When you think of well-worn comedic tropes, the ‘moving in with my girlfriend’ set instantly springs to mind. This is one of the major throughlines in Stuart McPherson’s show, but a comedian of his ability proves that there’s still life in that old dog yet. A raconteur in the classic sense, with an enviable joke rate and charisma to boot, McPherson’s energy never wanes throughout Horse, and neither does the audience’s attention. It’s rare to see somebody so relatively young treated like an old favourite, but his crowd hangs on his every word. This is understandable considering that a lot of those words are very, very funny.

There’s no hidden, deeper meaning to Horse; and the only equine-based joke here lasts about 35 seconds. The rest revolves around being skint in your thirties, the decline of the British high street, and interpersonal politics of a nascent relationship. You may well have heard jokes about all these things before, but it’s unlikely they’ve been as effectively told as McPherson manages. This is an act who has honed his craft over a number of years, and now seems more than ready for the big time.

Stuart McPherson: Horse, Monkey Barrel, until 25 August, 7.10pm; main picture: Curse These Eyes.