Al Stick may be a relative newcomer to the stand-up circuit, but he makes an almost instant impression, thanks to an impressive arsenal of inventive gags.

He looks gaunt and pale, yet he quietly commands an audience. The stagecraft may be minimal, but his material is more than good enough to ensure attention. After all, who would want to miss the next great gag?

The sense of humour is dry and the punchlines unexpected in a set that manages to combine both a straightforward, back-to-basics approach, rife with terse, efficient jokes, with a rare ingenuity of writing.

He has an instinctive grasp of the language, always choisng the best rhythms and words to use to make things funny, which makes the most of his smartly constructed set. A very promising rookie indeed.