William Stone: Lofi Jokes To Study/Relax To comedy review – Anything for a quiet life
Laidback doesn’t quite cover it for this gentle hour with finely crafted one-liners

As suggested by the title, this is one of the most low-key comedy shows at this year’s Fringe. William Stone opens by gently strumming his guitar in a soothing fashion; it’s simply an intro and little else. This start isn’t leading up to a big noisy chorus, he simply wants to bring calm to us. There’s even a break halfway through just in case things are getting a bit much.

Stone has garnered attention in comedy competition finals (most notably in 2018’s BBC New Comedian Of The Year) and already writes for TV and radio. So it’s not surprising that despite its laidback vibe there are plenty of well-honed one-liners to be found here. Stone takes us on a gentle stroll through his adopted home of Brighton, his parents’ village, and his lack of dating action. In addition, a pleasantly silly interlude of some of his paintings offers a touch of (literal) colour. This is all executed with an easy confidence, and it takes guts to be this quiet in stand-up.
William Stone: Lofi Jokes To Study/Relax To, Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 August, 8pm.