The Horne Section...

Comedy and music. Two towering forms of entertainment, inextricably linked. One may point to opera, operetta, silent comedy piano scores or even Music Hall as testament to the enduring relationship between the two. Musical comedy has once again found acclaim and success with superstars such as Tim Minchin, Tom Basden and Flight of the Conchords. But to have live comedy married with a live band to create an unpredictable fusion is something that I had not encountered before.

Last night I had the enormous honour of attending the first outing of 'The Horne Section' at the Canal Cafe Theatre in London's picturesque Little Venice. Hosted by Alex Horne (hence Horne Section, see what they did there?) and backed by a selection of jazz musicians, The Horne Section aims to bring a unique experience to its audience. What I witnessed was not simply the marriage of music and comedy, but also of poetry, film, live action 'Battleships' and the supernatural. Sound exciting? Well, it really bloody was. Tremendously so.

The line-up was equally stellar, with the Edinburgh award-winning Tim Key and his Cowards comrade Lloyd Woolf. All in all it was a mouth-watering prospect and when Alex Horne emerged and broke into song, joined by his 'Sidemen' I knew innately that it would live up to my expectations. As an ice-breaker Horne announced that we, as an audience, were to play Battleships. The explanation of the game was vintage Horne and the band broke into the terrific theme tune (which has been stuck in my head for the last 24 or so hours), before the audience were split in two (as in one side versus the other, not some appalling macabre dance of death) and two team captains were elected with the task of finding a member of the opposition that matched the criteria displayed on the screen. I was called into action twice, both on name-related criteria. My first name was apparently cool (on the off chance you ever read this, thanks for that, Alex), though when it came to interesting surnames, I delivered my response with a hefty degree of trepidation and the 'quite right' hand gesture. My doubts clearly had grounding, but, to bastardise Meat Loaf, 1 outta 2 ain't bad... well, I mean, it's not great... it's... well, it's 50%, it's 50%.

It was then time to bring out the first act of the evening. I should point out that I am an enormous Key fan, all he need do is pull the 'look' (if you're already a Key fan, I hope you know to what I'm referring) and I would collapse with laughter. He gave us a quick burst of his poetry, written on the back of playing cards and recipe for 'Raspberry's Pie' (alternatively - strawberries, apples, spuds). Each of his poems is gold dust and never fail to deliver hilarity. His delivery is ace and his timing faultless, he used the band to great effect.

The second act of the night was Lloyd Woolf, in a rare gigging appearance. Again, he can do no wrong for me, I cannot understate how big of an impact Cowards had on my comedy, changing the way I thought about the conventions of sketch-writing and delivery. He talked about celebrity rumours, one which is absolutely true and you should all repeat to your friends is that, in a bid to save his ailing marriage, Sir Paul McCartney attempting to grow a new leg for Heather Mills, using the DNA of his dead wife Linda. That's one's legit... almost certainly. Woolf also treated us to a seance in which we attempted to prove the existence of ghosts by summoning the spirit of Buster Merryfield. As it happens, ghosts don't exist.

We were also treated to a stunning display of musical virtuosity in 'The Stilgoe Section', in which the band's pianist and his Ro-land keyboard asked for requests for five songs. He was given, Telstar, Beauty and the Beast, Poker Face, Dogtanian and the Three Muskerhounds and Ring My Bell. An eclectic mix but he summarily proceeded to play all five in a vast medley encompassing a number of musical styles. I was stunned by his undoubted ability and the ease at which he reeled off the numbers. Only one word can describe it - talent.

We were also treated to a short film by Tim Key, scored by the band and a humorous musical number from the band themselves, 'The Sidemen'. The Horne Section is a triumph, perhaps the best way I can think to describe it, is that it goes some way towards bringing the tone and anarchic aspects of We Need Answers into a comedy gig. There are songs, there are games and it's all jolly good fun. Alex Horne watches over proceedings with his trademark use of technology and his unique brand of stand-up, Key and Woolf were both excellent and the band added a whole new dimension to things. In short, The Horne Section is a triumph. You need to see it.