‘Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage . . . Louise Feral!’ This was the unfortunate portmanteau of name and show title that greeted Louise Young as she entered the fray. But Young handled this and a number of other curveballs like the consummate professional she is. More misfortunes followed in quick succession. Firstly her girlfriend and girlfriend’s parents walked in five minutes late; they were shortly followed by a father and three pre-teen daughters.

Far from ideal for a comedian about to launch into a joke about ‘lesbian Viagra’ and her past substance abuse issues. But against the odds, these were the situations in which Young excelled the most. A highly amiable performer, she was comfortable around a potentially tricky crowd, and the crowd in turn were comfortable with her. 

Feral is Young’s debut Fringe hour, but she’s performed split bills in Edinburgh before and had circuit success for a number of years, so this experience clearly shows. She’s a solid club comic who has the potential to be much more than that. Routines about her Turkish and Geordie heritage went down well and her anecdote about being released from a night in a prison cell, only to join the back of the queue to report a crime was a highlight.

Alongside this, we were teased with a routine about her feral nadir: being chased through a field by a helicopter, but sadly she ran out of time before she could perform this. Young is a talented comic with serious potential; if she’s willing to break out of her comfort zone and move beyond some well-honed club material, she could just be great.

Louise Young: Feral, Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 August, 7.25pm.