Andrew Bird: This Is Ten Years From Now

An audience member enters late. We prepare ourselves for the inevitable Fringe diatribe but it never comes. The latecomer is welcomed warmly by Andrew Bird, and relieved, takes his seat. Something's wrong here. This guy's being too nice.

There's something about all of us who've passed that ten year mark since leaving school that will resonate with this show, a kind but hilarious examination of the strange places life leads us. But even those still in the first flush of youth will enjoy this affectionate examination of how our aspirations take us places we never expected.

This performance is strong in a host of subtle ways. The segues between pieces of material are deft, carrying the audience along in an unbroken spell that lasts the full hour. Bird never goes for the cheap laugh, but hangs his material around the set's central theme, holding you immersed and rapt. There's depth here too, an undercurrent of wisdom, hope and self-acceptance which delivers more soul than most shows you'll see this year, but never undermines the comedy. There was even a moment of Bill Hicks-esque social critique. If Bird continues to move in this direction he'll be nigh unstoppable.

Although his material is always funny and frequently hilarious, it's his personal charm that makes this special. Andrew Bird is a lovable cockney rogue with a strong act and a good heart to boot.