Quote: Gluben @ August 7 2009, 1:29 AM BSTAdmittedly, yes, it is quite loud.
If you're replying to my comments about the laughter, it wasn't so much the volume of it as the quality. Sounded absolutely terrible.
We Are Klang Page 9
Quote: Matthew Stott @ August 7 2009, 1:33 PM BSTLife On Mars is brilliant. The rest I have no desire to watch.
I'm planning to buy the box-set of Life On Mars. Trouble is I missed the first few episodes when the first series was on and have this OCD-like problem about joining series halfway through. Now I'm worried that it isn't as good as everyone says it is. Stupid, I know.
I have got to get over my fear (having seen their live stuff) that I am instantly going to dislike We Are Klang and just watch an episode. I don't like silly and stupid comedy for its own sake. The characters have got to engage me. Oh well, best just watch it...
Quote: Tim Walker @ August 7 2009, 1:43 PM BSTI'm planning to buy the box-set of Life On Mars. Trouble is I missed the first few episodes when the first series was on and have this OCD-like problem about joining series halfway through.
I didn't even see half of the episodes of series 2.
As for We Are Klang, just jump in and try it. I would be rather interested to see what you think.
Quote: Aaron @ August 7 2009, 1:15 PM BSTIf you're replying to my comments about the laughter, it wasn't so much the volume of it as the quality. Sounded absolutely terrible.
Yes, you don't often hear anything like that. Towards the end there's a man laugh totally artificially and loud and he then just stops. And you hear that quite a few times, it's obviously canned laughter.
Ep 2 was quite bad actually, but it's refreshingly crazy enough for me to go along with it.
I love it! It's different and better than a lot of stuff that's come through because of it! I laughed out loud a lot!! I'm a really big fan of Klang (and I got to interview them when they were starting out and they are awesome people) and think this show is very much them!! If I'm in the minority, then the minority is a good place to be! 
I didn't like episode one. I watched it again last night and enjoyed it more. Saying that, I can't honestly remember if I watched it to the end.
I like Greg Davies' corpsing a lot. There should be more of that on TV.
Just watched the first two episodes. I can certainly see why this would divide opinion. It is a bit of a love-it-or-hate-it style of comedy. Terrible puns; weak-to-middling jokes for the sake of jokes; contrived exchanges of dialogue; a thin premise and plots so lightweight they might as well not bothered. Oh, and it's basically a live audience cabaret show, not best suited for television. (The non-studio elements, for example, are the weakest and least necessary parts.)
And yet it works. If you can accept the style of the comedy you can start to really enjoy it. The script generally rewards silliness over wit, but does so knowingly, and is not as lazy as it first appears. There are some fine jokes in here and a good few knowing references.
The performances I thought were really strong and actually quite nuanced. Marek is the stand-out performer, superbly played, but the other two are very accomplished in their own ways. The performers complement each other as a group very well and they work off each other's strengths to the greater good. They have obviously thought hard about how to tone down their performances for a TV camera; but not so much that the "we know this is just silly acting" element is lost.
The half-hour doesn't drag and in fact both the episodes are fairly tight and well-structured. Both are directed well, though I agree with the issues regarding the sound mixing and editing. They have over-egged the audience laughter to make it sound too artificial. (It's edited too tightly to the gags, which always brings the "canned laughter" comments from critics.)
The comments about this programme seeming only a couple of degrees removed from a children's show are well made. Remove the (fairly minimal) adult material and this would be a potentially very successful early evening family comedy.
I will certainly watch the rest of the series. As I say, if one can accept it on its own terms, then this show is actually really good fun. The more I watched, the more I smiled. And I even properly laughed a few times in episode 2.
This will not develop the audience (or media attention) of a show such as The Mighty Boosh because it lacks any discernable sense of "cool": but I could see it securing a very loyal cult following.
I'm watching episode two. The "spaniels on your lap" line made me laugh.
I still don't like/get a lot of it though.
Quote: Aaron @ August 7 2009, 1:15 PM BSTIf you're replying to my comments about the laughter, it wasn't so much the volume of it as the quality. Sounded absolutely terrible.
Ah, yes, that is true too.
Quote: Tim Walker @ August 7 2009, 10:40 PM BSTRemove the (fairly minimal) adult material and this would be a potentially very successful early evening family comedy.
???????
It would be actually quite easy to replace most of the dirty humour with more kid-friendly stuff. My 10 year old daughters would find this show very funny indeed.
I only watched tonight's episode but I thought it was excellent.