“I am a horrible person,” says Fern Brady in her show People Are Idiots.
You may already be getting the measure of an act that trades heavily on generalised cynicism. Brady is scornful of almost everyone save herself, for whom she has high regard, even when admitting how hateful she is. This persona is played more sullen than spiteful, as the West Lothian native carps about babies in coffee shops, the news media and people who say “pardon my French, ladies present”. It makes for a show with strong personality and some engaging moments – although they’re mainly when Brady leavens the indiscriminate scorn with straightforward autobiographical comedy.
The opening section addresses the condition, dear to my heart, of expat Scottishness, as Brady has her accent mimicked by London friends then finds her opinion solicited by Channel 4 News – much to her derision – on the subject of Scottish independence. (They should have asked her about being Scottish and middle class, on which matter she has a memorable line.) Later sections find the 29-year-old failing at meditation and complaining that TV’s Embarrassing Bodies aren’t embarrassing enough.
Which is fine, in a sometimes obvious way: the meditation makes her angry; Twitter trolls say unpleasant things. Phrasemaking isn’t her strength here, and her punchlines can be quiet or downbeat. But there’s no shortage of dry charisma, and a section on dating apps, performed in duet with an audience volunteer, goes with a swing – in part because the misanthropic veil slips, and we get to see Brady laughing and animated. It’s a relief. Much as the all-purpose grouchiness gives her a distinctive USP, and yields a few laughs, it rings a little inauthentic here. And it’s a comic dead end: comedy thrives on surprise, and if we know you’re going to hate everything, there isn’t any.
• At Stand Comedy Club until 30 August. Box office: 0131-558 7272.
