A Weekend of Two Halves
After a lovely little gig last Wednesday at the Comedy Cafe, I was really looking forward to this weekend at Camden Jongleurs.
I love the venue for all kinds of reasons, and there was an interesting line-up, so I was very very excited about it as I jumped on the bus on Friday evening. Lovely Dan the sound man was there, and its always a treat to see him and my old mates Carey Marx and Andrew Maxwell were on, so it was great to catch up with them. Carey - who did an Edinburgh show two years ago called Marry Me, has gotten himself engaged and Maxwell's only gone and bought himself a house, so there was lots of congratulations flying around.
In addition to those two were Martin Coyote who I haven't seen in years and who is on great form at the moment, and new to me, a comedy magician called Pete Firman who's got some great tricks and a very winning persona.
The audience on Friday night however, were one of the oddest mixes of people in a room I've ever encountered. No matter what I did they never really gelled as an audience, more a collection of distinct little groups.
The layout of the club is not easy for a performer. It goes a long way back and you have to grab the people right back there at the bar if you want to have a good gig, if they don't feel engaged, they begin to talk and it rolls forward like a wave of apathy at best, hatred at worst!
Jongleurs try out new acts here and at Battersea, and in general, they tend to be pretty experienced comedians, who are used to doing 20 minute sets at other clubs, so by the time they get here they are ready to shine. Otherwise it is simply too daunting. I can remember coming to Camden to see shows when I first started and thinking that it was as massive as Wembley, by the time I did my open spot I was comfortable with crowds, and I cracked it.
Friday night's try out didn't have the requisite energy for that spot, and I suspect, didn't have the experience either, and I have to say it was one of the most painful experiences I have ever witnessed. I really felt for the guy, tho opening with a routine "borrowed" from Bill Bailey did him no favours either. I did admire his tenacity tho, he held fast, got some good lines out, and did his time. It's gigs like this that make you examine what it is you're doing, and whether or not you want to carry on doing it.
Friday's highlights for me were Carey and his Teddy Bear - if you haven't seen him recently, do, he's on fire, and Andrew Maxwell's swagger as he demolished the disruptive elements in the crowd and had a blinding set.
Needless to say I wasn't that thrilled about Saturday night, I tend to blame myself when things don't go right, especially when I am the MC, so I spent the day going over what I could've done differently. I decided to dress up a bit, rather than the jeans and smock top combo I'd worn Friday, thinking if I looked more businesslike the audience might behave better. It might sound shallow, but I know it works.
As I walked into the club I could feel a totally different atmosphere in the room, lots of stags and hens, lots of birthday parties and lots of more chilled people out for a really good time. I relaxed immediately, with the right amount of discipline they would be a proper audience by the time I brough the first act on.
As we all congregated in the dressing room, we agreed that Friday's bunch were odd, and that tonight would be better. We were right!
From the minute I walked on, we were off and running for a great night of comedy. The crowd were so up for it. The first half was a dream, Martin and Carey kicked ass and after the break it was time for tonight's try out. An American comic called Erich McElroy, he played it beautifully and went off to a huge cheer. Pete stirred them in all kinds of ways, and Maxwell was just a pleasure to watch. He was less hard hitting than on Friday, cos he didn't need to be, and went off on a tangent that was just soooooo funny and brilliant to watch. It's a delight for me to see someone who really is on top of their game.
So, all in all, 2-0 to us. Yay!
I love the venue for all kinds of reasons, and there was an interesting line-up, so I was very very excited about it as I jumped on the bus on Friday evening. Lovely Dan the sound man was there, and its always a treat to see him and my old mates Carey Marx and Andrew Maxwell were on, so it was great to catch up with them. Carey - who did an Edinburgh show two years ago called Marry Me, has gotten himself engaged and Maxwell's only gone and bought himself a house, so there was lots of congratulations flying around.
In addition to those two were Martin Coyote who I haven't seen in years and who is on great form at the moment, and new to me, a comedy magician called Pete Firman who's got some great tricks and a very winning persona.
The audience on Friday night however, were one of the oddest mixes of people in a room I've ever encountered. No matter what I did they never really gelled as an audience, more a collection of distinct little groups.
The layout of the club is not easy for a performer. It goes a long way back and you have to grab the people right back there at the bar if you want to have a good gig, if they don't feel engaged, they begin to talk and it rolls forward like a wave of apathy at best, hatred at worst!
Jongleurs try out new acts here and at Battersea, and in general, they tend to be pretty experienced comedians, who are used to doing 20 minute sets at other clubs, so by the time they get here they are ready to shine. Otherwise it is simply too daunting. I can remember coming to Camden to see shows when I first started and thinking that it was as massive as Wembley, by the time I did my open spot I was comfortable with crowds, and I cracked it.
Friday night's try out didn't have the requisite energy for that spot, and I suspect, didn't have the experience either, and I have to say it was one of the most painful experiences I have ever witnessed. I really felt for the guy, tho opening with a routine "borrowed" from Bill Bailey did him no favours either. I did admire his tenacity tho, he held fast, got some good lines out, and did his time. It's gigs like this that make you examine what it is you're doing, and whether or not you want to carry on doing it.
Friday's highlights for me were Carey and his Teddy Bear - if you haven't seen him recently, do, he's on fire, and Andrew Maxwell's swagger as he demolished the disruptive elements in the crowd and had a blinding set.
Needless to say I wasn't that thrilled about Saturday night, I tend to blame myself when things don't go right, especially when I am the MC, so I spent the day going over what I could've done differently. I decided to dress up a bit, rather than the jeans and smock top combo I'd worn Friday, thinking if I looked more businesslike the audience might behave better. It might sound shallow, but I know it works.
As I walked into the club I could feel a totally different atmosphere in the room, lots of stags and hens, lots of birthday parties and lots of more chilled people out for a really good time. I relaxed immediately, with the right amount of discipline they would be a proper audience by the time I brough the first act on.
As we all congregated in the dressing room, we agreed that Friday's bunch were odd, and that tonight would be better. We were right!
From the minute I walked on, we were off and running for a great night of comedy. The crowd were so up for it. The first half was a dream, Martin and Carey kicked ass and after the break it was time for tonight's try out. An American comic called Erich McElroy, he played it beautifully and went off to a huge cheer. Pete stirred them in all kinds of ways, and Maxwell was just a pleasure to watch. He was less hard hitting than on Friday, cos he didn't need to be, and went off on a tangent that was just soooooo funny and brilliant to watch. It's a delight for me to see someone who really is on top of their game.
So, all in all, 2-0 to us. Yay!
Labels: Gigs
posted by JoJo Smith at Sunday, April 29, 2007
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