COMEDIAN AND actor Travis Jay is definitely one to watch. Dave Chappelle called him ‘amazing’ and iTalkTelly Jay describes his show as “Hilarious. Intimate. Boisterous. Fun. Wild.”

Whilst reducing you to hysterics time and time again, his show Funny, Petty, Cool, tackles topical issues of toxic masculinity, colonialism and gang relations. 

Set in a quaint pub right in the heart of Edinburgh, the Attic Room boasted a warm, close-knit, playful atmosphere. 

As the audience sat elbow to elbow in anticipation of what Funny, Petty, Cool entails, Jay delivered a dazzling and enticing performance, giving a modest insight into his life as a black man, father and part-time political activist. 

From confessing his latest obsession with Love Island, to calling out Anthony Joshua’s overly polite trash talking, giving us a rather graphic depiction of his ‘ugly cry’, the animated storyteller delivered a solid performance. 

Jay, son of Angie le Mar, questioned what it means to be a black man, ultimately coming to the conclusion that the colour of his skin means a number of things, notably that mountaineering probably is not his sport and that pubs will never be a point of directional reference amongst the black community. 

David, a fellow audience member at the show, described it perfectly as providing “guaranteed hearty laughs, a nuance perspective and maybe even an ugly cry of your own” 

MORE TO COME

Nominated for The Leicester Mercury Comedian of the year award in 2016, Jay is currently working on an Undefeated podcast alongside fellow comic KG The Comedian where they discuss everything boxing as they “try to bridge the gap between the serious side and the guys who only watch Anthony Joshua”. He recently concluded his show The Vibe on The Beat London and has appeared as TJ the Barber in the web series Brothers with No Game (London Live).

In an interview with The Voice earlier this summer, Jay had high hopes for his Edinburgh Fringe performance, calling it an  “introduction to the industry”. Despite having already established himself in the comedic scene, he hoped Fringe would propel his name and from the continuous hearty laughs and the abundance of admirable reviews it is clear he has done just that. 

We will be keeping an eye out for Jay in years to come.