The Big House makes their Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut with Blaze FM – explosive gig theatre weaving Drill, Grime and Jungle tracks through an electrifying hour of powerful, political theatre.

Yo! Listen. Right now it’s Blaze FM. 101.7. You’re locked into the sounds of the SHUT DOWN CREW.

Welcome to Blaze FM – the pirate radio station pioneering new music as a voice to the madness outside. Throwing us back to the mid-2000s, Blaze FM examines freedom of expression, the strength of community and the foundations of one of Britain’s most celebrated subcultures of rebel music. Themes of police overreach, housing insecurity and Home Office threats are uncovered through a crackdown on the illegal station broadcasting Drill music to the people.

Led by father-figure Hubert, Blaze FM blasts from a rundown council flat in Hackney. Plagued by DTI signal cuts to the transmission and threats from the authorities, keeping the station alive with legit, fresh, new tracks for its loyal listeners is the most important thing. But there’s more at stake than the station’s existence.  Follow the Blaze FM family as they try to break the cycle without breaking apart.

Written by Jammz and James Meteyard, with original music by Jammz, and directed by Maggie Norris. Supported by The Big House patron Paapa Essidou, Blaze FM was created in direct response to issues faced by our members. It evolved out of play in development, No Man’s Island, presented as part of an Open House Project in 2023. Meteyard and Jammz have taken the key themes and developed some new characters to bring this bigger and bolder piece to Edinburgh, marking our Fringe Festival debut. We’re really excited to bring our work to new audiences and put our members centre stage in the world’s largest performance art festival!

Pleasance Courtyard – Pleasance Two
Dates: 30 July – 25 August (not 6, 13, 20) 
Time: 16:45 (70 mins)

Can’t wait for Blaze FM? Tune into the sound of the SHUT DOWN CREW with our Blaze FM playlist curated by the cast and creative team