Soho Comedy Factory

Today - well, with a dearth of alternatives, I ended up at Soho Comedy Factory Shows and Socials at last. No listing from the organiser this time, to put me off. Didn't actually have time to check my Buses Due app before a bus appeared.. dropped me there in good time. We'd been told it happens upstairs at The Blue Posts - crikey, what an unfortunately small pub! I'd had the thought of getting a drink, and hanging out in the bar until showtime - not a chance. I used their loo, though - decent enough, but be warned, the lights work on motion sensors. So if you pause to contemplate, you'll be doing so in darkness. I then moseyed aimlessly for a bit, coming back when the doors were supposed to be open. Sure enough, the bar was a lot emptier - I got a drink and took it upstairs.

That's as close as I got to the group - seriously, I keep complaining about people not bringing a sign so you know who's in the group.. here's a sign, with no people attached!

The upstairs function room is as small as you'd expect - but has room for lots of stools, and I took one near the window. Turned out the only others there at that point were comedians who were preparing to perform - and the MC, who greeted me cheerily as I came in. I later helped her to pull the curtains - for atmosphere. Oh, and she was fixing the aircon (yay! because it's hottening up again), and fashioning DIY spotlights, using squares of cardboard to direct the lights.

I'd positioned myself well - the third row tends to be safe enough. Mind you, a couple of people in my row got picked on - to be fair, the bloke was wearing a waistcoat, and the lady he was with, when we were asked to come up with a special talent, volunteered her singing talents. (She was very good, but didn't win the packet of out-of-date chocolate that the MC had just found in a box to the side.)

The comedians.. ehh.. well, the MC is good. She had warned us that some of the comedians were newbies - and it showed. I really admire their gumption - but I was ready to leave after the first three. Fully prepared to do so, in fact. And then - the fourth guy was good. Markedly better - better material, a more polished and confident delivery. Scottish guy - sorry, I have no idea of their names. And after the interval, this pretty much continued. Mind you, there was a serious focus on the parents who sat near the front with their 14-year-old son! The more the comedians tended to feed off their audience, the less able they were to pretend he wasn't there - so he got a lot of attention. The family was Icelandic, BTW.

Honestly, this was one of the better free comedy gigs I've attended. I might even go back - shame there were no backs on the seats, though. Oh, and getting the bus home, I said I'd risk carrying on, as the diversion warning didn't seem to carry on to where I needed to get off - well, seems as though the roadworks have finished early, because we sailed happily down Euston Road! Diversion is supposed to last for weeks yet - I dunno, there is no keeping up with them.

Tomorrow, I'm back with Up In The Cheap Seats - crikey, when's the last time that happened, twice with them in one week! This time, it's for Yeast Nation in Southwark Playhouse. Bless, they always put on something interesting.. Anyway, with my old payg subscription used up, I've taken out another - £60 gets you five tickets, over an unlimited period. Excellent value! and I have such good memories of evenings spent in the bar here. Unlikely to happen this week.

On Friday, I got a cheap ticket with TAC to the Cabaret All-Stars!

Saturday is going to be busy - I'm back with Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners for a walk called Glorious Greenwich. So popular, he's reached capacity and there are still 11 on the waitlist! He's finally found somewhere that can accommodate 20 of us, and is trying to get people to confirm whether they're going to lunch - since 34 have booked for the walk!

That evening, I was supposed to be meeting two ex-coworkers for dinner and drinks. But it turns out one got her wires crossed, and is now doing something else. Unfortunately, the other can only manage central London - Greenwich is too awkward for him. We're going back to Imad's Syrian Kitchen.. perfect location, great restaurant!

And on Sunday, I'm off to Rye. London and Sussex Walking Tours - whom I joined during lockdown - are running a daytrip! called Rye - Pirates, Ports and Jazz (they also have a jazz festival that weekend): and I've never been. It's a bit of a palaver to get to, involving two trains - but well, it's about time I travelled a bit, and it's not too early a start. And the tour itself ends early in the day, so I have plenty of time to eat and explore before my train(s) back.