Ayo Adenekan review: Unexpected punchlines from a comedian with a bright future
Edinburgh Fringe
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Edinburgh Fringe 〰️
Image: Beth Moar
by Zoe Paskett
Ayo Adenekan’s Red Bull sponsorship hasn't changed him. He's still got a hold on his moral compass, he's definitely not a corporate shill. He has a giant can of Red Bull and a prepared statement beside him but don't read anything into that.
I’ve been hearing rumblings of Ayo’s talent for a while and it’s immediately obvious why, both to me and this sold out crowd. His ease on stage, his delightful, sunny disposition and winning earnestness all combine to endear you to him straight away.
Black Mediocrity tracks his life growing up in Edinburgh until now, his ambitions and desire from birth to make a name for himself next to his accomplished family members, after his parents moved from Nigeria in the nineties. He explores his identity as a Black bisexual Scottish man, exaggerating a heightened innocence about his encounters with people, such as the wee friend he’s given to follow him around whenever he goes to the shop, and the racism in X-box Live group chat.
His drive to make a mark began early, from the first school nativity, to a misguided modelling job, to scuppered dreams of being the first queer, Black, Scottish Doctor Who (a betrayal that got Ncuti Gatwa kicked out of the group chat).
He has a quiet confidence that allows him to play around, stretching out stories in his lilting tone, revelling in the softly spoken moments and commanding laughter with a level of accomplishment beyond his years. It’s fun to watch him take his time, knowing as well as he does that a good punchline is on the way, though likely not the one you’re expecting it to be. (The culmination of a riff about the young person’s railcard industrial complex, of which I am no longer eligible to be a part, sob, ends in a totally unexpected but extremely satisfying way.)
It’s his light-touch approach to talking about the racism he experiences that makes a stand-out of one particular moment. He gets the audience so used to his nonchalance, that it hits especially hard when he is no longer smiling. It’s a brief moment, but a necessary one.
I’m excited to find out what’s next for Ayo – this is a debut very much worth seeing, and a comedian with an exceptionally bright future (and plenty more sponsorship deals) ahead of him.
Ayo Adenekan: Black Mediocrity is at CabVol 2 at Monkey Barrel Comedy (Cabaret Voltaire) at 13:30. Tickets here
