Review by Steve Bennett

Amos is a real 'personality' comedian; a powerful presence who always overwhelms his audience by the positive, feelgood energy he exudes.

He has a few very fine jokes, too ­ his clever and good-natured ribbing of specs-wearers is especially neat ­ but on the whole, the observational material is fairly standard fare, covering nothing more ambitious than schooldays nostalgia.

But with Amos, it really is the way he tells 'em, with a compelling bonhomie that's hard to fake.

His engaging manner is a somewhat contradictory mix of the restrained refinement that defines his accent and demeanour and the animated attention-seeking of the showman. This amalgam certainly works, and means Amos has 'star quality' written all over him.

His inherent good humour also means that even the grandstanding tricks he employs avoid being irritating, if only narrowly. He even gets away with his early habit of acknowledging the reaction of even a half-decent joke with a triumphant wave and self-congratulary bow to every section of the auditorium, whether by the brazenness of the move of the self-deprecatory twinkle with which it's delivered.

Such talents stand him in excellent stead as a compere or warm-up man, but also make for an unfailingly happy, entertaining set of his own.

Review date: 1 May 2004
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett