mostly david ephgrave

It’s strange to think I’ve only been back from Edinburgh for three weeks; it definitely seems much longer. I guess this is because I’ve had a fair amount to do, or maybe it’s just the change in work intensity - the Fringe is pretty much the definition of full-on - but whatever it is, it certainly feels like I’ve been home a fair while. It’s only the fact that tomorrow's our first Mostly Comedy back that reiterates the time-scale. Yesterday was frustrating, as I had to reschedule October’s Mostly - temporary shifting venues to our previous home The Market Theatre as a one-off - due to a diary mix-up with The Sun. There’s no need to go into the whys and wherefores as everything’s settled, but it was another of those problem-solving situations I could have done without, when I thought I’d already sorted it. While it will be nice to do a Mostly there again, the worst bit will be having to lessen the capacity for the gig considerably, knocki...

Tonight saw the final performance of last year’s Edinburgh show in London, or at all, outside of my date at the Leicester Comedy Festival in February . The venue was the Etcetera Theatre, which is one of my favourites to work in, both for what it feels like to play and for its tech set-up. It’s a home from home really, as I’ve been there so many times on my own and with Glyn that I know just what to expect, which is helpful when your get-in is likely to be a little rushed. There’s a projector and screen rigged too, which is great as that’s two less things to take, plus they’re both good quality, which is something of a rarity in Fringe venues; two spaces instantly spring to mind with projectors with lamps so old they barely reach the wall they’re meant to hit. The Etcetera screen’s also huge, which makes my stuff work so much better. Another thing the Etcetera is great for is its support. They constantly retweet and promote your show and are very h...

So 2016 draws to a close, and what a year it’s been. I’m not going to delve into the political upheaval of the past twelve months as, if I did, it would dominate this blog post and bring the mood down. I also won’t dwell on the sad loss of so many influential figures in the public eye; a list so long, it's very easy to miss people off. On a personal level, the year has been mixed. The biggest step was taking my second solo show to my first solo Edinburgh Fringe. This was a huge leap of faith that was terrifying to comprehend as it drew closer, yet I came out the other side of that 24-date run largely unscathed, having genuinely enjoyed it. I can’t thank my wife and family enough for their unflinching support as I cycled in and out of confidence, and my friends (and Best Men) Glyn Doggett and Stephen Halliday for their advice, time and feedback; they’re all in my Last Will and Testament, though my estate is such that they won’t wind up with much...

Today, I booked another London ‘Mostly David Ephgrave’ date for 30th January next year. I decided to go for the Etcetera Theatre this time, as it’s a great space to play and has a projector rigged too. It all works out quite well, as the date falls nicely between now and my show at the Leicester Comedy Festival in February , and gives me another chance to invite industry people to see it in London. It would be nice to get some interest and support out of it, before I start getting my head around what my new show will be; I’m bored of doing everything by myself. This always seems to be my approach when I panic about what to do next: I book in other dates and plan new things to do. It’s not a bad by-product of my uncertainty, as it keeps the ball rolling, but the downside is I sometimes end up putting too much in the diary. I just want a few more people in the business see what I think is a good show - in a good room - before I put it to bed. The other thing I’m on the...

Tonight’s Leicester Square Theatre gig was just what I needed to give me the boost to get myself back on the case with my solo stand-up. For one, it was nice to be in a proper venue with the appropriate tech set-up, rather than having to take everything with me; I’ve grown tired of spending the majority of my journeys into town resembling a comedic pit-pony, carrying more equipment than any one man should ever be lumbered with, with my wife roped into the deal, lugging a load of gear as well. Not only does this make you sweaty and stressed, it zaps half of the energy you need for the show, making it all the more likely you take any of the problems you had in getting to the venue (and setting up the space) into your performance; it’s a shitter of the highest level, and one I’d sooner avoid from now on if I can. I was fortunate to have the assistance of Mostly Comedy’s technical wizard Paul Willianms tonight, which made things easier; it was good to ...

