Standalone.


Today Glyn sent me a video clip of my solo set from last month’s Hitchin Mostly Comedy. Watching it has given me a bit of a boost.

While I knew it went quite well – and was a fair sight better than my performance the previous month – it was hard to keep a sense of perspective. When you're on stage, you’re so focused on keeping track of what comes next and timing it right, that it can be difficult to remember the audience reaction. Each time I’ve tried new material out, I’ve meant to record my set on my phone. Each time I’ve forgotten. At that precise moment, fiddling with technology isn't my priority.

Watching it back, I'm pleased to find that the laughs I thought I remembered were there. Despite how I felt at the time, it was actually pretty solid. This has spurred me on and given me confidence. Up to the moment I first utter the words on stage, the only barometer I have on whether they work is myself. I’ve spent the process in isolation: writing blogs, editing them to suit live performance, saying my ideas out loud, recording them, listening back, making notes and then doing it all again. Through it all, I've had to trust my own judgement. A trust that disappears swiftly, without warning.

The most accurate feedback I can get comes from an audience. This may change from gig to gig, differing according to the situation, but it’s the truest response. Now I know I’m at least on the right track, it gives me the impetus to carry on with it.

(That's not to say that trying these ideas out 'cold' to a packed room isn't a baptism of fire.)

The biggest thing I wanted to know was whether I looked comfortable, and whether I’m pitching my persona right. Before watching the video, I had no idea whether I was. I was worried that I might just be irritating. Thankfully, I think I'm not*. Watching it back reminded me that the key is to be relaxed, confident, stay a step ahead of yourself and keep listening to the room. I was lucky on this particular occasion that most things went my way. It won’t always be like this. But if I keep watching what I do and working on it, it'll hopefully get easier to be on form more often than not.

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