Foil, Arms and Hog - Late Night Sketch Comedy

There's something rather perfunctory about the false start with which Foil, Arms and Hog open their fourth Fringe show. The trio may grin conspiratorially as though subjecting us to a bewildering and unpredictable take on sketch comedy, but it's hard not to see the routine as anything other than forced and derivative. Yes, it's the sort of thing that countless others get away with unquestioned, but the material simply fails to convince in their hands. Could it be that the trio are trying too hard to assure us that we're having a good time in their company, to the point that they actually seem overbearing? The ear-shredding volume with which they bellow their lines suggests so, as does the triumphant cymbal smash that announces the end of each sketch.

Yet to make a significant impact outside of their native Ireland, the trio seem too generic to capture audiences' imaginations. Save for the faint air of desperation that hangs over them, it's difficult to say what differentiates the lads from myriad other comedy hopefuls. This is a shame because there are plenty of good ideas in their Late Night Sketch Comedy that would benefit immeasurably from being stamped with some form of purpose and identity. A "chair people" sketch is pleasingly surreal, while another which intercuts three initially unrelated scenes is accomplished and ambitious. Undoubtedly talented, these guys could have it all If only they showed us some personality. 

http://www.foilarmsandhog.ie