Kai Samra had sworn off the Edinburgh Fringe, after his 2019 debut earned him a clutch of four and five-star notices but failed to lead to much broadcast work or career progression. The allegations that this young Asian stand-up makes against the comedy industry suppressing his talent are pretty shocking. But his readiness to air them is indicative of someone who’s not bothered about pointing the finger at blinkered liberals, having already gone toe-to-toe in an interview with the thuggish Tommy Robinson, former English Defence League leader.

Although Native is steeped in Fringe writing craft and structure, from the arguably too neat way it draws its disparate threads together, it’s nevertheless compellingly gritty too. Samra has been in and out of homeless accommodation (even at the height of his success as a comic and in a guitar band of some pedigree) and relates his tale with a class agitator’s brisk urgency, storytelling nous and clear-eyed cultural analysis. His sense of injustice is stoked by Malcolm X but also by the legacy of his Indian grandfather, a man who died before he Samra was born, but whose life story and challenges he encountered make even the comedian’s strife pale by comparison. 

Score settling abounds in Native. But the comic rises above it too, sharing his experience with a cool wit, self-awareness and knack for distilling racism down to its baldest, most unpalatable parts. Still seemingly more likely to land edgy documentaries than a television sitcom or stand-up showcase, Kai Samra is at least keeping himself in contention for some of the cash and profile of the ‘ubiquitous’ Romesh Ranganathan. 

Pleasance Dome, until 28 August, 8.30pm.