A comic up for mischief

No two Phil Kay shows are ever the same, which makes them hard to describe. One of the most innovative, fast-thinking comics out there, he veers off on the kind of stream-of consciousness tangents which make Eddie Izzard look like a straight thinker. Each session is a work-inprogress encompassing both performer and audience.

Opening night started with Kay clutching his guitar in one hand and a laminated toilet cleaning rota in the other. Should anyone happen to have a marker pen, he was up for mischief. Then there was the cookie that spent time in his guitar, on the mic stand and, at one point, was involved in a gobbing contest akin to the public school boys' game, soggy biscuit.

There are times when Kay's ideas hit cul-de-sacs or simply peter out, yet there's no doubt he is a five-star performer. There are few like him, which only goes to make him all the more magical.

Until Aug 27 (not Aug 15 or 20), Gilded Balloon Teviot, 10.30pm, £10 and £11.

Phil Kay
Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh