Hot on the heels of my Laughing Horse heat, was a 5 minute spot at the William IV Comedy Night in Kensal Green. A night I can recommend wholeheartedly to stand ups looking for a friendly open mic.

The room at the William IV had a great atmosphere, with loads of comfy chairs to put the crowd at ease. And although the majority of the audience were acts, there was a sense of cameraderie that made for a really friendly crowd. I was on last, which ordinarily would make it harder to enjoy the rest of the show (worrying too much about my own spot), but being in such a friendly room helped put me at ease.

I toyed around with a new opener, which is still in need of some polish. Luckily, I was able to get some laughs from it mainly through the delivery, which shows all the practise is starting to pay off! And once I'd got going, I can honestly say it was one of the best gigs I've had, even thought the audience was small. There's something about having to wait for a laugh to subside before continuing that makes you feel like a comedy demi-God (like Hercules, but with less of the centaur blood poisoning thing).

Being relaxed certainly helped, and gave me the confidence to try out some ad-libbing. Which a fellow act remarked really helped make the act more friendly and accessible. Definitely something to try more often; I should probably aim to trim my sets a little to allow room for it.

All in all, a great sociable night of comedy. Congrats have to go to Fred Barber and Simon Barker for putting it all together! Certainly a night I'd do again.