Scottish stand-up comedian Daniel Sloss is no newcomer to the comedy circuit.
He’s enjoyed a sensational rise to fame via his two Netflix specials that have offended nearly everyone who’s viewed them. But clearly, that is his intention and in 'X', his tenth solo show, he delivers another load of ‘in-your-face’ humour that has garnered him critical acclaim around the world.
He begins by warning the audience that he’ll, “probably offend some of you, hopefully most of you”, before embarking on a 90-minute, high-risk routine that is held together by his razor sharp observations, his ability to confront every taboo known, while effectively challenging every conceivable notion of propriety you may (or may not) have.
Nothing is off limits – children, paedophilia, gays, women, straight white men (and those with gay tendencies), the #MeToo movement, sex education, rape, relationships, marriage and tampons – they’re all fair game. And to Daniel, it clearly is a game. A game of comedic brinkmanship where he plays with the audience – stretching the boundaries as far as he can – just to see if, and where, they might break.
Daniel doesn’t do one-liners. From the outset he methodically weaves a narrative as neat as a tapestry. Stitch by stitch he creates a rich account of human foibles and desperation. He is extraordinarily intelligent, sharp as a tack and incredibly witty. His timing is impeccable and his ability to turn a momentary silence into a side-splitting segue is testament to his genius.
This is not comedy for the faint-hearted. It is dark, tense and extremely edgy. Why? Because you have no idea where it will go or where it will end. You sense there is a real fear in the room that he will go too far – way too far – and having stepped over the line, where will he venture?
And then after almost 80 minutes of uninterrupted laughter he launches into the promised dark section of the show. And, it is indeed dark and confronting and an unusual way to end a comedy show, even though it is becoming his signature style, and it leaves the audience both shell-shocked and grateful.
Pure genius!
★★★★★
