Stepping out to the nasally whine of Axl Rose crowing ‘Live And Let Die’, Emmanuel Sonubi is met with a roar from an enthusiastic crowd. Countless prime-time TV appearances have cemented his reputation as a dependable comedian, and he continues to make hay from his imposing stature and previous career as a bouncer. He explains that Life After Near Death is about how, a few years ago, he came to terms with a diagnosis of heart disease, a condition that took him to the brink of death. He also has to wear glasses now, and so the inexorable march (and privilege) of ageing is very much on his mind.

This is (happily) no valedictory and, considering the impact that cardiomyopathy has had on Sonubi’s life, it’s surprising that little of the show focuses on it. But it has caused him to rethink some of his past behaviour; a section on the very many drugs he’s taken over the years goes down well with tonight’s middle-aged crowd although it’s the sort of material a club comic might have come out with in the early 2000s.

Sonubi is on firmer ground with his edgier gags, especially when he tackles issues of race. He drops these with tactical scarcity and they raise a nice frisson in an overwhelmingly white room. Insisting that there’s no moral to the show beyond enjoying life, it’s clearly a lesson he himself has taken on board. This is a solid hour of stand-up from an interesting voice. 

Emmanuel Sonubi: Life After Near Death, Pleasance Courtyard, until 25 August, 8.10pm; main picture: Jiksaw.