September open mics post-mortem
A bit of time off in September meant it was a quiet month. I hit the 50 gig milestone though, and it was my first time doing 3 gigs in 3 days! Culminating in my first ever proper open mic competition, which did not go well!
18th September – Mates Rates Comedy RAW (49th Gig)
I last did this Open mic in 2019 when it was at the Purple Turtle. Back then it was my 6th gig and according to my write up, my worst performance ever (How little I knew!) And apparently it made me decide to try Beta blockers for the nerves!
Fortunately my return wasn’t as painful. I felt a bit rushed because I hadn’t rehearsed my new bit leading into my regular closer and I didn’t want to run over. So it was a mixed performance, although some jokes got big laughs so I’m definitely happy with it.
There were 3 recruitment agents at the back talking throughout people’s sets and trying to ‘help’. The MC handled them well, he took the piss but kept it friendly… but then the headliner Greg Winfield came on and he is a savage! I almost felt sorry for them by the end.
27th September – Pint and a Laugh (50th Gig)
This was a really fun gig, and as a bonus it was held in the Saracen’s Head which is where I spent many work time lunches when I worked in Bath in ’98.
There was a small but up for it crowd, about 15 audience members plus comics. I stuck to my tried and tested material because I wanted a dry run for a competition. I did mess up the Mario Kart story, so I need to get some rehearsal time in to refresh my memory.
28th September – G&B Comedy (51st Gig)
Another fun night at G&B. Kyle put me on first and mentioned afterwards that he did it in order to push me a bit, which felt good having him take an interest. I did a few jokes with my face plate and an ‘Achievement unlocked’ type prop for my ’50th’ gig. I then finished with the Mario Kart story which overall went ok. Here’s the write up.
September – Comedy Competition (52nd Gig)
This was my first proper competition and it did not go well. I didn’t get through to the next round, and I didn’t deserve to either. But I will share some thoughts on how it went, whilst trying not to sound too bitter!
When I arrived the organiser look disappointed and said they thought I was a woman. This made me feel pretty crappy, as if I’d somehow tricked my way into the competition by grabbing a female slot (ahem). Even though I make a point of mentioning that I’m a male whenever I apply for something. AND I included a f***ing video! It took me a while to shake the feeling that I wasn’t welcome.
I was on in the second half and I noticed that none of the other acts were getting a great reaction. They were funny, it was just a very quiet audience for it’s size. Normally I can mentally prepare if I know it’s going to be a bad one, but the size of the crowd threw me off and I just thought it’d be fine. It wasn’t! I’m not sure if the venue was too big for the crowd or what, but it was very weird.
Anyway, they laughed at a few jokes, but nothing really built, then the confidence went and I started forgetting stuff, and it spiralled. I know you shouldn’t blame the audience, but I’m just not experienced enough to win over a tough crowd and that’s the way it goes sometimes.