Daniel Sloss at the Bloomsbury Theatre

“Aaaaaaaaaah”, he wails, “Aaaaaaaaaah”, giving a cracking impression of the likes of Maria Sharapova. “Now”, he continues, “if a girl is screaming like that during sex let her go, she’s not enjoying it, you could get in trouble. Stop it”.

First taking to the stage aged just 17, five years later and after rave reviews of his fourth performance at the Edinburgh Fringe festival in August, 22-year-old Daniel Sloss is on the road with his new tour called, quite simply, The Show.

And what a show it was. Supported by Kai Humphries, the duo took the Bloomsbury UCL Theatre by storm last Friday. Humphries warmed the crown up perfectly for Scottish rising-star Sloss; riling the audience with his dirty, but not boundary-pushing, humour. The ‘teenage tuck-up’ of the troublesome morning glory sketch, had the perfect balance of humility and wit topped off with his cheeky smile, could never be deemed Boyle-esque crude.

Bidding farewell until the Q&A session that would take place at the end of the show, Humphries left the stage free for the main event. With an air of absolute confidence and ease the man who acts his age but has experience far beyond his years entered – Daniel Sloss.

Friday night was day 11 of a gruelling tour that has seen Sloss and Humphries travel across the country – from Harrogate to Gloucester and back up to Manchester, and will see them jump from Newcastle to Cheltenham, and then to Liverpool – Sloss likened organisation of their schedule, to “an ADD child being let loose with a map and some crayons.”

Despite hours of travelling and some rather big under-eye bags, Sloss had all the energy of an ADD child himself. He bounced across the stage, followed by his left ‘jazzy’ hand (that has a life of its own), with an infectious enthusiasm. It was clear that he loves every minute of being up on stage; he’s a born entertainer – and entertain he did.

Sloss held both the elder and the younger members of the theatre’s audience captivated throughout. His accents, impersonations, facial expressions and gesticulations were flawless and his timing and comic rhythm spot on. He is rude, yet likeable – snide, yet sincere – he’s the complete comic package.

From gay couples never being able to raise chavs, to a witty repartee on his recent trip to the STI clinic and his numerous references to his member -which he dubs the ‘Slossage’ – Sloss’s comedy had just the right balance of irony, scathing and self-deprecation.

 It is in the latter that he shines the most. Impersonations of what women would say if they told the truth when having sex with him, “well, this is distinctly below average,” “can you hurry up and get it over with,” were genius. The single women of the audience cackled and the taken ones delicately laughed (obviously relating) while turning their faces away from their boyfriends in an attempt to protect their ego’s.

Sloss got the audience to empathise with him – there he was on stage, admitting both his lack of sexual prowess and his below average opinion of himself in a deep and meaningful way – women were evidently touched. Pause.

“I don’t give a shit. I’m having sex with you – I’ve won!”

 Aaah, Sloss is a lad’s lad after all. Which, if he wasn’t, wouldn’t actually work as well. He’s taken the 17-year-old comic he started off as – all those angst-ridden puberty moments and matured them (like his fart in the fridge) into a well-balanced routine. Youthful fears remain, but so too do the musings of the young adult he is becoming.

 Alice Audley

For further information and future events visit Daniel Sloss’s website here.