"I HAVE a new philosophy to stand-up," Reginald D Hunter tells the Barbican.

His familiar tone is one which invites the audience in, and instantly creates a brilliantly warm atmosphere. In a world of stand-up personas and tall stories in comedy, it's refreshing to see a set based on genuine moments of tenderness and honesty in a stand-up's life.

Hunter reaches this goal of sincerity perfectly, offering up moments from the life and times of his family and shedding a light on some more sensitive points of conversation.

The show is set at an easy pace, with Hunter doing a "meet and greet" section of the show, before his real set begins. This, and the raising of house lights to take surveys of the audience (all of which excellently subvert expectations for a solid punchline), make for a show unlike those I've attended lately.

That's not to say the style is alternative: Hunter handles the anecdotal spiel well. While there are no side-splitting belly laughs, the jokes are frequent and consistently impressive, lighting on topics such as racism and domestic violence in the United States with clarity.

Rather than creating a tense environment in pursuit of candour, Hunter had the audience applauding his arguments, completely taken with his slick yet conversational delivery.

With his gentle audience interaction, handling of tougher or more taboo subjects, and that brilliant accent, Hunter's new philosophy is much needed in stand-up.