Being a gay, ginger, Northern stammerer, Stephen Bailey turned to stand-up as a means of building his self confidence. It has certainly enabled some boldness as, with a practised but generous stage manner, he successfully runs a fair bit of the show off the crowd. He plays, flirts and outright propositions members of the audience, which I guess counts as getting folks involved. His cheery, cheeky delivery and cherubic visage lets him glibly get away with some deceptively dark stuff, as well as more straightforward knockabout filth. Things sag a little in places with the reading out of various correspondence, not all of which is worth the trouble but, all in, Bailey has every reason to be confident.

Pleasance Courtyard, until 30 Aug.
tw rating 3/5 | [Bruce Blacklaw]