Laura Davis @ Heroes, Blundabus

Another imaginative hour from Australian stand-up Laura Davis

Review by James McColl | 22 Aug 2019
  • Laura Davis @ Heroes

Laura Davis toys with her audience, like a cat with a mouse. Her playful jabs quickly turn to cutting observations; something that you won't see coming. She's not afraid to be challenging, and demands audiences keep up with her. Better Dead than a Coward revels in a blend of oddball stories and a dark sardonic tone that Davis has spent years working to hone.

Before long, Davis checks with the room to see how funny people think she is going to be based on her first two minutes. It’s a warm eight out of ten tonight from a crowd of both old fans and newcomers; it's clear that Davis has built a reputation both inside and out of the Fringe for her imaginative shows. 

Finding herself on the top floor of The Blundabus is apt this year as Davis shares a real life trip spent on a bus which collided with a climate change protest. Though Davis has many stories to tell, her run-ins with younger women on the trip seem to have the biggest effect on her. Davis falls uncomfortably between mentor and friend with the climate rebellion girls, unsure of her role. It's a revealing moment in a show that is so often looking outward. Davis is more used to observing than reflecting, as explored throughout the show with stories about her sleeper cell-like membership in over 400 moth-identifiying Facebook groups.

Her unconventional approach to storytelling always leads to hilarious results. She's provocative and thoughtful, never bending or breaking under pressure. Laura Davis is a comedian whose aim is clear, focused and unrelenting.


Laura Davis: Better Dead Than a CowardHeroes @ Blundabus (Top Deck), until 25 Aug, 9.10pm, £5/PWYW