It’s time for an update as this website prepares for its busiest time of the year in August and the traffic possibly reaches double figures for the month. In a time of social media algorithms ruining people’s lives and communities, I quite like the freedom of this solitary outpost that only really gets updated when I feel the need and doesn’t rely on likes or shares for validation. That said, AI knows a lot about me due to the volumes of words I have published on here over the years. So, we will have to see what this invasive technology does with all these words when the robots take over, just before the zombies and then the aliens.
Anyway, as the headline suggests, June was not busy at all, but July is gearing up to be a lot busier. What the headline neglects to mention is that May was also pretty busy. I had shows at Brighton Fringe and then Rik Mayall Comedy Festival in Droitwich, returning there for the first time since I reached the final of the only new act competition that ever mattered. Coincidentally, it is the only new act competition where I got through to the final. Both shows were well attended with lively audiences.
Then the void of June happened due to a lack of admin and having various other things on. Plus, I didn’t want to burn out with a busy July before Edinburgh. So, it did give me a chance to conserve some energy at least.
Then July began. I wore a kilt properly for the first time at a mate’s wedding on what was also my birthday. Despite kilts not being designed for the uncomfortable temperatures we are currently having in the UK, it wasn’t quite as sweltering as I anticipated, and I didn’t turn into a giant human sweat patch.
A few days later, it was off to Wembley Stadium to watch My Chemical Romance. I thought I’d splash out on VIP Golden Circle tickets to get closer to the stage and into the venue early.
Turns out, a VIP package at Wembley means queuing for 45 minutes in the blazing sunshine with no cover to a mix of resentment and apathy from the staff manning the lines. It was the worst type of weather for a fanbase renowned for wearing black and having pale complexions. We got inside the stadium a whole 15 minutes before everyone else, and got an exclusive bag and a keyring. You judge whether it was worth paying extra for. I have written some jokes about it for my Edinburgh show. So, that should at least mean the experience is a taxable expense. Fortunately, I managed to cool down once I was inside the stadium.
Getting home again was also a hassle, with the trains re-routed. In classic Greater Anglia fashion, there was no advance warning of this, and no information was available at any of their stations or in onboard announcements. I only discovered this when I arrived at Tottenham Hale to get my train home, which would not be arriving.
In between these frustrations, I was watching My Chemical Romance. And they were amazing, definitely worth the hassle and discomfort of the ten-hour experience. They played The Black Parade in its entirety from start to finish, which is in my Top 3 albums of all time, with all the theatrics that I thoroughly enjoy. I gave some serious consideration to going to another of the Wembley dates up in the nosebleeds, but couldn’t justify it in the heat and at a time of year when I’m trying to conserve funds for Edinburgh. Skunk Anansie were the support on the day I went, who I have suddenly realised are criminally underrated. They were ahead of their time and would have surely been even bigger if they’d emerged in the early 2000s.
Onto comedy next, I got back on the comedy horse on Friday at one of my favourite apathetic open mic nights, trying out some new stuff for my Edinburgh show that I have a good feeling about. Although, as expected, Friday was not the best gauge. Today, I do my first proper preview for this incarnation of HTWAPQ down in Southwark. That should prove a vital testing ground ahead of Shaftesbury Fringe on 18 July, before I perform at Cheddar Ales in Somerset on 25 July. Then on route to Edinburgh this year, I am performing at Durham Fringe for the first time with two shows there on 1-2 August, before I begin my Edinburgh Fringe run on 7 August.
A lot will be different this year, as I am sadly not performing with The Stand. But I’m sure it’ll all be fine in my new surroundings, and I should have everything for my show in decent shape by then.
The days of writing on here will increase in the coming weeks, before petering out again later in the year.