★ ★ ★ ★ ★
An hour of outstanding stand-up, delivered effortlessly with power and purpose which never patronised.
There are few performers at the Fringe able to deliver an hour of pure entertainment better than Jayde Adams. A firm Fringe favourite, Jayde's shows always guarantee sequins, songs and sensational outfits. Until this year. The sequins are gone. There are no songs. And there are no sensational outf... well actually, that's not quite true. There is one. A serious black jumper.
Why? Because when celebrities want to be taken seriously, or show remorse, out comes the black turtleneck. It's textbook celebrity behaviour and it's always been there - Dapper Laughs on Newsnight, that iconic photograph of Steve Jobs and Angelina Jolie when she became an ambassador for the UN - so when Jayde was told by her agent (now ex-agent) that people don’t take her seriously enough as a stand-up she did what she felt she had to do - wear a black turtle neck and offer opinions (opinions she's always had and even teased in her last show) and sure enough, people took her seriously.
Which is why this year there are no songs, but neither is this a TED Talk - it's an hour of outstanding stand-up, delivered effortlessly with power and purpose which never patronised. As Jayde points out, one thing this year's Fringe doesn't need is "another show about feminism" although it's certainly a better festival for having hers in it.
Using Beyoncé, the Kardashians and Perrie from Little Mix as her case studies, Jayde's take on the subject is refreshing, honest and none of her observations are academic, stuffy and worthy. The reason she's pointing out the flaws in fourth-wave feminism is because she's genuinely concerned, she genuinely cares and she wants people to listen. And if it's taken a black turtle neck for people to listen, then so be it.
However amongst all this change, one thing has remained - Jayde's ability to make an audience laugh. With more laughs than ever before, if she was funny last year, she was fucking funny this year. God knows what she'll be next year but I'm already very excited.
With The Ballad of Kylie Jenner's Old Face being recorded for an Amazon special and a number of other exciting projects on the horizon including a possible series of Amusical on Comedy Central, Jayde's star is continuing to rise and the standing ovations she's receiving for the second year running prove that audiences love her and respect what she does - and rightly so. If you're visiting the festival this year do yourself a favour and add this show to your list, you won't be disappointed.
Jayde Adams: The Ballad of Kylie Jenner's Old Face runs until 25th August at 9.30pm at the Pleasance Courtyard (Pleasance Two). Book tickets here.