Croydon
To the Scream Lounge then, an alternative bar probably better known for hosting local metal and rock bands than a comedy night. I went on second on the basis that a fellow act who shall remain nameless didn't want to follow me. I'm still not entirely surely whether that was a compliment or a dig. In any event, he was much better equipped than I probably would have been to cope with a crowd who hadn't quite settled down yet. As he acknowledged, the diversions he was sent on distracted from the material he wanted to perform.
I then made the conscious decision to plough through the distractions unless I was directly addressed. I dusted off a couple of old chestnuts and did some Croydon specific stuff that went down well. Given the size of the crowd (about 15), I was generally pleased with the reaction and had timed my 10 minute set just about perfectly. Gradually, I'm getting a better idea of what stuff is working and what needs to be dropped.
An act had brought their cousin and I sat with them at a table at the back. I record my gigs to listen back to afterwards and left my phone on said table. Having delivered the joke "My ex-girlfriend thought I was very domineering, she used to call me the fat controller".I can hear the punter in question say on the recording "As if you'd have had a girlfriend". He later went on to heckle Robyn Perkins in a manner that was at best tasteless and at worst misogynist, which to her credit she handled well.
I shared this on Facebook earlier and a couple of friends were outraged on my behalf. To a certain extent, it's water off a duck's back at this point. It comes with the territory of being a stand up. I learned a little while ago through one regrettable incident that I can't use anger in response and sometimes you have to let the moment pass whilst continuing to exert your control., This is especially true if you first hear the heckle on the bus on the way home. It seems appropriate though, given that's also where I tend to devise my putdowns.
I find 9 out of 10 heckles to be absolutely cringeworthy and do nothing to enhance a performance. But there's a difference between spiteful heckling and playful heckling and (apart from the other incident I've described) the disruptions were largely harmless. I would say that performing to one large group who all know each other is something of a pain. It did feel more like a social club than a gig but they were receptive to me which is always nice.
The evening ended with the crowd having expressed their admiration for Chuck Norris and singing Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now. Admittedly headliner Ria Lina had asked them for a song, but this was still a bit weird. And those Chuck Norris memes they were referring to are tremendously annoying.
I then made the conscious decision to plough through the distractions unless I was directly addressed. I dusted off a couple of old chestnuts and did some Croydon specific stuff that went down well. Given the size of the crowd (about 15), I was generally pleased with the reaction and had timed my 10 minute set just about perfectly. Gradually, I'm getting a better idea of what stuff is working and what needs to be dropped.
An act had brought their cousin and I sat with them at a table at the back. I record my gigs to listen back to afterwards and left my phone on said table. Having delivered the joke "My ex-girlfriend thought I was very domineering, she used to call me the fat controller".I can hear the punter in question say on the recording "As if you'd have had a girlfriend". He later went on to heckle Robyn Perkins in a manner that was at best tasteless and at worst misogynist, which to her credit she handled well.
I shared this on Facebook earlier and a couple of friends were outraged on my behalf. To a certain extent, it's water off a duck's back at this point. It comes with the territory of being a stand up. I learned a little while ago through one regrettable incident that I can't use anger in response and sometimes you have to let the moment pass whilst continuing to exert your control., This is especially true if you first hear the heckle on the bus on the way home. It seems appropriate though, given that's also where I tend to devise my putdowns.
I find 9 out of 10 heckles to be absolutely cringeworthy and do nothing to enhance a performance. But there's a difference between spiteful heckling and playful heckling and (apart from the other incident I've described) the disruptions were largely harmless. I would say that performing to one large group who all know each other is something of a pain. It did feel more like a social club than a gig but they were receptive to me which is always nice.
The evening ended with the crowd having expressed their admiration for Chuck Norris and singing Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now. Admittedly headliner Ria Lina had asked them for a song, but this was still a bit weird. And those Chuck Norris memes they were referring to are tremendously annoying.
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