Open mic comedy gigs are great if you like performing mostly to silence.
Maybe it's just me. I don't think it is. They're so strung out. This is due to the amount of acts on the bill. It couldn't really be done another way - the point of an open mic gig is to give lots of performers a chance, with most acts doing a very short set, and for some it's their first time on stage - but you don't get a fair reading of material when the audience are exhausted from so much information, or it's entirely made up of other acts who are too busy thinking about their own sets.
I don't want to sound like I'm talking the clubs I've played down. They've been lovely for the most part. I'm very grateful for the opportunity and for the stage time they give. As a promoter myself, I know organising the line-ups must be no mean feet. It's just not the forum for me. I prefer to be on at a shorter, more structured night, with fewer acts, and an audience who've paid to see it. Alternatively, I'd sooner be doing my own show (which is a bit of luck, as I will be in May).
Five minutes isn't long enough to get your personality across and make an audience feel comfortable with you; least of all when you're on in the midst of nineteen other acts. The most we've ever had on a bill at Mostly Comedy is five or six. These days, we tend to have just two or three. There's only so many different styles of comedy you can take in one evening.
One open mic club I'd like to give special mention for being great though, is Touching Cloth at The Water Poet. It's exceptionally well-run and well-hosted. The promoter makes a point of giving every act an MP3 and a video clip of their set for free. He doesn't try to monetise it, which is generous. It's also not cliquey, like some other clubs can be. He also has a golden skull on stage, which is a bonus.