I swear we didn’t pick this show because of the poster. I know we’ve been guilty of that at the Fringe (totally justified, by the way), but this time, that was not the case… That said, is this not one of the coolest fucking posters you’ve ever seen in all of Clowndom?

Look past the epic image of an undead samurai with Terminator eyes, a Gatling gun shoulder cannon, and – of course – a hoodie (as if you can look past it), and this visit to see Huge Davies has been long overdue. We first caught him on Roast Battle, where he absolutely buried Ed Knight in the most tuneful way imaginable. Since then, he’s been popping up all over TV and now seems to live rent-free on my Instagram and YouTube feeds. Tonight, we finally get to see him live at Soho Theatre.

Since our clown for the evening had the later slot in the cabaret bar, we had time to grab some food beforehand. And I just need to take a moment to shout out Japes next door, who – mere days before this – flagged up their ‘pizza of the month’ for February, which left our entire group drooling: smoky pepperoni, stracciatella, fresh basil, and hot honey! I know we usually stick to discussing drinks in these reviews, but honestly, this was next level.

We rolled (stuffed and satisfied) back to the theatre, ordered drinks, and settled in for the show.

It takes a confident clown to intentionally sabotage a show that was off to a strong start, but that’s exactly what Huge Davies does. Through a mix of faux technical issues and an alleged lack of audience participation, he restarts the show in totality – multiple times. If you get the joke, it’s a bold but brilliant opening gambit, and despite a few bemused Londoners, it pays off beautifully.

The only issue with doing a show based on fake technical difficulties is when you encounter actual technical difficulties. For the first third of the set, our clown’s lyrics were a bit tricky to make out due to some sound distortion. It was well worth the extra effort, though, and once the issue was resolved, it was smooth sailing.

In Album For My Ancestors (Dead), Huge performs a series of songs that have been passed down through his family for the last 200… 3,000… 4,000… ish years. Personal highlights from this so-called ‘ancestral’ album include Grandpa Joe, our clown’s delightfully twisted take on the Willy Wonka tale; Alien in My Shed, which presents an alternative scenario for everyone’s favourite phone-happy extra-terrestrial; and a genuinely concerning interpretation of life in a Pokémon world.

And all of this is performed by a deadpan clown wearing a keyboard, accessorised with coat hangers, who is constantly having to chase the spotlight that he should be standing in. It’s a well-thought-out folly – just absurd enough to be hilarious without tipping over into chaos. (Yes, Edward Aczel, I am looking at you!)

This is a thoroughly enjoyable hour of comedy that, as long as you’re in the mood to play along, will keep you highly entertained. I, for one, would love to see this clown again – ideally without the sound issues – because he’s undoubtedly one of the more interesting acts on the circuit.

So, did the show live up to the poster? No, of course not – samurai armour hoodie people!! – but that’s simply because I don’t think anything ever could. The tour is on now, and we highly recommend grabbing tickets.

Clown Stars: * * * *

@Soho Theatre, London