Went through my Laughing Horse heat t'other night (Green Park).

Had a bit o' luck though, if I'm honest, cause 7 of us went through from 12 contestants; I went to another heat to see a friend last night and the ratio was 5 or 6 from 15.

What I've noticed from both gigs, however, is that the qualifyers all seemed to have a 'thing'. You know, a real 'shtick'.

A raging lesbian, a quick-fire one-liner, a chav character, a staggering drunk, a poet...you get the idea.

Now, you might say that's just 'being a good comic' and having a strong identity, which of course is necessary. And you'd be right, of course, in part.

But the thing is a lot of them were far from the best acts on the night, and several much more talented acts went crashing out. Why? Well, they were just ordinary blokes being really funny. Incredibly funny, in some cases. But they just didn't have this 'identity' - quite often merely their physical appearance - that stuck in peoples (and thus the judges') minds.

Anyway, tis just something I thought I'd share with the forum...

@Chopz ... that was amazing ... I was really impressed with engaging the audience as a performer & I had a really good chuckle.

@Stu R well done ... but 7! I guess they know what they are doing. Out of interest do you have a shtick?

Cheers TFL.

My set is 50% one-liners, so I suppose if anything, that is it. The other 50% is paedophilia and incest based (though tis not, I hasten to to add, particularly sick or shocking stuff).

http://www.gildedballoon.co.uk/So_You_Think_Youre_Funny/apply_for_so_you_think_youre_funny.html

Another comp if anyone is that way inclined.

Quote: Chopz @ January 26 2010, 5:23 PM GMT

Had a little gig last night, first time I've filmed it for a while

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qepb8EgkjE

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That was really good. You're really confident on stage.

Just a quick note from someone trying to build up the courage (and material) for his first open mic night, this thread has been invaluable for confidence boosting, advice and fantastic puns and wordplay (the punnier the better)

Keep it up, so I can add details of my first disatrous performance in upcoming weeks/months to make everyone else feel better about their own sets

Just got back from my Laughing Horse gig.

As I took the mike in my hand, my mind went blank and I mean, totally blank. I was like a rabbit in the headlights.

I admitted it, told them I had stage fright, and then suddenly it came flooding back to me, but it was a good 20 seconds of sheer panic, knees knocking, the lot!

They forgave me, perhaps they thought it was part of my act? I ended up having the best gig of my life (ok, it was only my 8th gig).

It was so cool, the crowd were brilliant. I didn't get through but I don't care because I rocked!

The standard was very high, and I'm not just saying that. From seeing the acts that went before I knew there was no chance of me going through, and that's before I even got on stage.

All I can say is if your heat's coming up and you're feeling a bit nervous, don't worry about it. Just think of it as a great night out where you happen to be on stage for 5 minutes.

Quote: AngieBaby @ January 30 2010, 1:10 AM GMT

Just got back from my Laughing Horse gig.

I didn't get through but I don't care because I rocked!

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Great words that made me smile deep down. Thanks Angie

Quote: AngieBaby @ January 30 2010, 1:10 AM GMT

Just got back from my Laughing Horse gig.

As I took the mike in my hand, my mind went blank and I mean, totally blank. I was like a rabbit in the headlights.

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Which venue was it?

That sounds like my idea of a nightmare. It happened to my mate and she filled in by doing a robot dance. I did have some time to fill at the end of a 5 minute slot (I talk so fast sometimes I had about a minute left), so I went through the audience pointing out looky-likeys.

I was at the Goat Tavern, Green Park.

Just watching the FHM Stand-up programme on ITV4, and interested to see how the acts in the final were struggling. They were all complaining about how tough the crowd was.

I caught the FHM show too. Does anyone think that the Geordie guy in the duffel coat was ace. I'm reminded of Stu R's words earlier about performers with a schtick being more suggestibly funny shall we say, but I genuinely thought he was the only unique act and perhaps the only one I'd be drawn to seeing again.

More info about Danny Pensive can be found here;

http://www.dannypensive.co.uk/

Cool. Cheers Tony

Am doing my Laughing Horse stint next week, congrats to all who've done it so far, are extra congrats to those who've got through. Good to see lots of new blood in this thread also.

Did my first gig last night. Ten minutes at the Comedy Balloon in Manchester. It seemed to go pretty well, what an amazing feeling - I'm still on a high. Are people who are further into this game than me totally addicted? I've got another spot on Sunday and can't wait.