As I wander down St Stephen Street I hear a guitar and a mouth organ picking out a jaunty tune behind me. ‘Ah, the Fringe!’ I think to myself. ‘Little eruptions of art everywhere.’ But in fact the small caravan of music and audience behind me are the promenade wing of Pint Dreams, a travelling experiment of performance in pubs that has made its way round various cities before winding up in Edinburgh, ending a journey that started over at Waverley in the rather lovely basement Antiquary pub in New Town where the show will take place. It’s an apt framing for a show that seeks to reconnect folkish traditions like storytelling and minstrelsy to the contemporary world of the Fringe.

The set-up is very simple. A small company have taken over a back room of the pub, and against the background hum of bar room chatter welcome us warmly to their little world. Illuminated by fairy lights and accompanied by live guitar, a tabletop puppet emerges from a rucksack to tell a simple tale about a storm, a love affair, and a family estranged. It’s all lightly done. The delivery is intimate, inclusive and direct. The puppetry is clean and makes good use of various levels and performance points offered by a crowd in the round. The story at times could have done with some trimming and clarification – in particular I wasn’t sure about the need for the additional layer of the son leaving home when we already had one errant character in the form of the lover, nor how it all tied back to the Adventuring Day frame.

But this is a sweet and enjoyable way to spend 40 minutes – a show that genuinely manages to combine the vibe of having a drink with your friends with a relaxed piece of storytelling. Fun and free chips! Endearing.