Sian Davies is an infectiously endearing presence onstage; it can feel as if you’re conversing with a friend, watching them spin their yarns, rather than watching a comedy show. Because she is intensely relatable; she takes you through some of her more regrettable mistakes, such as getting a tribal tattoo on her calf, and discusses some of the thornier aspects of her family life. It’s strikingly open, but still light-hearted; she achieves a sneaky profundity while keeping it consistently funny.
However, Davies’ show can, at times, lack a sense of urgency and momentum to truly elevate it from consistent chuckles to the laugh-out-loud riot she’s going for. When she makes clever observations about divorce equality for gay couples and tells an insane tale about a tendency in her family for getting hit by buses, she lacks a sense of urgency and timing to make it work; there are also often long lulls in between jokes and stories, which breaks up her momentum slightly. In one segment concerning economists Keynes and Hayek, she flounders around arcane, esoteric material, and her payoff doesn’t justify such a departure.
However, when her observations concern the personal, she looks far more comfortable; one aside about an uncle tearing out an entire bathroom with his bare hands is delightfully implausible, and an extended section about her right-wing dog towards the end provides a wealth of fruitful material. She does also bring her show to an admirable conclusion, but you can’t help but feel it could have been something more.
Sian Davies: Band of Gold, 16.15, Laughing Horse @City Café, until August 25
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/sian-davies-band-of-gold
