I'm off to the Finsbury for the regular midweek comedy night tomorrow, which is possibly the only [legal] Wednesday evening entertainment to be found anywhere in the Manor House-Newington Green hinterland. It's brilliantly shit of course. A variety of amateur misfits, self-publicists and one-trick ponies line up on stage, desperate to leave their mark in this shabby back room and, above all, to make a bored crisp-munching crowd laugh, a crowd there either because they've stumbled in from the unforgiving rain, or because they have comedic pretensions of their own.
I base these opinions on one previous experience of the Finsbury Comedy Night on 26th October. I had helped a friend move to Finsbury Park earlier that evening whereupon it was then decided we would have a celebratory pint and an introductory kebab. As we strode in, things weren't looking too promising. The woman on stage [a Bavarian with a shrill voice] was launching into a fierce feminist diatribe against Americans and Men "they are so stupid ya" Enthusiastic applause at the end from one person at the front [certainly not a man and presumably not an American] Deafening silence elsewhere. She was followed by a short bearded man. I didn't catch the name, Martin? Marvin? perhaps it was Melvin - either way, a proudly seedy little office worker who proceeded to unleash 17 minutes of pure unadulterated smut on the unsuspecting crowd. Once again, any pockets of laughter were easily drowned out by the popular hot air dryer in the gents next door. Embarrassed faces at every table - his ecstastic airpunch at the end not to my knowledge reciprocated.
The act who saved the night was a giant Geordie called Luke Benson, who I tip for big things. I am writing this over 3 weeks later so I cannot actually recall any of his actual gags so will terminate this piece with some almost identical video footage from another of his other gigs.
*The Finsbury Comedy night takes place at the Finsbury, Green Lanes every Wednesday
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