In a 2018 interview with Si Hawkins for British Comedy Guide FAH stated that their first gig was “In the living room of a friend of ours in Ranelagh in 2008. Around 10 people came. They brought snacks and were very supportive.”
They have described their comedy as a cross between standup and sketch with some audience participation thrown in for good measure. In an interview with Veronica Lee, Foil said that “you need to engage with the audience and get them on your side . . . our comedy has become a sort of weird hybrid of sketch and messing with the crowd (Chortle 2019). Their sketch comedy is very diverse, and part of their shows always include songs. Lee writes, “They also have more songs in their shows now than when they started” (Chortle 2019). Foil explains that, “My singing’s certainly improved—the lads were carrying me in the beginning—but Conor is a very good singer and Seán [Flanagan] knows all about harmonies because he’s been in choirs and stuff. The songs help the flow of the show and we like doing them” (Chortle 2019).
It took quite a while for the three to make money at their sketch comedy. They gigged for an entire year before they actually got paid for their work. In fact, for their first paid gig they made “50 quid” and then found that their car had been clamped and the bill was the exact amount that they made on the gig (ComedySnaps 2019). In the same interview FAH stated that it has only been very recently, in the last “three or four years” that they’ve been able to make a living at comedy.
They explained in a 2014 radio interview that they often put €12,000 into one trip to the Edinburgh Fringe and were lucky if they came away with €9,000 at the end of it (RadioMade Me Breakfast). In another interview from tn2magazine that same year, we learn that “Making a living out of sketch can be difficult. Over the years the guys have poured much of their own money into their business venture." Interestingly, in a 2018 interview on TodayFM, FAH was asked, “do you all put all the money [you earn] into a group pot?” Arms explained that “yes, absolutely”; all the money they earn, he said, “Everything you do, voice overs, like ads, any extra work all goes into the one pot.”
When asked how they have survived when other comedy groups have either disbanded or completely disappeared from the scene, they typically chalk up their success to being such good friends, and being able to work together so well. A question that arises over and over again in interviews is whether they ever get angry at one another or have cross words; the answer from the lads is always, no. FAH have also been asked a lot about whether they would ever go solo. The consistent and emphatic answer is: no, absolutely not.