Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

Following last year’s newcomer nomination for Waste of Space, Josh Jones is back with a sophomore show that continues to develop and expand upon the high levels of personality he showed in his debut.

He speaks a little about how he got his start in the Northern circuits around his home of Manchester, and how it’s left him ready to square up to any potentially bolshy-looking audience.

Perhaps tonight’s audience isn’t quite confrontational enough for his tastes, or perhaps it’s just getting to that point in the Fringe, because it feels like he’s spoiling for a fight of some kind.

It may also be an effect of the material he’s performing, which deals with (among other things) his years spent boxing, homophobic bullying, defending himself from sexual assault in gay bars, and a funny confrontation with a goose on the towpath. He’s a serene and winning presence in general, but occasional fearsome flashes peak through the cracks, probably to his benefit as a performer.

Combining strands on heartbreak and sex, he has good routines on getting bummed for the first time while staring into the eyes of a cardboard cutout of Beyonce, and going round to a boyfriend’s house only to experience the heartbreak of being broken up with in the most unusual circumstances.

He says it himself – the Fringe is maybe not the natural home for his clubby style of comedy, but equally I think you’ll very rarely get a bad gig out of him; he’s too much of a force of nature.

Review date: 16 Aug 2023
Reviewed by: Tim Harding
Reviewed at: Pleasance Courtyard