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The new "What Stand Up Have You Seen Lately?" thread

Started by Small Man Big Horse, July 16, 2016, 08:16:30 PM

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up_the_hampipe

That's a bizarre response from the venue. I can only assume that booking just one ticket messes with their seating order or something, so they have trouble selling more. Seems rude to keep pushing that idea of bringing friends though, as there has been a stigma about people going to things on their own. I don't think most people care, they barely even notice. If it makes you feel better, I went to Bill Burr's last special taping on my own, risking being seen on Netflix sat on my tod. I prefer going with friends, just cos there's a lot of waiting around and it's nice to chat about the show etc, but when tix are too expensive for them to justify (i.e. big American comics) I'll happily go alone. Nothing wrong with it.

#421
I don't get to many shows these days, but while I (used to) go to 75% of stuff with others I'm always quite happy to go alone. There's a lot to be said about doing things like that solo and not having to worry about what other people think about the act and where the best place to sit is.

BritishHobo

I'm glad I'm not alone (apart from at the gig, where I will be). I've done several weekends at Machynlleth Comedy Festival on my own and had a really nice time chatting with people in queues and before shows, I've been to a couple of comedy gigs elsewhere by myself and not chatted to anyone and had a lovely time, never felt self-conscious about it.

I've had a few people in the past tell me they're horrified by the thought of going to the cinema on their own because they think they'll be judged. I always say nobody else at a film or a gig is going to notice or care if you're sitting alone. But as you say up_the_hampipe, if someone who is doing it for the first time and is a bit nervous tries to book here, I think that this would very likely scare them off. It gives the impression that if you rock up by yourself then you're going to stick out like a sore thumb.

BritishHobo

Quote from: Wayman C. McCreery on April 13, 2022, 11:29:40 AMI don't get to many shows these days, but while I (used to) go to 75% of stuff with others I was always quite happy to go alone. There's a lot to be said about doing things like that solo and not having to worry about what other people think about the act and where the best place to sit is.

Definitely. There are so many comedy things I love that my partner/family would either hate or be incredibly bored by, and so I'd have missed loads of great opportunities if I worried about going on my own. Comedy Bang Bang, The ParaPod Movie, Stewart Lee, all things I would have missed (or else spent the time feeling awkward that I've dragged along someone who isn't enjoying it, as you say).

DrGreggles

I go to loads of stuff on my own.
If something's on in Cambridge or somewhere relatively local I'll tend to go with friends but, if there's something on in Ipswich or Leicester on a Wednesday night, I know that I'll probably be on my own.
I often decide to go to shows at short notice too, which is easier to do solo.

Chudraa

Quote from: BritishHobo on April 13, 2022, 09:53:41 AMAnyway, I booked that a couple of days ago, and today I've had a phone call from the venue to say they noticed I've only booked one ticket, and they wanted to check if I need to link my booking with any friends who are also going, so I had to say out loud that no, I'm going by myself, I'll be sat by myself, there'll be no friends beside me, just me, just myself, on my own, loner, alone at the comedy show, by myself.

Is it Glee Club by any chance? I had this experience recently too. I guess it's because they do a lot of mixed bill club nights which it would be a bit more unusual to go to by oneself (although not that weird). Once you're actually at the show, nobody knows any different anyway.

dissolute ocelot

While COVID restrictions were still a thing, a lot of places only let you book tickets at tables, and you had to have at least 2 people for some shows. I went to a show at the Monkey Barrel in Edinburgh where if you were on your own you had to sit at the very back in a seat against the wall. But I'd expect that sort of thing to be over and done with now. Maybe they're worried that single people will buy less drink, or laugh less.

edwardfog

That's shitty behaviour from the venue. I'd be tempted to tell them so. I think you guys are quite right that it'll probably scare off customers. I go to 90% of shows alone, mainly because I see ~4 shows a week and there's no way of organising companions for all of them especially when it's weird cool shit that no one's heard of. I do often bump into people I know though. Also, if I'm going with other people it means I'm much more likely to be drinking, at which point it starts becoming a very expensive and probably unhealthy hobby.

Memorex MP3

The Bill Murray is so cramped and easily crowded that if you're going with more than one person you're probably gonna wind up being split up anyway.

Feel like almost every show I've seen there has a moment around the 40 minute mark where the mood just nosedives as half the crowd realise they're gonna be stuck in their seat needing a piss for the next 20 minutes.

edwardfog

Anyway, this week's WIPs:

Jessica Fostekew - Wench
Follow up to her nominated show from 2019 Hench. This doesn't yet have the same strong narrative but it's brilliantly funny. Mostly observations about motherhood, lockdown and her shifting sexuality. This kind of trad-alt observational stand-up is generally not my bag and doesn't get me very excited, but every time I see Fostekew she quickly reminds me that she's one of the greats. She should be at least as famous as Sara Pascoe. This show is highly recommended.

