A Whole Different Story is the title of Kevin Bridges' current marathon UK tour.

It's very apt because both Bridges and Irish comedian Karl Spain in support are different from the general run of stand-up comics.

A full house in Brighton's Dome Concert Hall enjoyed 30 minutes of Spain, though some of his gay references were questionable, and then revelled in more than an hour of Bridges.

In only one sense is this predictably mainstream; the repeated use of the F word to the point where it becomes a verbal tick, or maybe gives thinking time, but becomes devoid of any force or meaning. Apart from this, the show is far superior to most other stand-ups, with a wide range of original and well-crafted material and some genuinely witty audience interaction.

Kevin Bridges is a shrewd and clever satirist of social and cultural trends that are relevant to everyone rather than relying too much on personal material.

He conjures up social situations vividly, and digresses brilliantly while maintaining the thread of an ongoing theme or story.

His satire about his native Scotland being the only country to vote against its own independence is the funniest and the most devastating so far.

Four stars