Pappy's: All Business @ The Stand, 6 April

Value for money is important in these tough economic times, so it’s kind of Pappy’s to treat us to two shows for the price of one tonight. The first show is a general mix of sketches: old men who can play songs on their bodies; a song about gloves; the adventures of Dean, a dinosaur reluctantly dragged into human activities. It’s smart and zippy and shows why Pappy’s might be the best sketch group in the country.

The second show is All Business, which they themselves describe as “basically an extended metaphor about why we’re not on telly.” There’s a thin plot (the guys have to be more professional in order to win over an investor) interspersed with non-sequitorial asides. It feels like a live-action version of Family Guy.

The pace of the first half gets lost during All Business and the jokes end up working for the story, rather than the other way around. It’s a shame because there are some great moments, like Bowser the magical but uncooperative dog, and a recurring gag about Justin Bieber songs. However, the story eventually fizzles out with some fairly tedious jokes about the French, and Pappy’s depart to an ovation that’s not quite as frenzied as the applause at the interval. It’s a slight underachievement, but there are enough great bits to make it worthwhile. Pappy’s are still the brand you can trust.