I just did a some close-to-the-wire ordering of posters and flyers for the dates I’m doing at Leicester SquareTheatre next month , to make the most of a 25% discount; I’m a sucker for a bargain. I took a bit of a calculated risk by forgoing waiting for authorization of a proof from the venue before sending it to be printed, so I wouldn’t miss out on the weekend-only deal and have to pay full price. Hopefully, this shouldn’t be a problem, as I used the right logos, kept within the specifications, and didn’t use the c-word on the artwork once; I’ll keep my fingers crossed this doesn’t lead to a massive controversy resulting me being banned from performing in London / “waitressing in Torquay” again; if it does, I’ll have to revert to my back-up job of trundle wheel adjudicator; no-one recognises a metre circumference quicker than me. Once again, I was lucky to enlist the services of my artwork designing genius double-act-partner Glyn, who made the few...

Because I’m an ego-manic, I’ll often Google my own name. I say “often” as it makes for a sharper, more direct way into this blog post, when in reality, I only do it occasionally (unless I’m in a show, when the words ‘David Ephgrave review’ are typed with alarming regularity; so much so, I should set up a keyboard shortcut). Today, in a break from a piece I started writing but lost faith in, I looked myself up, to have a couple of interviews I did to promote my recent Edinburgh show surface: one for Moody Comedy and the other for British Comedy Guide .   I found it interesting to read them back now I’ve gained a little distance from the Fringe. You can check them out yourself below, though only if you agree to do imitate my voice in your head as you read it; if you've never heard me speak, imagine the sound of a man who grew up in Stevenage, then went on to form too many aspirations.

Yesterday ended up turning into a bit of a mad-panic-dash, as I rushed to register my show 'Mostly David Ephgrave' as part of next year’s (Mostly) Dave (Ephgrave) ’s Leicester Comedy Festival in time to meet their final deadline. I’d pretty much written off taking it to Leicester next year, having applied very late, so was pleasantly surprised when a slot came up last-minute. This was the reason for my sprint to-the-finish to get everything submitted. Thankfully, it wasn’t too much of a bind, as most of the promotional copy already existed, but I would still have appreciated a more leisurely pace than the the twenty-four hours I had to meet the final call of midnight tonight. Still, I’m pleased to be doing it, as it was very much a part of my plans for next year until I'd nearly scuppered it. The Leicester date (Saturday 25 th February 2017 at The Lightbox at Grays@LCB Depot: more details to follow) will almost certainly be the last ti...

As far as I'm concerned , that’s this year’s Fringe done with. What a month it's been. I emerge, twenty-six days from when I first stepped off the train, exhausted, emotionless, brain-dead, but proud of what I've achieved. To do my first solo run in Edinburgh was always going to be a big step; one I would never have dreamed of taking when I first brought a show here with Glyn eight years ago. Not everything was a success – it was never going to be – but on the whole, I’m satisfied with how things panned out. I’ve been far less happy with how things have transpired in the past. Perhaps the biggest frustration was only getting two reviews (a favourable one from Broadway Baby, and a slating from a Twitter reviewer who missed the first ten minutes of the show and consequently didn’t give it a fair hearing), but this was two more than many comics I know who truly deserved them. I would have liked more of an industry presence too, but this was always going to be diff...

Not only is there only one Jasper Carrot; there's also only one more show to go. Today’s show was quite a fun one, although as I write this, I’m struggling to remember which gig it was, through overtiredness. I know there weren’t any incidents and I seem to remember laughter, but as for the detail, it’s temporarily slipped my mind; that’s what happens when you do twenty-four-plus shows in a row with only one day off. When Dan - the act who follows me in the space – came into the room after my show, he looked genuinely jealous of me for having just one left, while I no doubt looked at my techie Fraser with a similar expression when he did his last show this evening, which I tech for him. Each and everyone of us up here are shells of the people we were when we started the month, and all of us could do with a break. That’s not to say that this year’s Fringe wasn't a rewarding and enjoyable experience – I’ve had a great time – but even the best...

