Erika Ehler @ Monkey Barrel

Erika Ehler’s debut hour is provocative, filthy and flirty, and you just can’t help but like her. Her style is lo-fi, and the space she creates feels safe enough for her to talk about pretty much whatever she wants. It just so happens that she wants to talk about her sexual conquests, better known as her ‘twinks’.

It could be her husky tones, her playful asides directed to audience members, or the feeling that this show is a conversation shared between close friends – but Ehler wins us over instantaneously. She has no qualms about getting personal: whether it’s her unique way of dealing with bullying as a youngster (with video evidence to prove it), her disastrous taste in men, or her experiences with ADHD. Her strengths lie in the jokes that form part of a bigger picture and give a sense of who she is. 

A few rapid-fire, filthy gags set the tone for the middle section, but don’t always quite hit the mark enough to keep hold of the grasp she established from the outset, making the show feel a bit laboured at times. It’s also a little more noticeable because of the low energy Ehler brings. This is the only instance where her style of delivery works against her, though; in the main, it’s part of her charm. After a little effort, and noting aloud that “about half of you like me”, the room is warmed up once more with big laughs earned often at her own expense.

Femcel is not for the faint of heart or the prudish, but living in such a (mostly) sex-positive era, Ehler is sure to be, and certainly deserves to be, on to a winning formula.

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Erika Ehler: Femcel, Monkey Barrel (Carnivore 1), until 28 Aug, 9.40pm, £7-10