one4review | On 21, Aug 2026

A fire alarm had gone off an hour before the show, and the Pleasance had to be evacuated, but credit to the staff: they have handled it brilliantly, getting things back up and running quickly. Allum herself is coolness personified, letting everyone feel at ease.
To the set itself. Allum is a big football fan. As a long-standing Watford season ticket holder, she knows her false 9s to the 8-second goalie rule. She also happens to be a trans woman, and these two areas provide the structure for a hilarious hour.
From memories of the England v Germany 2010 World Cup match, famous for Frank Lampard’s goal being disallowed to a German forward joke that absolutely levels everyone in the room.
A sensational “separate the art from the arsehole” section lands perfectly, and her sheer glee at watching hot people being disappointed by their sporting prowess is another killer early highlight,
Then she pulls out the big guns, the JK Rowling motherload joke that every comedian has been searching for, juggling the cost versus quality of her potential operations like it’s a Which? report, and finally the best summary of Les Misérables in the history of musical theatre. The football analogies keep coming, with links never far away, and Allum wraps the whole set together like a well-thought-out birthday present.
Overall, this is a uniquely original set and sound the alarm, an artist well worth discovering,
****
Reviewed by Steve H
16.10 to 17.10
Pleasance Upstairs
Until August 30th