Tarot - Cautionary Tales
2nd hour of sketches from this supergroup of Geins and Goose and Kiri P-McC in a background capacity. Good stuff, but noticeably weaker than the last batch. Down from five to four let's say. Couldn't help noticing that a lot of the laughter came from the group's improv around sketches that weren't going very well. Hopefully they'll continue to sharpen the material as they practice their lines.

The Paddock
Certainly the best night I know of in London, and I've been to most of em. This is run by Charlie Perkins from Blink, and mixes short films with experimental new material. Lots of brilliant stuff last night from lots of new faces, mostly women which was cool to see. I was really impressed by Lorna Rose Treen after not digging her WIP two weeks ago. Toussaint Douglass had a pretty good new character as a concussed soul singer. Sarah Roberts had some great stuff in the Bella Hull/Ania Magliano mold which is all the rage right now. Siblings have a very strange sports movie parody which almost sounds like word salad, and Frankie Thompson was my favourite new discovery with a bonkers routine where she dances and mines to a frenetic remix of audio from The Apprentice. The only ones who felt slightly less adventurous were Britney, but still enjoyed them. Highlight of the night as per was Johnny White Really-Really - a true iconoclast, sage and genius, tied for first as my favourite comedian.

BritishHobo

Cheers for that review of The Paddock - I've been considering going to see it in Machynlleth but couldn't really gauge what it was going to be like. Think I may check it out.

Small Man Big Horse

Just thought I'd add my voice to the "I go to gigs on my own without thinking twice" group, and it's really odd that they phoned you up, I'd be extremely pissed off it that did that to me.

Quote from: edwardfog on April 13, 2022, 03:44:38 PMAnyway, this week's WIPs:

Tarot - Cautionary Tales
2nd hour of sketches from this supergroup of Geins and Goose and Kiri P-McC in a background capacity. Good stuff, but noticeably weaker than the last batch. Down from five to four let's say. Couldn't help noticing that a lot of the laughter came from the group's improv around sketches that weren't going very well. Hopefully they'll continue to sharpen the material as they practice their lines.

I almost went to that but I wasn't won over by a (very early) preview of the first hour and as I felt lazy I didn't bother, sorry to hear it was weaker though, on paper they should be great so hopefully over time it'll improve.

Add me to the going to gigs on my own pile. Everything's much easier once you get over any weird paranoia about it, you can just book for anything you want to without having to worry about anything. Would probably just leave it if the ticket page was arsey about it unless it was something I really wanted to see/couldn't see anywhere else, god knows what I'd have done if they'd fucking phoned me about it. Genuinely out of order

sutin

Quote from: BritishHobo on April 13, 2022, 09:53:41 AMDo any of you go to these gigs by yourself? I've always been pretty content going to gigs and shows by myself if nobody else is interested in going, but I'm looking to start going to more shows, and one venue in particular seems to make a massive point on its booking form of acting like it's really weird if you're only booking one ticket. It warns you multiple times that you've only selected one ticket - as if that could only be an error - and at the end you literally have to tick a box to say you meant to only book one, like the loner cunt you are. It then emphasises several times that if you do have friends joining you you can link tickets with them later. As if you're in an actual conversation with someone and they're giving you an out so you can pretend you do have mates but they're just not booking their tickets yet, but you do have mates, honest. There's also a mandatory question as to why you're coming to the show, and the answers are all social occasions like stag dos or anniversaries.

Anyway, I booked that a couple of days ago, and today I've had a phone call from the venue to say they noticed I've only booked one ticket, and they wanted to check if I need to link my booking with any friends who are also going, so I had to say out loud that no, I'm going by myself, I'll be sat by myself, there'll be no friends beside me, just me, just myself, on my own, loner, alone at the comedy show, by myself.

I've gone solo to more comedy shows, music gigs, films, signings, festivals etc than I can count, always felt very secure and comfortable doing it. Never seen this in my life. It feels like exactly the mad paranoid scenario that my socially-awkward teenage self would have been terrified of happening the first time I went to an event on my own. The kind of fear that can only come from being so self-conscious that you mistakenly think everyone else is going to be as interested in your personal situation as you are.

Is this common? Has anyone else had this? Or do you all have friends, I guess, UNLIKE ME.

