The Horne Section have been a staple of the Fringe for several years now, yet their popularity has not necessarily provided them with a renewed sense of creative purpose or originality. Whilst the show is always good fun, this year felt like a slightly lazy effort. One of the best joys to be had watching the show in the past was witnessing the musical ability of Horne’s band, yet this year they had clearly made the executive decision to focus on comedy instead. Unfortunately, none of them are that funny, it transpires. There were a few cack-handed efforts at audience interaction that led nowhere, and a sort of attempt at absurdism through a sketch involving the cast members wearing Henry Hoovers on their heads.
Horne still remains a good host, managing to keep proceedings ticking along smoothly.
Of course, each offering of the show gives something slightly different through its programme of different guests each night, and in this edition Nina Conti provided more laughs in her fifteen minutes than the rest did in the remaining forty-five. There were too many instances where the songs dragged on and provided hardly any comedy for the audience to enjoy.
Nonetheless, there’s a reason why this show remains so popular, and Horne still remains a good host, managing to keep proceedings ticking along smoothly. Unfortunately, he can’t compensate for the lack of personality that his cohorts possess, and it seems so obvious that they should stick to their actual talents. A rather lethargic offering this time round from the musical group, which was a shame, considering the hype that surrounds them every August.
