There are funny and original takes on Iraq, such as Gary’s horribly bungled attempts to win over locals with sweets and kitten-rescuing. Bush and Saddam portrayed as neighbours squaring up on the scheme is also very well done.

However, McHugh doesn’t exploit the character’s wartime experiences as much as he could, and falls back on much weaker and more predictable material about stand-up comedians and Dundee. Worse than this, many of the early jokes are poor examples of the ‘edgy, offensive’ approach, about down-syndrome kids, alcoholics and paedophiles, and it is here that the direction of the set is unclear. Is McHugh emphasising the problems with the military expecting insensitive and uninformed Gary to play the role of an ambassador in Iraq? In this case, McHugh doesn’t go far enough in causing offense, as the audience is laughing along with the down-syndrome jokes, not shocked into thinking about their responses. The effect is a character of two halves: bad, traditional stand-up and funny, ground-level insights into Iraq. These halves could be reconciled, but McHugh will need to hone his set substantially.

2/5

Walking through the pages, he recalls events and feelings from his past acting out scenes and explaining his feelings at that moment. Demetri admits that the premise for his comedy can be contrived and far fetched, but who cares how far fetched his story is when it’s as heartfelt, smart and subtle as one would expect from a Perrier winner.

This is a very clever show backed up with spot on wit, Demetri’s own guitar pieces playing all the way through and ends on a lovely sentiment that you‘ll ponder over late into the night. This is by far one of the best stand up pieces I have ever seen.

5/5

After gaining a Perrier Newcomer nomination last year, the Kiwi duo are back with new songs and new banter. Playing in a mainly folk style (which occasionally shifts to R&B and rap) the Conchords tackle a number of issues, including sex, children and the problems of being subject to media scrutiny, with sharp wit and excellent timing. These melodic ditties are incredibly tight and well performed and are linked with a constant flow of banter.

However, the chat occasionally gets a little lost and meandering and the show as a whole lacks the polish one might expect. That said Lonely Knights is an organic show that changes night to night so this may be detracting from the overall delivery.

Luckily, the Conchords songs really do speak for themselves and there’s no doubt that youíll be singing the chorus from “Business Time” late into the night. A definite must see but book know before all the tickets disappear.

4/5

Drawing on a number of styles and genres, Forcione and his associates play a series of amazing arrangements by himself and other noted artists. Forcione himself plays the guitar at an eye-watering pace with absolute conviction and passion, whilst accompanied by a Russian accordionist, Nigerian cellist and Brazilian percussionist. The overall effect of this is ensemble is more than a little breathtaking and an absolute delight to listen to. Forcione is a truly great musician and is not to be missed. Take a break from the comedy circuit and catch this show while you can.

5/5