With a style of humour several shades darker than pitch and material on bulimia, oral sex and the interaction between the two, Rhys Nicholson is not for the faint hearted. Smartly suited and sporting a tongue sharp enough to self-harm with, Nicholson tells the sort of jokes you hate yourself for laughing at but which crack you up anyway. Intelligent enough to make the darkness of his material wickedly interesting, not just shocking for the sake of it, Nicholson is a skilful performer. He’s still a little green – the show has a lampshaded lull in the middle and runs about five minutes short – but he’s a talent to watch, just as long as you’re not easily offended.

Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 26 Aug, 10.45pm.
tw rating 4/5 | [Andrew Bell]