Most recently on our screens as the misanthropic protagonist of Channel 4 sitcom Black Books, Dylan Moran has sometimes been known to take his trademark contempt too far.

In the past he has turned in stand-up shows full of fragmentary grumbles which crossed the fine line between poetic and pissed-off-his-face.

On Thursday, though, he was on superb form, clearly relishing delivering his new batch of lyrical insults along with an opening chunk which was specially tailored for Brighton.

When Moran is truly on top of his material he savours it, slowly pouring himself a glass of red, luxuriously exhaling cigarette smoke and audibly licking his lips before turning on the audience with that slightly mad twinkle in his eye.

And he did this a lot during a set which ranged from new takes on otherwise hackneyed subjects ("even the Zulus wear f*** Bush' badges now"), to fresh observations on his native country (the "Irish face" he said, is where you look like you're being simultaneously fellated and shot in the back of the head) and the sort of fictional scenes which only Moran could imagine - birthday-boy Ken bellowing at Barbie, "ANOTHER CAR? Why couldn't you just get me some BALLS?"

Increasingly concerned with domestic matters, Moran lives in a world where your children only express affection because they want jam for breakfast, labour pains are a myth invented to guilt-trip men into taking the bins out and any declaration of love is to be disbelieved unless it is accompanied by the baking of a cake.

When he allows you to join him there he's still the best stand-up we have.