Last night I went to the Cavendish Arms in Stockwell, which runs an open mic night called Comedy Virgins three days a week and seems to be one of the most popular stand-up comedy nights in London. I was there supporting my friend Pauline (who’s already looking very polished after just a few spots), and to get a feel for the place before trying to get a spot there myself.
It’s a bringer night, which makes for a very different atmosphere to somewhere like Lion’s Den because at least half of the audience are not performers. The down-side is that you need to find somebody to come with you if you want to perform, whereas to get on stage at the Lion’s Den you just have to show up on time.
As well has having a proper comedy club, The Cavendish is a pretty nice pub too, so it’s a comfortable place to hang out for an hour or two before the show starts. It’s also reasonably convenient for me to get home from, so with three open mic nights a week it’s going to be a good place for me.
I don’t know whether it was just a good night, or if it’s always like this, but the quality of all the acts was good. Even people who were doing their first of second spots seemed strong – it almost made me a little nervous about going on there myself because I’m not sure if I’m up to the same standard just yet. I think I’ll try to get a walk-in spot next week and see how it goes.
As the night progressed we all got chatting to various people and it transpired that a few remembered Pauline and myself from our performances at the Lion’s Den a couple of weeks ago. I’m sure that soon enough we’ll start bumping into a lot of the same people on the London scene, but right now it feels pretty good when somebody not only remembers my face, but also starts talking about which bits of my material stayed with them.
Next week I’m going to try the Lion’s Den on Tuesday, and the Cavendish on Wednesday.