On the edge of an imperfect world

[fallenrocket]

Joel Fry-days

Animal Circus

Warning: Not a good video to watch if you're afraid of snakes!

And now for something completely different! This isn’t an acting role for Joel Fry. Instead, it’s a different type of art/performing: the band he used to be in.

Based on the videos on their YouTube channel, it looks like Animal Circus was active mostly around 2011-2013. In terms of Joel Fry’s acting, this would’ve been around the time he was on White Van Man, Trollied, and Plebs. On Bandcamp, they were described as a “London-based rock/reggae/ska band.” They released one EP and recorded songs for another, although I’m not sure if the second ever came out. They made a music video for their song “Snakes and Ladders,” which I think was partly shot in the same bar featured in Joel’s short film Slap.

Regardless, given that I’m coming to Animal Circus very late, more than a decade after they disbanded, I mostly know them through the YouTube channel. It features audio recordings from their EPs, the “Snakes and Ladders” music video, and a bunch of videos of acoustic sessions. And, while factoring in my obvious bias, I do enjoy their songs!

Joel Fry has played plenty of musicians before—such as on Svengali, Requiem, and Our Flag Means Death—but it’s neat to see him performing as himself. Not surprisingly, the songs that feature him on lead vocals are my favorites. He’s got a good voice, and I like the emotion in his singing, ranging from heartache to anger to playfulness.

The first Animal Circus song I heard, Joel’s acoustic version of “Perfect Surface,” is my top favorite—it’s on the EP as well, but I like this stripped-down version better. I like the gentle syncopation, the lyrics are neat, and Joel Fry’s singing is lovely. He also sounds excellent on “Top Shelf Buzz,” his parts on “Eat You Alive,” and “Happy Again” (from the EP.)

Beyond the singing, Joel Fry also does some really great work on guitar (especially on “Top Shelf Buzz,” love it!) and plays keyboard on a few numbers. Even though I understandably lean more toward the songs that Joel sings lead on, it’s still fun to watch him when he’s providing accompaniment for the other main singer in the band. I like seeing how deeply he gets into it, the faces he makes while he’s playing. When he’s not singing, you get the feeling that he may not even remember there’s a camera on him, he’s so caught up in the music. “Psycho” and “Riptide” are especially cool to watch from that angle!

[simbelin]

When I first heard this band, I simply fell in love with it. I really like this music; there was a time when I listened to their songs over and over again.

I love the way Joel loses himself in the music. It seems as though he is completely immersed in his own special world.

[fuckyeahizzyhands]

Con posts about filming in a new movie and a lot of selfies! 😍

There is an article about the movie - he's acting with Andrew Scott again, yayyy :)

[j4kfell]

Stede Bonnet your greed sickens me

[mahjong-mahjong]

dark harbor (1998)

[lilgillybean]

[elethart]

Travel sketches from Bashkiria

Villages Inzer and Kaga with a beutiful Christian church, on a way from Ufa to Ural mountains where Shulgan-Tash cave is located, containing Palaeolithic rock art

Shulgan-Tash cave and the Blue Lake at its entrance are believed to be home of evil spirits, and the locals call that funny relief in the nearby rock "Shulgen's eyes" (villain from Ural-Batyr poem)

[simbelin]

The beauty of Bashkiria, the beauty of the Urals ❤️

You need only glance at these paintings to recognize them instantly.

[mistyfeathervi]

They are busy with very important matters ~

[manesalex]

Every Ed Teach Scene (139a/?)

[feelmyskin]

Con O'Neill in Pressure (2026) dir. Anthony Maras

[fallenrocket]

Joel Fry-days

Daniel (Alice and Steve)

GIF from @derekstilinski (shakes fist at the GIF search function)

I still have a handful of Joel Fry’s past roles to talk about, but this is a new project, which makes me happy! Be warned, this show isn’t for the faint of heart—the premise is troubling, and there’s a strong secondhand-discomfort factor at various points—but it features yet another really stellar supporting performance from Joel. 

Alice and Steve have known each other for 30 years. While they dated way back when, much of that time has been spent as best friends. When divorced Steve confesses to married-with-kids Alice, “I wish I was in love and…and had a baby!”, she encourages him to look for a younger woman (since most women in their 50s can’t have babies.) Unfortunately for everyone involved, Steve does find a younger woman: Alice’s 26-year-old daughter Izzy, who’s just moved back home after a tough breakup. A drunken hookup turns into a real relationship, and Alice is incensed, ready to burn down all their lives to put a stop to it.

I’m not gonna lie, things get rough. The show takes pains to downplay some of the creepiness inherent in Steve and Izzy getting together, but it obviously can’t be avoided (nor should it.) What’s more, although Alice’s misgivings about the relationship are super valid, she goes about expressing them in the most toxic, scorched-earth way possible. She’s out to punish Steve, and in doing so, she has such tunnel vision that she’s hurting everyone around her, herself included. She interferes with Steve’s career, she humiliates Izzy in front of her friends, she loudly talks about her sexual history with Steve in front of her husband, and just generally, she doesn’t consider anyone’s feelings but her own. Steve is in the most compromised position here, getting together with a woman half his age who he’s known all her life, but Alice’s self-centered viciousness backfires on her to the point where it makes Steve seem more sympathetic by comparison.

