Edinburgh Fringe Review: Foil, Arms and Hog **

These three Irish sketch comedians start the show with some nice banter, introducing the “gong system” to signify the end of sketches, which they use to good effect in the show. From the beginning the acting is very over-the-top, which can sometimes give it an amateurish feel, but there are good moments. Some of the funniest moments come from the exaggerated, physical characters, such as the angry driving instructor, which suites the threesomes acting style. Their best sketches come from the character who takes everything as though it were an insult to him, and these sketches end with a nice, disturbingly, dark edge. The moments of self-awareness are also good, the comments on each others clothing, and watching as two try desperately not to corpse in a sketch, is enjoyable. However, the sketches lack any real originality, and the punch line to one particular sketch near the end was obvious from the start. The show is consistently fun, with no real dips in laughter; however none of the sketches stand out as producing real belly laughs, and the over-the-top acting can sometimes grate, and perhaps covers some slightly weaker writing.

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