Twonkey’s Cottage

There’s a lot to love about Paul Vickers and his not-for-kids, kids show. Ambling onstage at midday he launches into the story of Twonkey, a small, limp character perched onstage in front of a model cottage, whose love for acid house he indicates with some fierce strobe lighting.

From then on the pace slackens to an enjoyable stroll through the spoken word pieces on his latest album, Fucking Storys. Vickers specialises in surreal non-sequiturs, and finds a way to derail each of his short works by bringing in the odd unnecessary word or disconcerting phrase. His comedic set pieces are similarly daft - the best is when he tries to smoke a witch out of a toy windmill using a sparkler, and thus restore it to its proper purpose of grain production.

There’s music as well of course. Vickers is a Scottish music scene mainstay, who fronted John Peel favourites Dawn of the Replicants, and now performs with The Leg. He sings a heartfelt song about failing to get a cat from an ‘arsehole’ at an animal sanctuary and ends with a rousing number from a 1918 Broadway musical. There’s no hint of affected quirkiness throughout. Vickers is just a good, honest weirdo, and very funny to boot.

Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, until 29 Aug (not 26), 12.10pm, free.