Kyle Kinane

Chicago-born Kyle Kinane looks the part of a crusty punk who'd be handy in a back-alley scrap, but when he heads up his set with a bit about hitting 37 and falling in the shower, it's clear judging the book by its cover is a flawed proposition. He's gruff, articulate, swaggering and sensitive, bright and dark – and as he says, he's not afraid to lose most of us to win a few of us hard. “It's not about numbers, it's about loyalty,” as he says. He needn't worry – Kinane has the charisma to carry us through any confession. While his show is untitled and he takes pains to point out there's no narrative theme, Kinane's masterfully-related stories and vignettes from his life are engaging, edgy, and stand on their own, holding the attention more successfully than many a themed show this reviewer has seen.

At the Victoria Hotel until 6 Apr