The Extreme Stunt Show

Before we start, here’s a disclaimer: this reviewer knows as much about motor vehicles as he does astrophysics or cricket. As a non-driver, analysis of things on wheels is limited to ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’.

Now that’s out of the way, we can talk about stunt-types doing dangerous things.

With the smell of petrol overwhelming, the touring Extreme Stunt Show, a showcase for skilled stunt drivers, rumbled into action with a motorbike-mounted ring announcer stirring the family audience up with all sorts of holiday camp banter.

The night started slowly with what were, conversely, probably the team’s most skilful feats, a set of balancing acts involving bikes, buggies, cars and jeeps tottering around on two, sometimes one, wheel. Impressive though they were, a typically indifferent Brighton crowd (seriously; thought it was just indie music gigs where this happened!) seemed relatively unimpressed.

Still, with a soundtrack from The Prodigy, Foo Fighters and Wolfmother, once the real rock-out action took off, this event was sometimes breathtaking. Car-crashes seemingly aimed at trying to actually kill the driver, a human torch (though sadly no human cannonball) and some mahusive monster trucks were all impressive, though the real fireworks came from the spectacular UKFMX bike team.

With sky-high leaps of faith and riders barely cheating death, more of this sort of melodrama would have elevated this relatively short show and really driven (sorry) home the glory this team achieves on a daily basis.

Brighton Racecourse, 29 August 2012
[Rating: 3/5]
Nick Aldwinckle