Saturday 26 November 2016

Once Upon A Mic at The Castle

Once Upon A Mic is a show I have a lot of time for. Originally run by the duo Marine and Horatio, the first time I performed here at the start of the year I loved the venue so much I brought Clash of the Tight Tens to it. OUAM might now be steered by just Horatio but it's still in rude health with a focus on variety and giving performers set lengths they deserve.

The catch with this is of course the length of the show. After a ten minute opening of poetry I was up for four songs at 8.20 and delivered both newer tracks, Foodie and Airport, alongside a couple of my mainstays. The audience were fresh and up for it and this continued to be the case when Caroline Francess followed with her Dresden Dolls meets Kate Bush alternative musical cabaret stylings. Half an hour later we then had a short spoken word set before an extended break to enable a full on band to set up.

The band were good and Horatio controlled the desk well for someone dealing with a multitude of factors. Part folk, part anthemic rock, it felt somewhat 2012 but was enjoyable none-the-less. Set complete it was the job of three comedians and a singer/songwriter to push on to a depleting and tired audience. Hassan Dervish and Lucas Jolson worked well with what they had. The others less so. Come midnight the show was over and it was time to fall into an Uber.

Another good night. Foodie needs some work in the breakdown. Otherwise everything is on track for Edinburgh 2017.

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