Review: Laura Davis: Albatross

From a decisive entrance up to a culmination of raw self-interrogation, Laura Davis never fails to carry the room with an experienced combination of respectful combativeness and hilarious self-awareness.

Davis has an ability to turn any once-regular situation into gold. This ranges from philosophical reflections on Australian ice cream and Scottish candy floss, to collecting people in charity shops and being gaslighted over a gas leak. There are other times when the stories themselves aren’t so common, such as their dessert-and-dead-bird-based beach walks and tactical seagull gangs. They continue to excel at making the most of it, bringing the room to eruptions of laughter whether playing out their regular material or improvising with the crowd.

As with their mental health segments, candid and serious reflections of themself and the world around us weave in and out of the show. These moments are punctuated with a seemingly effortless skill for finding jokes out of anything they find. Whether or not that means comedy is a balm for the darker experiences of modern life, Davis invites the audience into elusive introspection while never letting the enjoyment drop. Soul searching while bird watching is encouraged, pride in Fife beaches not so much.