A good laugh in the windy city...well, Shelley

I don’t think we’re in Kansas any more! Last night I drove to the picturesque village of Shelley, on the outskirts of Huddersfield, for a 10 minute spot on a comedy show.

The rain was coming down in sheets and being blown around by a swirling, gusting wind that threatened to lift everything into the air just like the tornado in the Wizard of Oz, Toto, Dorothy, and all.

At one point driving down the hill from Shelley, the wind was blowing so hard the river of water which should have been cascading down into the valley was being blown up hill, like some magical Irish road where up and down don’t have rhyme or reason or reality.

The gig itself was in a very nice local pub, a few people were playing pool, a few were on a family night out and really didn’t want to listen to a bunch of comedians (they did make for some excellent material).

On the whole all the acts were well received, there was laughing, mostly from the other acts, but the few punters did give us some laughs and some crowd participation!

The pub dog, Lady, was a fun addition to proceedings, generally pottering around, being a total sweetheart, although at one point she came to the front and let out a little Lady Trump! Further distraction from a rather unpleasant odour!

These are the gigs that can be great fun, and they are great for testing new stuff and polishing old stuff. The camaraderie between comics is always the saving grace of the night and any audience laughs are a welcome bonus.

They are also good for networking and finding out who else is running a night you can jump on and who might like to come and perform at a night you run. I’ve got a few gigs coming up. Next week I’ll be at Comedy Jungle on Thursday at the Foresters, at the Irish on Ecclesall Road on Sunday, March 22, Canal House in Nottingham on the 25th and on the 26th it’s the next Big Shaun Experience Comedy Club at the Fat Cat. Tickets at https://wegottickets.com/event/694893

Stay safe this weekend, it’s going to be a wild and windy one, batten down the hatches, and don’t go out walking yellow brick roads in your red shoes!