Horse and Louis: Top Trumpin'!
Live Review

At first glance there appears to be a Flight of the Conchords influence here. Guitars in hand, Horse and Louis banter and perform somewhat whimsical folky songs frequently breaking into banter. The fact that one is skinny and beardy and the other bigger with glasses is more than likely just a coincidence.

The pair make the most of the tiny, awkward space of Espionage’s Lizard Lounge in Espionage, and present their show surprisingly well. There's a mixture of songs, a three-part game of Top Trumps using the audience as cards and a considerable amount of witty chat between the pair.

We are often on familiar ground here, such as the frustrations of an automated phone system or the pair embracing their feminine sides in order to pull girls, though both routines are nicely executed.

On the whole, the wit is gentle but it certainly has its inventive moments. A song about the hapless Horse bumping into his ex-girlfriends with their new boyfriends results in a litany of imaginative swear words, which are helpfully explained by Louis in a humorously neat idea. Later a parachute jump is very simplistically but effectively performed as they 'flutter' to the ground minus the essential equipment.

Occasionally the humour's stretched, and much of it provokes a chuckle rather than a belly laugh but with some tightening up this could be great. The duo have a good dynamic, genuine musical skill and some inventive material to work with.