Show Rating:

Dan Atkinson has the sort of intense, animated friendliness that anywhere outside of a comedy stage would be uncomfortable at best, borderline psychotic at worst. But in his element, as he lollops around with fire in his eyes and passion in his voice, he makes for an engaging presence.

Appropriating a vogueish buzz-word for the title of his show, Atkinson rather blatently uses economic woes as a rickety framework on which to hang all manner of unthemed material, some of it presumably written when ‘sub-prime’ meant nothing.

Moving from his idyllic Yorkshire home and down to ‘that London’, where the streets are paved with muggers, junkies and hookers, provides the real thread to the story, as he ends up living with his brother, the geek. The move made him feel as if he was growing older - another touchstone of the hour – although at a mere 28, plenty of the hopes and optimism of youth remains intact, however disillusioned he might be with the rowdier elements of society.

There’s a smattering of good jokes in here, and plenty of enjoyable anecdotes, even if nothing really stands out, apart, perhaps, from the neat epilogue, presented on video.

Material takes second place to his main talent; that of building an easy rapport with the audience, so we empathise instantly with his tales of poverty and concern for the future.

Charm is his biggest asset – although, sadly, banks don’t accept that as collateral.

Reviewed by: Steve Bennett