I go watch a lot of music on my own and always have because I love music, i'm not going to miss something special because I can't pin down a chaperone. I don't go to much comedy and I pretty much hate the cinema but I would have no problem doing those things on my todd if I had to as well. I've never understood why it's a thing, i'm convinced the people who think it's weird to go to a gig on your own are the same people who talk the whole way through gigs.

As for your ticket booking experience, I have never heard of something like that happening, but i'd probably complain to them about it because it sounds annoying and could possibly cause anxiety to anyone prone to it.

lauraxsynthesis

Last night I visited Cheap Jokes at The Camden Head for the second time and found it hit and miss again. Horatio Gould was an ok compere. A lot of the comedy came out of the audience interacting with each other when he cocked things up. Red Richardson and Jacob Hawley were each very funny though their sets were too short. Celya AB was good but was testing very early new material so I'll want to see her again when it's ready. Not very good were Fin Taylor and a Ukranian comedian whose name I didn't catch - maybe Dmitri something? They were both politically dodgy eg jokes about nagging wives and Scousers not speaking English. Also the Ukranian fella was a Louis CK fan. It worried me hearing comedians in their 20s doing reactionary jokes.

Quote from: Memorex MP3 on April 13, 2022, 03:38:49 PMThe Bill Murray is so cramped and easily crowded that if you're going with more than one person you're probably gonna wind up being split up anyway.

Feel like almost every show I've seen there has a moment around the 40 minute mark where the mood just nosedives as half the crowd realise they're gonna be stuck in their seat needing a piss for the next 20 minutes.

Although on the other side, I've been to a couple of shows at The Bill Murray by myself and it's so cramped in the bar that it's really awkward waiting around before the show. Too packed to find a quiet table and kill time on your phone and so busy that you're standing pretty much in the middle of other groups and having to shuffle around as people squeeze by to go to the loo.

Quote from: thelittlemango on April 14, 2022, 04:11:07 PMAlthough on the other side, I've been to a couple of shows at The Bill Murray by myself and it's so cramped in the bar that it's really awkward waiting around before the show. Too packed to find a quiet table and kill time on your phone and so busy that you're standing pretty much in the middle of other groups and having to shuffle around as people squeeze by to go to the loo.

The waiting in the bar there is fucking horrible, honestly. I'm always convinced there's going to be a crush. Drives me mad they take so long to open the door before a show when it's packed

Memorex MP3

arriving 5 minutes late seems to be the best idea generally; you get a nice seat at the back and you avoid all that shite.

TrenterPercenter

Went and saw Nish Kumar last night.  Expectations were low, I'm not a big The Mash fan anyway, but largely that was because of how many people on here had said they couldn't stand him and that he wasn't good at stand up.  He was fantastic, easily one of the best stand up shows I've seen in the last 10 years not quite Stewart Lee levels but not far off.  There was 20 minutes at the end that whilst good didn't need to be there mind.  I think he did this for value for money but he needed not as he had already lifted the roof of.  Really good stuff, highly recommended.

Quote from: TrenterPercenter on April 16, 2022, 09:28:57 AMExpectations were low, I'm not a big The Mash fan anyway, but largely that was because of how many people on here had said they couldn't stand him and that he wasn't good at stand up.

Most people on here (outside of this thread) don't watch live comedy. Acts usually get judged on panel show and podcast appearances, or occasionally five minute slots on Live at The Apollo.

TrenterPercenter

Quote from: Wayman C. McCreery on April 16, 2022, 07:12:59 PMMost people on here (outside of this thread) don't watch live comedy. Acts usually get judged on panel show and podcast appearances, or occasionally five minute slots on Live at The Apollo.

Makes sense.  Well I'm glad I went to see him as he is a really great standup.

edwardfog

Quote from: Wayman C. McCreery on April 16, 2022, 07:12:59 PMMost people on here (outside of this thread) don't watch live comedy. Acts usually get judged on panel show and podcast appearances, or occasionally five minute slots on Live at The Apollo.

So true. Mad when you go on the Taskmaster threads and people have never heard of the contestants. Nish is a great stand-up, much less interesting off the cuff on podcasts etc.

