When i 1st thought i
was actually going to have a go at doing stand up comedy i started regularly
attending the gong show at Mr Bens. One of the gongs i remember most was when
Johnny F Monotone won, that victory was good not least because of the level of
opposition he was up against that night. On the night in question 2 other acts
stood out to me, one was a western born Indian guy who’s name i did not catch
annoyingly and the other was Callum Scott. When i got home that evening i
googled Johnny f monotone and Callum Scott to see how they had got to be so
good, Callum has a blog and so the inspiration to blog myself was born. The relevance
of this being that my next gig was one that took me a little by surprise and is
run by Callum and other members of his pigeon hole comedy group.
They run monthly and
had come about a situation where they needed a PA system, now i had offered to
lend them one but did not want them to think it was in exchange for anything
such as the offered free booze or a slot, why? Well because i love comedy and
these guys are doing a great job keeping the comedy heart beating so if i can
help then i will i don’t need anything in return it’s not how i work anyway...
favour for a favour is not really a favour but more a form of employment.
Anyway i digress because
it just so happened one of the acts scheduled for Pigeon hole tonight had sent
a txt saying they could not make it so i was offered the spot, i couldn’t say
no despite what i mentioned earlier about that not being my intention, i love gigging
and need to really begin to show improvement some time soon.
So we set up in a
lovely little room that reminds me somewhat of a cinema room but there are
really no similarities so i don’t know why? The HOWL group were all due to
perform this evening along with the Pigeon Hole being i think Jacob Rawcliffe
(who was not performing tonight) Joby Mageean, George Stride. I hope i got that
right, of course there is also Callum who would MC tonight.
Also on the bill the
boy that pops up everywhere there is comedy known as Jon Newall and Eddy Hurst
both newer acts doing slightly shorter sets.
The night was to begin
with Callum explaining the way it works and prizes for a competition to create a comedy
character and catchphrase, then warming the audience up with little bits of
banter and segments from his set, he did a great job warming them up and i was
on 1st to a very supportive crowd of i’d say 30/40 people? I went with
my 8 mins that i will be doing at SYTYF, it’s no secret i hate my set and wish
i could write something that works better and isn’t as innuendo or cliché filled
but it is what it is and as i only started in March this year i guess there is
time to refine. All that said i really enjoyed my set tonight, not from the set
itself but from the warmth of the room, i scanned around looking at everyone as
i spoke, some stony faces yes but there was plenty of enjoyment too.
I seemed to finish
with a bit of a whimper however but not to worry too much about that i could
learn from it.
Thom Milson came next,
he has changed his set a little from when i 1st saw him around 7 or
8 weeks ago and he seemed at ease with things tonight, he took comedy up an
intelligence notch from where i had left it and it was well appreciated by the
audience.
Jon Newall was next,
he was racking up the gigs, he is everywhere where there is funny, i love the
way he gets straight into the controversial side of is Jesus black or white
with a superb punchline, there has in the past however been an element of
awkwardness watching Jon, he is shy and a little timid but tonight there was
much more confidence especially towards the end of his set. One of his best
performances and proof he is going in the right direction.
Mickey Sterrett was to
close the 1st half, and once again the audience would be going on a
journey to the days of dating a girl with daddy issues and the sadness of
Mickeys existence all the while belting out laughter. Once again Mickey had
delivered a set i would have paid to watch.
There was a break and
then followed 4 acts i hope i have got the order right, George stride next, it
was the 1st time i have seen George, he had some great lines including
the broken home bit that i remember best but not only that it just looked
right, he looked like he belongs on a stage doing comedy and was a joy to
watch.
Edy Hurst followed,
Edy is sort of whimsical, he appears unrehearsed and random and has just such
odd takes on things with several stories going nowhere, ‘The end’ being the lne
that gets the laugh until his final story with is the ultimate punchline of it
all. Another enjoyable watch.
Si Finningan was next,
i love watching Si dominate the stage and effectively press self destruct while
simultaneously getting roars of delight, there are jokes, insults and mini
stories in a set that you just want to end and keep going at the same time. Very
much a great style and always good to see Si in action tonight was no
exception.
The final act of the
night was my favourite, Joby Mageean (think thats how its spelt)
Joby produced a book
and read out what was written within, these were the beginnings of failed
jokes... yet he was still getting laughs from them, i suspect because he sets
you into a position of relaxed poise awaiting the next opportunity to laugh.
Joby then produces a Ukulele and has a back story for it before swapping it for
i think an appalachian dulcimer (i had to google this) and playing an enjoyable
comedy song (i sometimes fear when i see comedy musicians not sure why)
And so concluded great night at Pigeon Hole and my 28th
gig, while i fell i personally may be plateauing slightly the main thing is i
have recognised it and can work more on things like smiling, looking up,
speaking clearly and really selling it even though i have many many doubts
about my set.
Up next Glyde house
Bradford a gig i’m really looking forward to.
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