Review by Steve Bennett

What a nice young man. That’s what you’ll probably think on emerging from Kevin J’s show. He’s charming, interesting, eloquent… but for a little too much of his Edinburgh debut ‘funny’ comes a distant fourth.

That said, I’d still like to see his second full show, now he’s got the obligatory autobiographical details out of the way in this one. For Council Estate Of Mind really comes alive in the last quarter when he talks about his travel tales and is less concerned about explaining where he came from.

Broadwater Farm is the answer to that one, the notorious estate in Tottenham, North London, where PC Keith Blakelock was killed in the riots of 1985. It is now known for its ethnic diversity – 39 nationalities among its 3,800 inhabitants one survey found – and Kevin J’s experiences reflect that, as the only white kid in his school.

His gags about growing up here focus on his dad’s odd behaviour, predictable quips about schoolgirl mums – and simply reading out some of the smartarse comments left in the yearbook. It’s all a little too gentle and meandering, more a diverting chat establishing his working-class roots than a punchline-driven comedy routine getting to the heart of his life. The laid-back delivery is appealing, but ought to be backed with a few more gags than this.

Given his mellow demeanour – he is definitely not ‘street’ – it’s an eye-opener to learn that he’s been working for seven years on the black circuit, usually associated with more hypercharged energy than this. And it’s opened doors, including performing in Nigeria with one of the nation’s top comics Basketmouth, which proves a rich source of very entertaining anecdotes, from chaotic internal flights to being a kidnap target for being white in the wrong place.

And he comes to a typical Edinburgh shoebox of a venue, fresh from hosting Tinie Tempah’s Ibiza pool parties, so you may wonder why he needs to do this… But the change could do him good if this furnace of artistic ambition inspires him to sharpen up the writing behind that super-personable demeanour.

Review date: 9 Aug 2015
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Gilded Balloon Teviot