Small Man Big Horse

Joseph Parsons: Equaliser (Work in progress) - An hour where Parsons talks about what it's like to be gay and a big sports fan, including a good number of tales from his past but also thoughts on governing bodies and just how shitty things like the Qatar World Cup will be. I liked this a fair bit, a number of segments needed polishing or a stronger ending, but Parsons impressed me a good deal and I imagine by the end this will be a 4 star show. Though right now in it's unfinished state I'd rate it 3.25/5

Amy Matthews 'Moreover, The Moon' (Work In Progress) - And the same pretty much applies with Matthews' show where she discusses how she suffers from "Main Character Syndrome", where she imagines her life's a movie, which of course isn't always that healthy a perspective. This was more consistently funny but it doesn't have a strong narrative spine just yet, but as with Parsons I think this will easily be a four star show when it's finished, and maybe even better than that, and out of the two it was a bit more unusual and odd in places which appealed to my sense of humour. 3.5/5

Quote from: Bobloblawslawbomb on March 24, 2022, 12:23:46 PMAnyone going to Lou Sanders show at the Lowry tonight and hasn't checked their emails, the show has been postponed til 4/5/22 due to illness.

Hi everyone. I can't make the rescheduled Lou Sanders show on Wednesday May 4th. If anyone Manchester based wants the ticket they can have it for free if they come and collect it from Burnage. PM for details.

Small Man Big Horse

Rachel Parris: All Change Please - I really liked Rachel, I saw her headlining a gig just before the pandemic which was superb, and her show on NextUp is one of the best on the service, but tonight's show clocked in at two and a half hours (including a 20 minute interval) and it was just too long. I think she'd have an absolute killer hour long show, and a great 90 minute one, but there were times last night where certain bits of material seemed weak in comparison to her best stuff. A mixture of songs and stand up it started brilliantly, and her giving Boris and co a good kicking was really well done, as was the majority of her covid material, but then she started talking about her marriage, and how posh he is, and that led in to some quite weak material about skiing and speedy boarding (where you pay extra to board a flight first), it was still self-deprecating but I just didn't think it was that funny. Post interval and she was on far better form, material about her pregnancy, step-kids, what it was like to suddenly go viral out of the blue, and her mental issues was superb (and I wish there'd been more on the latter), though oddly she ended it on a spoof of all of the songs from The Greatest Showman which barely elicited a chuckle. All of which made it feel a bit patchy quality wise, I'm definitely glad I saw her again, and I still feel she's one of the funniest comedians out there, but because it was so overlong I can only rate it 3.75/5

Pink Gregory

Who honestly has 'speedy boarding' material and still uses it?

You can forgive 'airplane food, am I right?!' in the US because of the relative normality of domestic flights, but all I think is 'oh yeah, someone goes on holiday now do they'.

Small Man Big Horse

Quote from: Pink Gregory on April 23, 2022, 12:52:35 PMWho honestly has 'speedy boarding' material and still uses it?

You can forgive 'airplane food, am I right?!' in the US because of the relative normality of domestic flights, but all I think is 'oh yeah, someone goes on holiday now do they'.

She did at least frame it as something that had been paid for her by a comedy festival in France, but I'd never heard of it before and the description she gave of it just annoyed me a bit, along with other bits about being posh, even though it was lightly mocking I found myself wishing that she ripped in to it more. That was the only part though, and the rest of it was far, far better.

Small Man Big Horse

Chloe Petts: Transcience (WIP) - I saw Petts as part an Edinburgh preview sort of mini-festival six years ago and she wasn't very good and overran for fucking ages, so naturally I held a grudge and avoided her for a good while afterwards. I'm glad I'm no longer such an idiot as she was great today, as Petts is aware herself it still needs some work / stronger punchlines in a couple of places, but while it's a 3.5/5 right now I'm sure when finished it'll be 4 stars or even more.

edwardfog

Petts is good, maybe a bit normcore but she's got a bright future I reckon.

I know touring comedians feel they have to put on a longer show to justify the price tag and make it a "night out" but I can't think of a single comedian who can pull off a two hour show. Fatigue inevitably sets in. An hour is perfect, and I am frequently reminded of Goldsmith's adage to the effect of, if you were to come out at the beginning of ANYTHING and tell the audience it was going to be ten minutes shorter than advertised, no one will ever be sad

Small Man Big Horse

Quote from: edwardfog on April 25, 2022, 10:12:36 AMI know touring comedians feel they have to put on a longer show to justify the price tag and make it a "night out" but I can't think of a single comedian who can pull off a two hour show. Fatigue inevitably sets in. An hour is perfect, and I am frequently reminded of Goldsmith's adage to the effect of, if you were to come out at the beginning of ANYTHING and tell the audience it was going to be ten minutes shorter than advertised, no one will ever be sad

I'm with you there, I can think of one or two times I really enjoyed a two hour show (Stewart Lee's Snowflake/Tornado, Daniel Kitson doing a Work In Progress years ago) but that's about it, and anything over two hours is definitely too much for me.