A foolproof litmus test can be applied to any US comic visiting the Fringe for the first time: when they encounter British audiences who don’t whoop and cheer at the drop of a hat, do they a) pander to the few Americans in the room; b) grow aggressive towards the crowd after a few days into the run; or c) suck it up and trust that the strength of their material can loosen the reserve of even the most tight-lipped of punters?

It’s to Louis Katz’ credit that he chooses the latter option in his tussle with an emotionally conservative crowd, joking about adjusting his material but proving himself a craftsperson whose punchlines can win people over in any country. Anyone who watched HBO specials in the 1990s and 2000s will be familiar with the tone in this tightly constructed hour, which breathes the air of those following in the footsteps of George Carlin and Bill Hicks, tackling big themes in a bolshy way and eliciting cartoonish anger to bolster sturdy political rhetoric.

It’s a strangely unfashionable mode (particularly at an arts festival which generally favours comedians with personal stories over political sentiment), but one he executes formidably and with an incisive intelligence. Even his gags about dogs’ testicles are cleverer than most other acts across Edinburgh in August. He’s lacking a USP that will elevate him to the upper ranks of stand-up (something even he seems acutely aware of), but there’s no denying that Louis Katz is a formidable joke writer. 

Louis Katz: Bountiful, Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, until 25 August, 8.45pm.