Review by Steve Bennett

It's odd reviewing a namesake. My ego would love to write 'Steve Bennett is a comic genius', but sadly that's not true. (And no taking that quite out of context for next year's poster, please). But nor, thankfully, is he bringing shame to the name, producing an effortlessly entertaining hour.

From rural Ireland, 22-year-old Bennett would make an excellent club compere, if he isn’t already, for he brings a great warmth and vigour to his patter, making everyone feel relaxed, at home and up for fun in his tiny Free Festival venue.

In Bits is the show he started writing last Fringe, when he got knocked for six when his girlfriend, with whom he had made great plans, suddenly dumped him. But don’t worry about this being introspective or downbeat – the very opposite. A feelgood experience is guaranteed.

Much of this comes from his jaunty ukulele-based numbers. The ubiquitous instrument has got something of a bad rap in comedy, not entirely undeserved, but Bennett uses it to play proper songs – it’s just easier than lugging a guitar around from gig to gig.

This is not a visceral personal tale of heartache. Instead he uses his experience as a jumping-off point to examine relationships from various angles, from chat-up lines to stalking an ex on Facebook. The topics aren’t astoundingly original, but Bennett covers the ground with verve and wit, often of the self-deprecating kind.

Sometimes his stand-up is a little contrived, such as the routine that deploys ‘putting up Ikea furniture’ as a euphemism for sex; or the analogy of people to various types of alcohol – whether they be fine wines or tequila shots – but there’s at least one gag in each to justify it. As well as the music to break up the stand-up, he has a few hand-drawn sketches explaining the dos and don’ts of dating, which are, advisedly, used sparingly but help vary the pace and tone.

Eminently likeable, Bennett’s effervescent, but not irritating, good natured and inherently funny – a winning combination.

Review date: 25 Aug 2013
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett