Edblog: Aug 6th

Today was the first of our days off. Based on turnouts in previous years I concluded that Tuesdays were the slowest day and therefore the best to take off and go and support other acts. Due to a late night I saw less than I had planned to but I at least dented my monolithic list of shows to see.

Last night I saw Wingman: My Brother The Top Gun Pilot featuring JB Carter  at the multi-storey squat that is Bar Bados. A neat tale drawing parallels between the film and JB's brother's airforce-based incidents, it was a diverting hour with some nice jokes and a genuine personal story.

This lunchtime I joined a long queue for David McIver's Teleport at The Banshee Labyrinth (Cinema Room.) Some people thought it was a magic show but those of us who had read the blurb knew it to be a character comedy based hour recalling David's own personal experience of growing up immersed in online fantasy quest games. Exceptionally funny takes on adventurers, magical items and everything in-between followed with a healthy dose of audience interaction and a powerful emotional twist towards the end. One to see this year before it inevitably ends up somewhere bigger and more expensive in 2020.

Following this I was at The Mash House (Snifter Room) for Andy Storey's Still (Awkward) Life. With his softly spoken delivery, the show was as much a quiet chat with friends as it was a series of amusing anecdotal stories about awkwardness and anxiety. Addressing and equally engaging a front row featuring an age range of about 4 decades - Andy's ability to capture the attention of the assembled was delivered with understated confidence. The bombastic (for Andy) twist at the end is well worth waiting for.

The final show of the day was again at The Mash House but this time I was up and down from the audience at regular intervals as I was MCing The Musical Comedy Guide Showcase. After introducing the show and a couple of songs it was simply a case of getting up and clapping on the next act every ten minutes. The acts were great and the audience thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Definitely one for those who like their mirth with a tempo and melody.

Stats unchanged from yesterday

Clash of the Tight Tens
Bums on seats: 13 (Total: 91)
Cash in the swing bin: £40 (Total: £159)

99 (First World) Problems
Bums on seats: 15 (Total: 86)
Cash in the bag for life: £61 (Total: £206)