one4review | On 01, Aug 2025

File under: charisma, craft, and the comedy of considered belonging.

At just 23, Edinburgh-based Ayo Adenekan doesn’t so much step onstage as arrive — statuesque at 6ft 3in, effortlessly composed, and instantly magnetic. And within minutes, it becomes clear that the material matches the packaging — this isn’t just physical poise, but comedic precision.

The show’s title, Black Mediocrity, is itself a sly misdirect. This is a debut hour of remarkable sharpness — observational, personal, and culturally astute. From the moment he unpacks the mispronunciations of his surname by the “Eddieburgers,” you’re in the company of a deft, agile storyteller. He traces his family’s move to Scotland in the early ’90s, weaving through school nativity trauma, Harry Potter, NHS realities, dating both men and women, and a Doctor Who confession that doubles as both childhood escapism and a cultural compass — worth the price of admission alone.

What’s striking is how effortlessly he sidesteps the usual traps of identity-driven Fringe comedy. There are no laboured lectures, no over-engineered laments about belonging. Instead, Adenekan delivers with offhand elegance — stories that are felt before they’re signposted. These aren’t issues he’s reaching for; they’re truths he’s lived. The heavier moments are slipped in lightly, with the confidence of someone who knows vulnerability doesn’t need to be theatrical to be affecting.
The writing is slyly intelligent — filled with pop-cultural touchstones, but never exclusionary. No audience member gets left behind. The crowd trust him. And for a debut hour, that’s no small feat. He’s not trying to fit into any scene — he’s already shaping his own.

Ayo’s warmth is palpable — generous, unguarded, and never contrived. He avoids the smirking detachment or performative pain that often passes for “depth” in an hour show. There’s a flicker of something more lasting too: a near-throwaway mention of a childhood event that quietly lingers long after the laughs have landed.

Simply put: gossip fuels the Fringe. So here’s your whispered tip — Ayo Adenekan is the real thing. Get to the Monkey Barrel before the comedy nymphs swallow him up. You’ll want to say you were there before he blew up. He’s the most exciting comic Edinburgh has produced since Iain Stirling — and with this kind of voice, presence, and precision, he may well outgrow even that comparison.

And the most frightening thing? He’s just getting started.

****
Reviewed by Steve H
CabVol 2 at Monkey Barrel
13.30 (1hr)
Until 24 (not 13)