Lloyd Langford: Galoot

It’s said that personality goes a long way. If that’s the case then Lloyd Langford is going straight to the top.

The newly-bearded Welshman breaks the ice instantly by taking to the stage wearing a particularly fruity costume, quickly flying off on a tour of his recent travels. From Rhyl and Dublin, to Paris and the French Alps, each stop-off delivers its own quirky anecdote.

A sharp take on pop princess Jessie J’s love of self-promotion and the practicalities of Movember follow. Then it’s on to the galoot of the title, which he informs us via the ubiquitous Powerpoint presentation is “a fellow, especially one who is strange or foolish”.

Learning about a few of these characters—ranging from one of his countrymen who wrestled a shark, to a boxer taking on a bear in the ring—inspires him to take more chances in his own life. It all leads to him trying new things, more often than not with disastrous effects.

The one thing Langford seems unwilling to take a risk with is his material, which is fairly standard stuff for the Edinburgh regular. That the hour flies by is a testament to his gregarious delivery, punctuated by regular chuckles. Langford also has a fine ability to garnish his prepared material with inspired off-the-cuff lines and tangents – he’s particularly brilliant at dealing with latecomers.

There’s certainly plenty to like in Galoot, but perhaps it would be nice to have a little more strangeness amidst the foolishness.