August 23, 2022 

The Scotsman
James Nokise is always in command of his room. His is a very comfortable hour and, generously, he makes his small audience feel very relaxed. Some comics don't. But James is a grown up. Chilled but warm, intelligent and funny, to the extent that, when he tells us about his first suicide attempt, we actually feel we know him well enough for him to be telling us about it. Looking at my notes I realise that this is actually a show full of darkness brought into the light by Nokise's skill as a communicator. Of course there are a lot of laughs, many of them drawn from a glorious treasure trove of fascinating and funny stories about his Samoan family and language. As Will Smith looks down from the wall of the venue, Leonard Cohen and Moana, gay overtures and gender fluidity all gently sit alongside a consideration of how bullshit spreads, a great Janey Godley impression (for a Samoan), and – finally – a full translation of the Maori haka. This is not the most exciting show around but it is a lovely, relaxing, funny hour in the hands of a fascinating comic. Kate Copstick