In for a penny..... in for a free drink

So I stuck my neck out pretty much straight after my first gig at the highlight, on a high, euphoric thoughts of how great I seemed to go down in a room full of people that had turned up to see us all for our first ever gig. With these disillusioned thoughts in my head.... I booked myself in for the 'King Gong show at the Manchester Comedy Store. It can't be that bad.......... can it?

Having spoken to a lot of people on the circuit my heart had started to sink with each conversation. "They're RUTHLESS up there" or "I did a 8 hour round trip to have 30 seconds on that show" and my personal favourite "I was chanted off stage with people pointing at me, screaming 'You're shit, give up you worthless piece of shit'". So I was beginning to get nervous.
Luckily for me and my normal unorganised self, I'd forgotten I'd booked in for this, and the date, untill Friday around lunch time when I was checking through the folders of my email and came across the acceptance. So I only had 2 days worth of nerves on my back... which helped.

Manchester.... here I come.... ready or not.
So I needed to be there for 19.30, left the house at 17.20 and arrived, once sat nav had decided it DID know its way around Manchester, at 19.00. Not a bad journey, sun was out and I was being the good comedian and re-listening to my set on MP3.... not for the full 1 and a half hours, but for the last 30mins before I got there. Parking around the Comedy Store is STUPIDLY expensive, NCP - £8 for up to 4 hours!!!! Luckily as I was lost, I spotted the Comedy Store on the right, and as I drove past slowly someone pulled out of the Parking metre bays at the front, which are free on Sundays, so I jumped in... HAPPY DAYS!!

The Gig
I was toying with a new intro all the way up there, something more punchy, something that would really get them laughing straight off the bat, I'd decided on opening with the "I'm from Melton Mowbray", and then tell everyone how I had to apologise, because I'd tried to eat all the pies etc etc. on reflection I probably should have gone with that, but instead I opted for the standard start about my nickname, which went down well, and they loved the Sticky Vicky line.

Sitting in the audience waiting to go on stage was nerve jangling, and its true, the crowd were RUTHLESS. First act on, was there for 1min 10 seconds. BOY was she not happy! As the night progressed the card holders (3 red cards are distributed in the audience, if 3 cards are shown, you get gonged) were doing a pretty good job, at times a bit slow but the audience would let them know they weren't happy by quite willingly shouting "CARD" if they didn't like you.

I was on first after the break, Lukas Wild was on just before the break and was Gonged at 4mins 41 seconds.... it would seem that the card holders didn't like religion, but cock gags etc were going down a storm.
So I got up and started my set, it was all going well, untill I forgot to do the list of male nicknames and went into the "lawn bowls" stuff. Once I said I was a national champion, 1 card went up, then I said I had killed old people on the bowls rink another card went up and before I could get my "banker" PTO joke off I was gonged "because I worked in IT".

I was happy with the 3mins 35seconds I got, I was expecting under 1minute so I'm pretty pleased. Had some good feedback from other people who didn't have cards so it really is all down to the crowd.

I'm going back, with better prepared material..... and I WILL last 5mins!

ta-ra pet!