a powerful piece of theatre that truly illustrates the power of the game of football. The story behind the infamous photo may not be true to real life, but it does accurately capture the feelings that many football fans have, especially when it comes to men and their mental health. 

Why I Stuck A Flare Up My Arse for England ran from 1 - 26 August at Underbelly Bristo Square, Friesian.