Gary Delaney: Purist

Gary Delaney: Purist does exactly what it says on the tin, delivering a punchy one-hour assault of unadulterated one-liners. Mingled with some respite in the form of more extended gags (as Delaney admits, a comedy set of one-liners is a heavy comedy meal), these culminate in a set which is rich in zingers but somehow lacking in heart. This does little justice to Delaney, though, who is nothing if not endearing. His set ends up in the lowest of Madeleine McCann lows, but he turns his obviously liberal audience’s heads with a canny knack for making bad taste seem palatable.

Performing for 10 years has shown him the pitfalls of delivering short one-line bombs and he’s smart enough to break up the punch lines with comedy in different forms. Although these feel slightly shoehorned in, they are effective in giving the brain a break. Of these, his Wikipedia routines are the funniest, bringing a level of subtlety and variety to a show that is otherwise largely formulaic.

But with a back catalogue of jokes that include a clever A-Z list and lots of savvy piss-takes, this is an enjoyable—if exhausting—hour. But the thing that really saves Delaney from the traditionalist doldrums is his natural charisma, which comes in tangible waves from the stage. He’s the outrageous friend we all wish we had, the no-frills comedian that, at points, genuinely thrills.