I have had three gigs this week and not written about any of them until now. It has been nice to have a break from commenting on occurrences in comedy, which does not bode well on the future of this blog.
But when you are faced with an apathetic audience at an open mic gig on a wet Tuesday night, it does little to inspire the need to write. Wednesday’s gig in Cambridge was much better and although I got partially lost on my way to the venue, only did five minutes and spent £14 on the train ticket, it was a decent gig and I felt in the best comedy shape I’ve been post-Edinburgh.
Then last night, I had another gig in Bradford-on-Avon. I decided to come back home to Stroud for the weekend, with access to a car enabling me to drive there.
When I arrived at the venue, I saw a lot of people who had been drinking for a few hours and one was celebrating a birthday. I feared the worst and was bracing myself for a battle, which I tend to get a masochistic kick out of.
I was also feeling nauseous from something I’d eaten before the drive, which wasn’t a good sign and I had visions of me being sick during my set.
Thankfully, all my fears were unfounded. The birthday party didn’t come through and I didn’t vomit. It turned out to be a pleasure of a gig. The audience were friendly, if a little vocal, which allowed for a lot of interaction and enjoyment from both sides as a result.
My set went down really well and I’d rate it as a solid 8/10. A few lines failed to get a huge laugh, which gives me something to work on, but several lines got very big reactions.
However, it is all too easy to coast along on the high of a good gig and fall into the trap of thinking you’ve cracked it. A comedian’s work is never done; there are always things that can be improved. Nevertheless, it was a most pleasing night and after weeks of post-Fringe pondering over my future in stand-up, it was a sign that maybe, just maybe, I might be able to get somewhere with comedy. Although I expect I’ll be back to apathetic open mic nights in no time.
In order to progress to paid work, I’m going to need to be driving to gigs before too much longer. But there’s no way I can afford to run a car in London. So I need to consider my options and get me a plan together. Comedian drivers are always in demand, particularly in London, and provide the most realistic route to getting paid gigs. The pun in that last sentence is optional.