Stuart Black @ Just the Tonic, The Tron

Black by name, black by nature: could this be the most resolutely downbeat show at the Fringe? A veteran of thirteen Edinburgh appearances, Stuart Black’s polished performance here has been filtered down, then down once again to contain only the most distressingly toxic topics: STDs, nuclear armageddon, embarrassing bodies and Gary Barlow gatecrashing your wedding.

Between his self-satisfied sniggers and the continual declarations of “wow” from his audience, Black continually promises a ray of sunshine, but none come and anyone looking for a conventional good time is going to leave the room feeling sore. Not that Black cares – his glum and grisly vision is designed not to suffer fools and he’s clearly cool whether you leave amused or upset.

The younger members of the crowd seemed to appreciate this devil-may-care approach the most, especially as it represents a ringing endorsement of oh-screw-it hedonism. His main message then: waste whatever’s left of your youth before the voodoo phantoms of age and decline swoop in to humiliate you and drag you to hell.

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Stuart Black: It's the End of the World as we Know It, Just the Tonic at The Tron, until 27 Aug (not 14), 11.40pm, £4-£5/PWYW