Previews

Neither of those is the kind of invite you hear everyday, but then again the Pulse Fringe Festival tends to stray away from the conventional.

Just one of the productions which is going out on a limb in the name of creative theatre at this year's Pulse is MySpace! The Musical - a murder mystery with its roots firmly grounded in today's online world, and the show which compares itself to The Mighty Boosh and co above.

The Trojan Whores

Fellow web phenomenon Facebook is also referred to in the story of brilliant-but-broke private detective Bill Monthly, who is investigating the murder of a journalist found with the word 'MySpace' scrawled on his notebook.

Monthy's inquiries call on a number of MySpace stalwarts including Lily Allen, who appears in a less-familiar guise of an assassin.

The show is giving local writers Will Barlow and Sam Cox (who also play the seven characters in the musical) invaluable experience of an industry which can be hard to break in to. This, says organiser Lynn Whitehead, is the joy of Pulse:

"Pulse provides the first step on to the escalator for artists on their way to the scene," Lynn says.

Hugh Hughes chats with Stephen Foster

"People like Victoria Wood weren't born famous. They started small, with a good idea and then waited until people caught up with them."

Lynn is aware that this freedom to be innovative can result in modest audience sizes, but hopes the equally modest admission prices (ranging from free to £5) will encourage people to show their support for up and coming acts.

The highly acclaimed Hugh Hughes opened this year's festival with Story Of A Rabbit, a tale of death told in the Welshman's unique style. The leftfield is well represented throughout the festival, which runs until 24 June, with Percy Ballcock The Toilet Attendant (12 June), The Ornate Johnsons (15 and 16 June) and The Trojan Whores (19 and 20 June) keeping things unreal.

Hannah Scott

Pulse also offers dance and music. A busy week of music kick starts with Kosmos performing their own tracks as well as improvisations of Jewish, Gypsy and Balkan music on 20 June at the St Nicholas Centre.

Three Women Sing picks up the baton a day later at The Steamboat Tavern, where Pat Whymark, Liz Melia and Hannah Scott perform, and Jazz to Funk showcases an eclectic mix courtesy of Wendy Guevara, Small Town Bullies and Blue Lounge Lizards on Saturday 23 June.

On the same day, 23 June, Random Frequencies is an evening of dance curated by the internationally renowned Random Dance at the New Wolsey Studio. Pulse continues dancing into the last day of the festival with a triple bill exploring themes such as metrosexuality and the tension of communication.

Details of all the events, including admission costs and start times, can be found on the Pusle website using the link on the right>>.