mostly david ephgrave

The dust has barely settled from last week's Mostly and we're already promoting the next one; this time, headed by the member of musical comedy royalty that is Neil Innes. See below for the press release for it: Press Release – 20.10.19 mostly comedy a monthly comedy club at hitchin town hall Hitchin’s comic duo DOGGETT & EPHGRAVE celebrate the eleventh birthday of their successful monthly club Mostly Comedy on 3rd October by hosting a cracking line-up at the Town Hall, headed by honorary seventh member of Monty Python, NEIL INNES . Innes is a British writer and musical comic best known for playing in the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and The Rutles. He studied at the Norwich School of Fine Art, from which he was thrown out around 1963, allegedly for "spending all day playing music, instead of making things". In the period 1962-65, Innes and several other art school students started a band which was originally named The Bonzo Dog Dada Band after...

I started my day by trying to get the press release together for the next Hitchin Mostly, which takes place in a fortnight with Kate Robbins and Jay Foreman, so I could send a campaign to our mailing list about it and forward it to the local press. I’ve written here before of how tired I am of the process of putting together press releases particularly for Mostly Comedy, as it’s such a tedious time-consuming practice I’ve done so often. It’s a necessary evil to help push sales, but it’s so unsatisfying and about as far away from creativity as anything is likely to be. It’s particularly frustrating when you can’t find a solid act bio to work from as it takes so long to draw together a few paragraphs that cover enough to rouse interest while also being well-written. Thankfully my wife gave me a hand this time by writing a rough draft based on the recent press releases I’d sent for the John Thomson Mostly and my show so I had something to work from, which hel...

Despite being Glyn-less, tonight’s Mostly Comedy was a lot of fun. Mostly Panoramic. Apparently, it’s impossible to get us both in the same room when Richard Herring’s on the bill; I missed our inaugural (don’t mention Trump) Sun Hotel Mostly last January - which Richard also headlined - due to illness, and Glyn missed tonight's as he was Company Managing the Market Theatre’s Adult Panto on the road (which isn't an illness). While all went well last year, it was bound to be a little fraught as it was our first proper show at the venue (excluding the 'Sun-mer Special' the previous summer); for me there would have been less of an excuse. Thankfully, I needn’t have worried as everything was slick and no-one died, thanks to the hard work of the staff, Paul, Gemma, Lisa, Stephen, Clive and Glen, who all stepped up-to-the-plate; while I refuse to include their surnames here, I’m eternally grateful. (I haven't learnt their surnames.)...

Last night’s Hitchin Mostly Comedy was a good’un. We had a slightly smaller turnout than the last few months, but we’ve been spoilt for audiences since the beginning of the year. The last four shows were all sellouts. Though yesterday wasn’t quite as jam-packed, they were still a lovely crowd, who were happy to listen to everything laid in front of them, comedically speaking. They were a nice bunch, and quite vocal; the laughter count didn’t represent the amount of people we had in (in a good way). Last night saw the first Mostly Comedy appearance of Hattie Hayridge; a veteran of the stand-up circuit, who’s probably best known for playing Holly in Red Dwarf. Although we’ve seen her in the crowd at a few gigs over the years, this was the first time we’d actually met. She was very easy to talk to; we managed to fit in a nice little interview for our podcast, just before the gig went up. Hattie Hayridge at last night's gig. We ...

Anyone who follows me on Twitter will probably have noticed that I have a bit of a fascination for overhearing snippets of conversation. There’s nothing voyeuristic about it. I’m not snooping. I just enjoy the confusion that often comes with hearing a statement entirely out of context.  For a split second you are let into someone else’s world – and just as you’re getting comfortable, the door slams shut, with you left on the outside, trying to suss out the circumstances. The best ones often involve mobile phones. Hearing just one side of the conversation only adds to the confusion. Sometimes, you are left intrigued: ...and other times, the mundanity captures your imagination: One thing all these overheard conversations serve to illustrate is: none of us know what we're doing. We all stumble our way amateurishly through life, trying to make the best of our circumstances. Nothing is rehearsed, and as...