Surbiton, Surbitoff.

My favourite bit of tonight's gig in Surbiton was having an ex-employee of Woburn Safari Park confirm that you can still bypass the monkey enclosure if you don't want to go through it.

It's good to know that the reference I make to this in my material, which is based on my childhood visits, is still accurate. The last thing I want to do is spread rumours about their facilities, or worse still, their emergency exits. If I'd had time, I would have also asked whether Woburn still had the Rainbow Ride (perhaps the most terrifying platform-spinning-around-and-dropping-from-a-great-height contraptions I've ever seen in my life, and I've seen thousands). 

It was a fun laidback gig. The venue reminded me of The Croft: Mostly Comedy's second home, where we were based for two years. There was only a small crowd in, but they were friendly and attentive, when they could have been easily distracted by the surroundings. I reinstated my joke book material - something that dates back to mine and Glyn's 2010 show Big in Small Places - which helped me kick my set off informally, and relax. The promoter was lovely (reminding me alarmingly of my ex-Big Day Out band-mate Mark), as were the other acts. It was a confidence boost, after my recent London mixed bill experiences. 

I prefer out-of-town gigs in many ways. The audience is usually more relaxed and prone to listen. Coming to the comedy club is the sole focus of their night out, rather than just a part of it. The market is saturated in London; people often decide to go to a gig last minute without investing a lot of thought in it. Pub venue audiences can be pissed and rowdy - and if they don't know who you are, or you don't pick on them, they feel short-changed; it's a case of 'Knob Gags Ahoy, or Get Out'. 

I didn't stay to the end tonight, which made me feel guilty as I missed two of the acts' sets, but when you're crossing London and coming out the other end it's good to have a head start. It certainly wasn't a wasted visit. Now I've reminded myself I can do solo spots on mixed bills without provoking confusion or silence, I'd like to buckle down on writing new material. It would be great to use the last three Mostly Comedys of 2015, plus the odd spot elsewhere, to get to grips with some sharper, more accessible stuff; no pressure there then.

Popular posts from this blog

Shakerpuppetmaker.

Image
Have Parker from Thunderbirds and Noel Gallagher ever been seen in the same room? The resemblance is uncanny. So much so, I think something’s afoot. If my suspicions are correct, I've stumbled across a secret that will blow the music and puppet industry wide apart. In the mid-60s / mid-90s at least. It doesn’t take long to see the signposts. There’s the similarity between the name of Oasis’ first single, Supersonic, and Supermarianation, Gerry Anderson’s puppetry technique. The Gallagher brothers would often wear Parkas . Live Forever was clearly a reference to Captain Scarlet and Standing on the Shoulder of Giants to the size difference between Noel and his bandmates. The more you think about it, the more brazen it gets. It’s fishier than Area 51, Paul is Dead and JFK's assassination put together. The only glitch to the theory is scale . According to Wikipedia, Anderson’s marionettes were 1’10” and Gallagher is 5’8”. How does he maintain an illusion of avera...
Read more

Stevenage: A (Tiny) River Runs Through it.

If ever a river was mis-sold, it’s the Roaring Meg in Stevenage. I just walked past it on my way to the retail park that has taken its name. They’re similarly uninspiring. The river is less of a roar and more of a dribble; cystitis sufferers produce greater flow. The retail park is soulless. What was once a thriving enterprise is nearly devoid of atmosphere, save an underlying essence of emptiness and despair. With a Toys R Us. When it was first built I was excited. Back then, the thought of a bowling alley, an ice rink, a Harvester and a Blockbuster Video within a small surface area was enticing. I celebrated many birthdays on site. There was an indoor cricket pitch there for a while where I once had a joint party with a friend. Why someone with an almost pathological fear of sport would agree to such a venture is beyond me, but I did it. Now, there’s very little at the Roaring Meg of note. The river would be a metaphor for the shopping ce...
Read more

Comedy That's Worth a Letch.

Today, I nipped to Letchworth to meet with illustrator (and one-time - two-time - comedy poet) Mushybees, to discuss an event Mostly Comedy will act as surrogate parents to as part of Letchworth’s Arts Takeover in a couple of weeks. Months ago he got into contact to see if we’d be up for co-organising a comedy stage as part of Letchworth’s weekend of arts-based attractions in July; something I’d provisionally said yes to, before things got hectic in the lead-up to Edinburgh and we didn’t take it any further. Despite not getting down to the nitty-gritty straight away, we managed to pull a line-up together in a back-and-forth of emails yesterday, leading to me getting Glyn’s blessing and us deciding we’d officially go ahead with it (whatever ‘officially’ means in this context). In reality, it’s not complicated: from 12pm until 6pm-ish on the 22 nd July, Glyn, Mushybees and I will host four Edinburgh previews from four acts (including me), before Nor...
Read more