Andrew Bird: The Unlikely Lad

Andrew Bird's poster shows him standing in front of a dart board, stirring up expectations of Al Murray blokeyness and a never-ending string of tired pub gags about women and the French. It's a welcome surprise, then, to find an hour of sensitive, intelligent humour and social commentary from the man from — in his own words —Nowhere (Northampton).

Bird comes to the Pleasance with a theme in mind— his lifelong attempts to be something he's not — and never strays far from it. He takes us on thoughtful, engaging and often hilarious jaunts into regional and national identity, racism and religion. Brummie film critics, the Slovakian translation of "Where's the shitter?" and the moment he was ejected from a post-coital embrace by a sneeze are the highlights of a packed hour.

Bird lets himself down with his final joke, though. Built up over the last 15 minutes of the show, he explains the chain of events that led him to greet his black postman at the door with a skinhead and a swastika on his chest. Not only is it not particularly funny and an ill-fitting end to an otherwise smart and sensitive show, but you can see it coming from a mile off, leaving most sitting in bored and knowing silence. That aside, Bird delivers more than enough to justify the ticket price and looks more than capable of coming back with a tighter, more consistent show in future.