A mixed bag as new talent takes to stage

Red Raw ***
The Stand

IF there were nerves downstairs at Edinburgh's Stand comedy club last night, as eight new comics waited to entertain a packed crowd as part of the weekly Red Raw showcase, compere Graeme Thomas didn't let them show.

Kicking things off with an engaging introduction, Thomas swiftly brought on the first act, Cameron Archibald, to enthusiastic applause. Archibald started by pondering the abilities of our superheroes – while Superman and Ironman are self-explanatory, new hero Hancock is an enigma. While the comic's theory is too strong for a family newspaper, it did get a welcome response from the audience, leading to a relaxed performance that was at times too well-rehearsed – the odd ad-lib may have saved some non- existent punchlines.

Next up was Dundee's Poppy Brewer, an autism-obsessed bundle of neuroses who smoothly moved from death to rotting animals to man horses with barely a pause for breath. A joke about baboon's on Facebook tickled many a funny bone, though a lack of throughline for the set left things hanging. David Hefron's riff on his problems at responding to school bullies – and latterly comedy club hecklers – led to the potential of a strong ending to this set-up, but this sadly fizzled out in a weak central section. This minor stumble was redeemed with commentary on threats received in Glasgow streets and he remained a popular act with the crowd.

Veteran comic Vladimir McTavish took to the stage with ease, his routine a sample of his 2008 Fringe show. Taking the story of Greyfriars Bobby as his starting point, a seemingly natural connection with Nelson Mandela by way of the Freedom of the City carried the hysterical audience along. As he pondered the amount of time it takes for a pub to be named after a mass murderer, McTavish's brilliantly considered "Scottishness test" concluded a set that deserves searching out come the Festival.

The second and final female act of the night arrived in the buoyant form of Nellie Bean, a lady of a certain age who remained consistent throughout but whose reliance on off-kilter references to dead bodies seemed oddly out of place. The question of what might have happened had Jesus been born in Cumbernauld was at the centre of Paul Goodbrand's accomplished act. Taking the concept and running with it for most of the set, his interaction with his spectators was impressive.

Sadly the penultimate act, Roddy McInnes, started off with a ramble and ended his set mid-flow. With nothing to join the dots of his subject matter, this was an act that highlighted the inevitable stress of a comedian's first night but which will hopefully lead to a stronger performance next time.

The final performer was Teddy Bears – like Vladimir before him, testing his Fringe show on the public. With jokes selected at random from his act, the focus was too much on anecdotes from ten years spent compering comedy acts, with little original material for the audience to latch onto.

Headline act for the evening was Glasgow comic Chris Forbes. Eschewing any attempt at highbrow for random topical chat, Forbes' chilled presence and confidently told jokes ended an already enjoyable evening on a high.