Review by Steve Bennett

Zero stars for this Free Festival venue: a café that’s going about its usual business, leaving musical duo Horse and Louis to compete against the clattering of crockery, the chattering of diners and the hissing of the world’s loudest espresso machine.

As for the comedy menu, these newbies serve up a mixed offering, but they are decent musicians with enough wryly funny songs and quirky lines to tempt the palate.

Any pair of youngish, geekyish men with acoustic guitars are open for uninvited comparisons with Flight Of The Conchords in which they’re sure to come off worse. But then again Horse and Louis don’t do a huge amount to dispel that idea, with a similar musical style, songs about failure with women, and occasionally slipping into character pieces that sound remarkably like the more famous duo.

One such scene has them as predictably inappropriate Theatre In Education types, spreading the message about the dangers of drugs through the medium of song, and introducing the ‘F-f-f-f-f-f-act zone’ with a bad stutter rap. It maybe an obvious conceit, but the gags are good.

It’s not quite as assured when they become wildlife trackers, getting stuck into a long-winded, seemingly semi-improvised set-up before moving on to the lazy surrealism of juxtaposition. An elephant buying a helicopter online! Imagine that!

A mash-up of Nineties hits, all performed as acoustic rock whatever the original genre, struggles too. It might have be intended as a Frisky & Mannish-style montage, but without the showmanship, there’s little left.

However, there is plenty to enjoy, too. Following showbiz tradition, their best moments are at the start and end of the show – beginning with an amusing take on the old topic of automated calls and ending with a song about how the perennially single Horse should get in touch with his feminine side to get dates.

Subject-wise, they play thing fairly safe, but there’s a smartness to the writing and a downplayed elegance to their performance. Watch them grow.

Review date: 25 Aug 2010
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett