Memoirs of a Geezer at The Thomas Neale

This was my final show before heading off to Edinburgh and I'd been looking forward to it for a while. Steve McCann (pictured) has done wonders with this dimly lit boozer this year and has established a new act night with a waiting list longer than the recent car park conga line to Dover for the ferry.

On previous visits the place had been packed but the warm weather had pulled numbers down somewhat with the crowd made up largely of acts - augmented with a decent smattering of locals.

As is the norm for a night of five minute spots it was a mixture of the good, the less good and the impressively odd. Early on one act dried up on stage within a minute but rallied in the second half to return and knock out a very decent 300 seconds as if it had never happened. Steve did a good job linking the acts - and regularly telling the occasional drunken local to shut up. I utilised the small plastic buggy on stage to serve as my Limp Bizkit Rollin'-inspired car whilst performing Clicking Like and Andy Storey topped things off the night nicely.

Unlike previous Memoirs the night wrapped around 10.30, some hour or so earlier than usual. However, instead of heading home for an early night I got myself involved in a lock-in until gone one and spent the night crashed out at a performer's flat in South London. A taste of what's to come in Edinburgh I suspect.