Review by Steve Bennett

With the demonic pun of his name and his all-black attire, Lou Saffire certainly looks the part. Plus he has the confident swagger and the barely-tamed anger of so many great comedy forebears.

So it came as no surprise that when he purposefully cadged a cigaratte from the front row, a heckler shouts: Bill Hicks, - the inspiration is that obvious.

But while Hicks raged against the iniquities of world politics and the hopelessness of the human condition, Saffire's concerns are closer to home... trains stopping inexplicably, for example. But not only are the topics more mundane, Saffire too often lacks the insight that might contribute to a killer punchline, leaving the observation as just that, nothing more.

Many topics will be familiar - most notably an extended routine about Star Wars, which combines this most hackneyed of subjects with other well-used touchstones, multiplying the unoriginality: What if Sean Connery had been cast in the film? What about Star Wars crossed with porn. Cloddingly predictable, it is - even though the porn routine does culminate in a great gag.

Not everything is so trite, a routine about why he was dumped is enjoyable - if a little contrived and crude - as are other moments.

It's all delivered impeccably and with supreme confidence, going down well, if not fantastically.

It cannot be long before this solid act is a regular on the no-risks-taken Jongleurs circuit, but it's a shame such a relative newcomer - and one with such obvious performance talents - is happy with such a derivative approach.

Review date: 24 Jul 2003
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett