^{Picture: Matt Crockett}

With humility and relatability, Laura Davis holds a mirror up to the comedy industry before turning it on herself. She reflects on her 15-year career and puts the world to rights, teetering on the line between self-indulgence and introspection. You’re either firmly in the ‘preach sister!’ camp or off to the right, and for this sell-out performance, she had the audience firmly in her palm, refusing to hold back. 

The show takes a few beats to warm up, reflecting on some dark times from the last two years, then building momentum with an inspired re-enactment of online reviews for sunset lamps, a sauna story about climate deniers and a memorable parody of LinkedIn posts and CEO bees. Her performance peaks with a big reveal, complete with duct tape. It’s a show with a handful of surprises; anymore would be a waste. 

Davis covers a lot of ground, touching on climate change, cancel culture, consumerism, capitalism and feminism. Her surface-scratching pub rants are well crafted; an intricate tapestry, weaving back delightfully to early observations and naturally back-referencing punchlines to take jokes a bit further. Her likeability is unquestionable (it’s clear to see why she has scooped some major comedy awards) with her pent-up energy released in what seems to be a cathartic delivery of truth-telling. However, instead of a crescendo, the show unfortunately fizzles out without a clear end or obvious direction of travel.

Monkey Barrel Carnivore, until 28 August, 4pm.