The last two days at the Fringe have been interesting. Monday’s show was the first of a two-day 2for1 deal on tickets, which contributed to creating possibly the biggest audience I’d had up to that point – who were eerily silent, compared to the lesser numbers I’d played to before. It felt a little ominous and unsettling, as there’d been a definite growth in response across the first four shows, which felt as if it had suddenly hit a standstill. This wasn’t necessarily strictly the case. It’s worth remembering it was midday on a Monday morning, which is not the best time to watch comedy, plus the 2for1 deal might draw in people who wouldn’t come otherwise, and weren’t into the style of it; on the flip-side, it may have been me, though my tech Fraser assured me it wasn’t (saying he didn’t think I could have done any more to make it work). As the show went on, all I had in my head was the fact I was about to do a gig immediately afterwards at...

Two shows have gone by since my last post (I didn’t write a blog yesterday, so there’ll be two winging the internet’s way today), which both felt markedly different. Saturday’s show had sixteen people in, which made the room feel pretty busy; it’s more than enough to work up a good show with. They were lovely; especially a rather stocky-looking guy at the front, who I for some reason assumed would hate me, though his reaction suggested I couldn’t have been more wrong; proof you should never judge a book by its cover, or a punter by his alpha-masculinity. Even though I was only a few days in, Saturday felt like a turning point. The show's starting to feel more cohesive and I’m starting to get a sense of the space. Just Out the Box at Just the Tonic is a great room for stand-up comedy of the sort that I stand up and ‘comede’; it’s lovely and intimate, without being intimidating for the performer or the audience. Be it by luck or judgement, the ve...

With my Edinburgh show just about as nigh as nigh can be, it seems as good a time as any to post the lion’s share of the press release for it, save my credits (which can be found to the right of this page, should you feel the need to be 'impressed'). This was compiled with the assistance of my PR for my trip north of the border, Milla Jackson. It’s the first time I’ve taken on someone to help with the promotion of one of my shows, as Glyn and I have always approached this massive undertaking by ourselves, arguably spreading ourselves too thin. It will be nice to largely hand over this task this time around, though being a bit of a control freak, it will feel a little strange as well. That said, approaching my first solo EdFringe seems as good an occasion to do it, as it would create unnecessary stress. I may use this newly acquired downtime to take up badminton. Then again, I mayn’t. The back-end of comedy duo Doggett & Ephgrave for lo...

Tonight's preview at the Broadway Studio and Gallery was the best that I could wish for, giving me the bit of oomph I need to send me on to Edinburgh.  For the first time, the show started to make sense as a whole, and I got an idea of how to pitch it. You'd think I'd know this already, being that I wrote it, but it's surprising how that isn't the case. A lot of the show started life in this blog, which is obviously a different format to a performance, and there are certain aspects in the putting together of a stand-up show that can only be realised and finalised in front of an audience. Tonight, I had the luxury of a roomful of people ( literally ; it was busy and everything) who for whatever reason were just the right group I needed to be able to walk the line between concentrating on what was written and what wasn't, and what still needs tying together and what doesn't.  The room itself was a strong one for stand-up, despite being in the early stages of...

What I could really do with at this stage of putting my Edinburgh show together is an editor. I have so many little bits and pieces and ideas flying around that I can scarcely keep track of them, let alone decide what’s best 'in' and what’s best 'out'. This is partly thanks to my blog, which has been a fantastic source to call on, as I wouldn’t remember half of the things that crossed my mind over the past few years if it weren’t for it, but it can also be an overwhelming record to get to grips with; it can be luck of the draw as to whether I’ve picked the right entries, or whether there are some far better ideas that have been lost, under the weight of it. Yesterday was a case in point: before I started a run, I noted down a couple of rough ‘new’ ideas – i.e. old blogs that I hadn’t yet looked at in a stand-up context that had popped into my mind – to have a quick look. In doing so, I stumbled across a piece I’d half-worked up for ...