EDINBURGH 2025: Review: STEFFAN ALUN: STAND UP at Hoot 4, Hoots @ The Apex

Welsh comedian Steffan Alun brings warmth, wit and a proudly offbeat perspective to his debut Fringe hour, Steffan Alun: Stand Up. Having honed sets for years on the free fringe, Alun finally embraces a full-length slot with confidence and charm, blending education, sexuality and pop culture through the lens of his Welsh identity and neurodivergence.

Before the show has properly begun, Alun is already at ease with his audience, helping latecomers find their seats in what resembles a human game of Tetris. He quickly divides the room into “heroes” at the front and “cowards” hiding at the back, a playful framing which immediately relaxes the crowd. From there, the set spirals into a heady mix of cultural observations and personal confessions.

Alun celebrates his Swansea roots, affectionately mocking his home city while noting its limitations, and riffs on Celtic parenting, language politics and the peculiarities of being a native Welsh speaker in modern Britain. His material on supermarkets accommodating French speakers more readily than Welsh stings with quiet truth, yet it is delivered with a lightness which never feels heavy-handed.

Elsewhere, he explores bisexuality, ADHD and aging with a blend of candour and silliness, proving adept at weaving personal details into relatable territory. A highlight comes in his statistical comparison between Welsh language uptake and the surprising Welsh fluency of the pop band Steps. Later, his fascination with Naked Attraction and his scepticism of Alfred Kinsey’s scale of sexuality are underpinned by slyly subversive humour.

Alun's storytelling is engaging, shaping the show’s rhythm, anchored by generosity and intelligence. His anecdotes about racism, queer identity and medical oddities are told not for shock but for connection, urging the audience to find meaning in small stories.

Alun’s debut hour is personal, mischievous yet compassionate, empowering as much as it entertains.

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