While I wouldn’t call it an enjoyable show precisely, it’s a compelling one, full of messy people who are bringing out the worst in each other. It can be too quick to go for predictably lazy “twists” at times, and I think it tries to cover too much within six half-hour episodes—by the time we get to the finale, there just isn’t enough time to deal with it all. Still, it’s fascinating to watch Alice implode and see her scramble to hold her life together even as she’s blowing everything up.

A few fun casting notes here. Steve is played by Jemaine Clement (opposite Nicola Walker’s devastatingly raw performance as Alice)—adding to the list of famous Kiwis Joel Fry has worked with! Also, Daniel’s minor subplot features a coworker played by Lydia Wilson, who starred in Requiem with Joel. The two have a very different dynamic on this show, which is neat!

But okay, let’s talk about Joel Fry’s performance! Daniel is Alice’s husband and Izzy’s stepdad, a sweet guy caught in the middle of a shit storm. In addition to his job as a music teacher, Daniel handles most of the cooking at home and keeps the household running smoothly. He’s not any happier about the Steve/Izzy situation than Alice is, but unlike her, his primary concern is for Izzy rather than himself, and he desperately tries to rein in Alice’s cruelest impulses for the sake of their daughter.

I’m not claiming Daniel isn’t flawed. He can be avoidant, and he sometimes gets petty/passive-aggressive when he feels like it’s the only card he can play, but he’s the one trying his best to keep the peace. While other characters view him as too weak or passive, he’s actually not a pushover. Daniel’s patience isn’t inexhaustible—when he’s able to choose his moment, he’s forthright about what he thinks/feels and doesn’t meekly accept the way Alice lashes out at him in response.

Joel Fry was such a great choice for this character. In someone else’s hands, a quieter character like Daniel could easily get lost in the shuffle amid much louder, more forceful personalities, but Joel’s nonverbal acting is always on point. Even when Daniel isn’t speaking in a scene, his viewpoint still comes through. Additionally, he’s good at playing sensitive without coming across as weak. In this role, Joel is by turns quietly funny, gently rootable, and heartbreakingly sympathetic. Every time Daniel is able to stand up for himself, he makes me want to cheer him on! If you can handle the ugliness this show throws at you, I think it’s worth it to see this lovely, understated performance.

[fuckyeahizzyhands]

😍❤️

(careful - if you didn't have a uniform kink before, you might get it by looking at this picture)

[derekstilinski]

Joel Fry on the set of Alice and Steve

[derekstilinski]

JOEL FRY as Daniel in Alice and Steve (2026-)

[lilgillybean]

[sherlockig]

[fallenrocket]

Dialogue-Free Scenes: The Ceremony Music (Requiem)

*CW: suicide mention*

*Spoilers for Requiem - episodes 1-3*

I'm looking again at how Joel Fry uses his physicality in scenes where he has little-to-no dialogue. Previously, I've talked about his reaction shots in a scene from Trollied where other characters have most of the lines/action. Today, we've got a scene from Requiem where he has no screen partners to play off and doesn't speak at all, but he still delivers atmosphere, character/emotion, and plot.

There are numerous creepy elements in Requiem, one of which is an eerie piece of instrumental music that appears to have a strange influence on the people who hear it. In the first episode, two different people die by their own hand after being seemingly haunted by the song, which they start hearing out of nowhere. And in the second, Matilda discovers a hidden room in the manor house that seems to be connected to the main mystery. At this point, she's interested in an old child abduction case that may be connected to the house, unaware of the supernatural elements, and she and Hal investigate the room. Hal starts sifting through the numerous audio recordings kept there, which is where he first hears the song.

Cut to episode 3, and Hal is lying awake at the pub where he spent the night. He can't stop hearing the music--he covers his ears, suggesting the song might physically be coming from somewhere, but it's also possible that it's just stuck in his head and he can't get it out. Either way, it's clear from Joel Fry's nonverbal performance how troubled Hal is by it: his exhausted-yet-wide-awake expression, the restless way he fidgets with his blanket, his aggravated tossing and turning, the way he holds himself as he tries in vain to block out the music.

In light of what's happened to other characters who've heard the song, it's natural to worry about Hal here. Joel's performance only adds to the concern. Hal is agitated, and you don't know how the music might be working its way into his mind. Is he about to become the next victim?

In the second half of the scene--still without dialogue--Hal does what he can to combat the effects of the song. Because he's a classical pianist, he does this by analyzing the music itself, attempting to transcribe it. We can see his weariness and stress at the start of it, sitting with his hands on his head and then drumming on the desk as he gears up to begin. He remains agitated at first, smacking himself in the ear as he tries to get a grip on the song, but once he gets into the rhythm of it, he grows calmer. By the end of the montage, Hal has regained his sense of control and put to paper a clue that will help Matilda's investigation. Not too shabby!

I really like this scene. It's a good character moment for Hal, it looks at an already-established creepy element of the show from a new angle, and it's a stepping stone to figuring out another piece of the whole puzzle. The scene is anchored by Joel Fry's strong work, which guides you through Hal's headspace as he confronts this aspect of the mystery.

[volkradugiart]

Cut it fine... MerMay 2026. "Merman on the palm" The idea for the drawing was given by the artist @redisoj