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	Underground Venues - Barrel Room Comedy 11 Jul, 8:30pm-9:30pm; 22-23 Jul, 10:30pm-11:30pm Reviewed by Alice de Cent

Serving Humberside police officer Alfie Moore is road-testing some new material in his Buxton run of I Predict A Riot. Intertwining stories of riots through history with some personal anecdotes, he takes the audience on an entertaining and informative journey in his relaxed and affable style.

I Predict A Riot is a work in progress, but that was no barrier to Moore getting the audience on his side right from the off. His claim that everything in his act is factually correct may have been tested at certain points, but getting to share in the creation of a new urban legend is enough to let that slide.

Moore’s down-to-earth delivery of his own experiences as a police officer – encompassing tales of riot shields and Alsatians – would be perfectly at home down the pub, as would the amusing and slightly irreverent historical tales that span all the way from the Roman Empire to the recent student demonstrations. While we can be sure to expect a slicker performance from Moore when his act is fully formed, I’m equally sure his charmingly easygoing manner will remain.

There is definite potential in Moore’s act. Though currently some of the historical sections are a little heavier on the exposition than the laughs, his own accounts of life as a riot officer are told with a disarming warmth and an infectious sense of fun that kept the audiences attention throughout.