Kuan-wen Huang @ Gilded Balloon

We get off to a somewhat difficult start with tech difficulties hampering Kuan-wen Huang’s slow and mysterious entrance into his Gilded Balloon venue. But soon enough introductions are made and Huang roundly lambasts his audience, based largely on their country of origin (particularly if they hail from China – don’t worry, it's relevant to the show). Despite how this may come across, the comic seems about as threatening as his teddy bear, which also makes an appearance during the show.

Family, LGBTQ+ identity, geopolitical matters, the realities of immigration and the similarities between orgies and colonialism are all covered in a neatly structured but slightly uneven hour. We learn about the trials and tribulations of living with, as he puts it, a ‘tiger mum’ – his mother turns out to be a large part of the reason why he no longer lives in Taiwan, a result of her omniscient presence throughout his childhood. There’s an emotional crux when we learn about serving in the military in his birth country (another part of his decision to move to the UK), which possibly comes as a surprise to audience members who may not have pictured a queer Taiwanese man as someone who might be on the military front line, particularly one in possession of a (very large) collection of teddy bears. Here Huang toes the line well between the poignancy in some of his material, warmly inviting his audience to get on side.

Despite strong subject matter, some of it suffers in the delivery. Throughout his set Huang has a habit of just about getting through his punchlines before saying ‘Anyway!’ and moving on a little too swiftly, which dampens the impact (it’s an easy fix that should get ironed out during the run, but makes the act feel a little under-practised). There’s lots of promise here and Huang makes for a charismatic debut, but as an hour Ilha Formosa feels underbaked.

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Kuan-wen Huang: Ilha Formosa, Gilded Balloon Teviot (Lounge), until 27 Aug (not 15), 5.40pm, £11-12