Comedy Review: Daniel Sloss: X

Copyright: HBO

For those unaware of Scottish born comedian Daniel Sloss, you’re most certainly missing out on one of the funniest up and comers working comedy at the moment. He’s coarse, vulgar and yet he manages to present a connectively wholesome energy that lasts throughout his stand-up shows. His work in his Netflix original, Daniel Sloss: Live Shows, provides us enough material to judge how great a comedian Sloss will turn into. Eager and hungry to see more of his work, it was a thorough surprise to see HBO drop Daniel Sloss: X into their schedule. Sloss’ work in the woke culture world has thankfully not been diluted, if anything, he looks to adapt his own experiences with the #MeToo Movement, politics and the culture of stand-up comedy in a fantastic new set. 

Not as strong as his previous works but still just as engaging and hilarious, Sloss presents himself as an angry man with nothing to prove. He doesn’t belittle his audience, nor does he really converse with them. He has the same flamboyant energy as James Acaster, strained into loose form of style close to that of Doug Stanhope. Seemingly shambolic rants, raving on about how we’re doomed as a species, yet keeping it light enough to throw in some filler from time to time. Sloss is an energetic ball of comedy, he manages to keep the laughs rolling for the most part. 

Opening with as rough a material as you’d expect, Sloss’ aversion to jokes that go “too far” is diluted somewhat by his consistently engaging tangents. Whether or not planned or unplanned, some of these pieces feel unfitting. Wading off into different stories when we’re still waiting for the punchline to another joke may seem like a difficult hurdle to jump, but it’s nice to see Sloss pull it round to his original point. Sometimes it takes longer than it should to reach that pay off, and at times it doesn’t feel like it was exactly worth waiting around to hear the punchline. 

Sloss, however, has his greatest strength on hand to round off the show as an engaging piece of entertainment. His urge and ability to blend serious topics with a candid look on life, as well as being able to throw his unique style into the serious discussion is one of Sloss’ greatest assets. It’s a shame that he isn’t more widely talked about, and presumably his aversion to the stock routine of panel show appearances to test out new material has hindered his public image somewhat. Still, for those looking to take the bait and reach out to one of his shows, you’ll not be disappointed. X is a solid display of his abilities, and it should hopefully leave you eager for his next tour.