Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

Part of a recent vanguard of razor-sharp Gen Z doomers in stand-up, Paddy Young is among his clique’s most livewire and exciting performers, generating a sleazy, cheesy charisma on stage with his rakish curly hair and moustache, eyes darting conspiratorially as he needles the crowd, frequently threatening to kill either them or himself. It’s the modern style.

Although the suicidal ideation is deeply tongue-in-cheek, much of the show is spent bemoaning his lot as a Northern boy trying to make it in the big city. ‘Heartbreaking!’ is the punctuation he uses between bits, and his depiction of housesharing is certainly bleak, although he’s having too much fun performing to be truly downbeat.

The way he tells it, his dozens of alienated housemates swarm around him as soon as he tries to cook anything, fighting for the last wok with any non-stick remaining, then off to eat alone in their rooms between paper-thin walls.

The central heating’s turned off to save money but Young is warming himself by the fire of his 2012 Lenovo laptop: three tabs open on Chrome and his neighbours are sweating. He warned us at the top: ‘I’m northern enough for you to know that this is going to be depressing,’ and he can’t even be the funniest thing out of Scarborough since the New Years’ Eve fireworks were cancelled for Wally the masturbating walrus.

The waggling Eric Idle eyebrows and brilliantly tuned eye for comic detail shepherds him through a couple of spots where the choice of topic feels a little more rote. His impression of Hitler on a meth comedown is very funny, but feels like familiar territory.

Young’s shows never feel sedate though – he takes delight in teasing his audience members, never happier than when he’s being derailed. The energy from these interactions seems to sustain him and make for an extremely fun, buzzy hour.

Review date: 12 Aug 2023
Reviewed by: Tim Harding
Reviewed at: Pleasance Courtyard