#laughter lounge

[aimeemj]

Dublin Comedy Improv @ Laughter Lounge - part 10 - The Great Famine

[aimeemj]

If you know what i mean... ;)

[darraghdoyle]

Review: Foil Arms and Hog - great sketch comedy from three talented, funny young men *

If you see the name "Foil, Arms & Hog" on a comedy listing near you, go see them. They're smart, funny and innovative and have a great understanding of how to entertain an audience. 

From their You Tube channel, here's a taster:

I saw the three lads Conor McKenna (Arms) Sean Finegan (Foil) and Sean Flanagan (Hog) perform at the Laughter Lounge recently, shortly after their return from their second year at Edinburgh Fringe.

I also saw them at the Carlsberg Comedy Carnival and they were at Electric Picnic this year too. Busy chaps.

They're making a great name for themselves on the Irish comedy circuit - something borne out by the quoted from fans on their Facebook page:

I saw ye in Edinburagh, yere class!! keep it up!!

saw you guys in the laughter lounge on friday, well worth seeing :)

Great gig in Sweeney's guys, keep up the great work!

dat gig in trinity was class!!cudnt stop laughin!

Not to mention the reviews they've been getting in the press (as per their website):

"...charming, witty and clever.." Broadway Baby

***** "...deliriously funny an at times unexpectedly dark..." The List 2010

*** "..they've written some cracking sketches with performances to match." Jason Stone, Chortle

**** "With their high-energy sketches...they mark themselves out as a talented group of comedians from the start." Sarah Hardie, Fest

Their set in the Laughter Lounge gig (part of the Bulmers Comedy Festival) kept a large crowd laughing the whole way through.

Their sketches are well written and performed, intelligent without being patronising or high-brow and of broad enough appeal to be recognisable without insulting anyone (except maybe chuggers, and deservedly so). They make it look easy - a casual atmosphere negating the frantic nature of their comedy but their confidence and professionalism shines through.

One of the best thing about the act is that the three guys genuinely seem to be enjoying themselves (no matter how many times they have done the sketches) and are sharing the joke with the audience.

Their strength lies in the friendship and respect they seem to share for each other on stage, while not being afraid to enjoy what they're doing either. They all bring unique talents to their performance - frantic reaction, accents, slapstick or surrealism but it's the combination that nails it.

Sketch humour at its worst can exclude and alienate an audience, but the lads keep their work uncomplicated and open - the pieces are topical, interesting and full of Irish humour.

Not "Oirish, bejaney" now, but familiar and funny - they've got a great sense of narrative and timing which helps. It's not surprising really that the lads met doing a Father Ted inspired play in University.

The name too has a story - Sean Finegan, Foil, is "the tin foil that wraps each sketch together, the straight man"; Conor McKenna, Arms, "can't play the straight man, is all arms on stage" and Conor Flanagan, Hog because "whenever the three friends would craft a sketch, Sean Finegan would somehow always worm his way into the main role". 

Doesn't hurt either that the lads are all suave and good looking (I stuck that * in the subject line because I wanted to add in "bastards", but all in all, they're far too nice for that). Sean Flanagan recognisable from the recent Lotto Shark ad as well as having roles in the Clinic and The Tudors.

They're already well known and liked on the circuit, joining comtemporaries like Diet of Worms, Dead Cat Bounce and Rubberbandits under the umbrella of great comedy groups to go and see. Guaranteed entertainment.

Personally I'd love to see them on a longer sting or turn their hand to live improv. They'd also be great on a TV panel (hint hint) Saying that, they put in a solid 30 minutes at least in the Laughter Lounge and left the stage to huge applause. Their full show is 60 minutes and I'd imagine it's well worth seeing.

They've got a few gigs coming up in Dublin - this Thursday, Friday and Saturday they're in the International Comedy Club on Wicklow St - doors 8.45pm, show starts 9.15pm on Thursday and Friday - tickets €10 and they're doing two shows on Saturday - early show: doors 7.30pm, show starts, 8pm and late show: doors 10pm, show starts 10.30pm, tickets €10.

They're also playing Pantibar on Monday October 25th in the A Bear, A Bull and A Chicken Walk.... into a bar event.

You'll find them on Facebook here, their website is here, they're on You Tube here and hopefully in a comedy venue near you soon.

I saw them thanks to Shell Holden - cheers for the opportunity!