Regular Fringe children’s performer, ‘Mr Clickety Cane’, otherwise known as Peter Combe, is back for more of his fun, fabulous hit songs and entertainment for the young and young at heart.

With two small children, I’ve been a regular Combe patron over the years and can happily report that not only does Fix the Fence With Sticky Tape meet crowd expectations but this year it’s in the air-conditioned Spiegeltent. With the bigger venue and Covid-safe seating, it made for a much cooler and more enjoyable experience than some previous concerts where audiences were crammed into hot tents; a big plus if you’re an adult in charge of exuberant youngsters. The only downside of this was the lack of a dedicated dance space that’s usually right in front of the stage, but that didn’t stop the toddlers from grooving in the aisles.

Combe played plenty of his well-known hits in addition to some lesser-known tunes. Still rockin’ it with those golden pipes, the show included Quirky Berserky, Jack & the Beanstalk, Newspaper Mama, Juicy, Juicy Green Grass (the only song rejected from a musical he was commissioned to write and now, sweet revenge, one of his biggest hits!) and of course crowd favourite, Fix the Fence with Sticky Tape. According to Combe, he has now sung that song 4,630 times, which seems about right for those of us who remember his 1980s school visits.

Joined on stage by brightly dressed members of Theatre Bugs, these star kids’ brilliant vocals, dance moves and incredibly sparkly tutus added that extra touch of stage magic. And not to neglect the adults in the audience, there was just the right amount of over-the-head humour as well as the childish humour, which, let’s face it, is just as enjoyable. Combe told everyone how great it was to be playing to a live audience instead of one on Zoom, and from the enthusiasm all around, it appeared the feeling was mutual — there’s nothing quite like live performance and there’s no substitute for Mr Clickety Cane.

My five-year-old date for the afternoon pronounced his judgement: ‘It was very funny and good.’ No truer words said.