I knew absolutely nothing about Laura Davis before walking into their show, Despair Is Beneath Us, other than they’re being Australian. They start from the audience, chatting their way onto the stage, and have the immediate ease that twenty years in comedy give a performer, instantly coming across assured and charming (even before most of the audience can see them).

Their show tackles their horrendous year, struggling with insomnia, nightmares, and anxiety – compounded by the horrible state of the wider world. The jokes come thick and fast (‘to apologise for the things I want to talk about in between’) and are both inventive and silly, covering a traumatic childhood birthday party, their arts degree, and chaotic job history among many other things. Chatting afterwards, they asked me to not give away all the punchlines, but it’s a testament to how funny they all were that I wrote two pages of notes, which were really just my copying them all their jokes down. They paint a brilliantly witty picture, and have a whimsical and brilliant way with words – like fellow Aussie Melanie Bracewell, they’re just uncomplicatedly funny, and the audience are immediately on board.

The show culminates in a manifesto, in line with its title. The overwhelming feeling is that we are coming out of something difficult towards the light, and the same applies to how Davis feels about their horrible year. I would’ve found it interesting to hear a little more detail about how that had manifested in terms of their day-to-day life, as it feels a little like they’re observing it through the rearview mirror, when it needed to feel slightly more tangible – and we could’ve done with a little more about the wider state of the world at an earlier point to make the climax feel fully earned. However, the fragility and vulnerability with which it is delivered is so fully authentic and committed that it’s hard to hold onto this technicality.

I’ll be seeking out more of their material, and if I had time I’d see the show again to enjoy the punchlines a second time – in the meantime I’ll settle for re-reading my extensive notes.