Impromptu Horne Section. The Invisible Dot HQ.

This tweet form Alex Horne saw my friends and I heading to Camden on Monday night unexpectedly. I like free things, especially good free things.

A few new bits were tried out on front of a sympathetic audience including a new song by Joe Auckland for the female Battleships captain, spotlight on the saxophonist, Mark Brown (where Horne described the saxophone as a "metal snake" and Brown made 'Kumbaya' sound sexy), and an improvised song by Tim Key.

Key just gets better and better. LONG LIVE TIM KEY.

The guests included Johann Lippowitz (who mimed the words to Natalie Imprulia's 'Torn'), Brett Domino (doing a Justin Timberlake medley), an opera singing police officer and The Wagon Tales.

A thought.

The staff at American Apparel on Oxford St. are some of the rudest people I have ever encountered. Just because they're cool doesn't mean they can behave like a cunts.

Knock2bag. Bar FM.

Knock2bag always have seriously good line-ups and is close to home, but I rarely manage to go. I shall have to rectify my ways. The only thing that put me off was that it didn't finish until really, really late (I am 25 years old).

The gig was compered by Colin Hoult. The first half he played Anna Mann and the second half he played Andy Parker; I preferred Andy. I'm not sure if Hoult has compered many gigs in the past, but I really enjoyed his style - he's great at thinking on his feet while staying in character.

It was my first time seeing Daniel Simonsen, Flange Krammer and Totally Tom and they were all COMPLETELY ACE. I really related to Simonsen's awkward/shy material. Totally Tom were quite Footlighsesque.

Wasn't sure about Cardinal Burns on this occasion... eavesdropping in the interval, i'm not sure those around us did either.

Loved Paul Foot's two jokes, especially the first one. I'd like a pair of "van glasses" if only to remind me of this wonderful, lengthy joke. I can't wait to see Ash in the Attic at Soho Theatre in a few weeks.

My friend, Anna, wrote this review for the British Comedy Guide.

A thought.

I used to pretend that I was a Doctor who found cures for my sick doll a lot when I was younger. More often than not, my doll had AIDS.

Working Title. Leicester Square Theatre.

This Working Title gig was a little bit different to the last one; still in the work-in-progress stages. The first half of the show saw Humphrey Ker hosting and Laura Solon, David Reed and Andrew Pugsley participating. Humphrey was handed a piece of paper with a book title and a blurb on it and the performers had to improvise the plot (the genre changed as suggested by the audience). At the end of the scene, the true plot was revealed. This was the second time that i'd watched Reed improv a sonnet - impressive.

Humphrey and David switched roles and the blurb was held back in the second half of the show. Greatly enjoyed the Australian soap genre - Humphrey is well good at Australian accents and turns of phrase.

The next show is at the Canal Cafe Theatre and I highly recommend it.

A thought.

I really need to move house. The hassle and cost is keeping me awake at night. Awful.

Let's All Just Have Some Fun (And Learn Something, For Once). Soho Theatre.

Jonny Sweet plays a daft, excitable and lovable character giving a lecture on the HMS Nottingham (with his take on why the ship ran aground). The laughs come thick and fast during the first half of the show, mainly through wonderful turns of phrase and running commentary of funny clips and pictures which are shown via a projector. Things don't go as smoothly as planned and the audience gets a glimpse into the mind of this cheeky chappy. After the big reveal comes a truly adorable ending.

The show has received some great reviews, and rightly so. I'm looking forward to following Jonny's comedy success in the future. He's dead good and very different when compared with your average comic. Fan? You bet.

A thought.

I miss nice weather. Hopefully i'll get a lot of it when I go home FOR THREE WEEKS.

Jackson's Way. The Invisible Dot HQ.

I'm just going to say this before I start, The Invisible Dot HQ is one of my favourite places in the ENTIRE world.

In Jackson's Way, Will Adamsdale plays Chris John Jackson, an American life coach and motivational speaker. Jackson has dedicated his life to completing pointless tasks ("jactions" - a jaction is a pointless task performed by an individual until they feel physically sick e.g. Transfering rubbish from one side of the city to the other or staring at a wall...) and is only too happy to educate the audience and attempt to get us on board. The show is full of underlying meanings - so clever.

My favourite moment was when the audience participated in a "compound jaction". Halfway through, when a punter got up and talked about his first best friend, I laughed so hard that I had trouble breathing.

At first Jackson seems quirky but towards the end, we see glimpses of a deeply troubled man. His jargon was superb and I really enjoyed the accent. Such a great night.

A thought.

The clinking of a spoon hitting the glass as you finish an ice cream sundae has to be one of the best sounds ever.

Ten-Year Self-Improvement Challenge. Update Five.

My initial challenge can be found here. This is how i'm progressing:

I became very lazy for the 4 months between the Edinburgh Fringe and Christmas. I'm back on track now, though.

1) I read 'Saturday' by Ian McEwan and am about three quarters of the way through Anh Do's autobiography. To save some money, I bought a bus pass and actually look forward to reading on every commute.

I didn't start enjoying 'Saturday' until halfway through as I thought it was very slow paced and the lengthy descriptions and asides (usually medical) meant that I didn't relate or feel any emotional connections with the main characters, especially those of Henry Perowne. These became rarer in the second half and the major plot turn left me not wanting to put it down.

I was very reflective once i'd finished reading and it has encouraged to change the things in my life that I don't particularly like or enjoy. Carpe diam, innit.

2) In my last blog update I considered dropping this challenge and taking up a scapbooking one instead. I actually stuck at this task and also completed 3 years worth of scapbooking over the Christmas break. I'm pretty proud of myself.

It's great going to gigs with my friend Aislinn as she's less shy than myself and she encourages me to go with her when she's about to talk to someone we admire.

We told J van Tulleken that we enjoyed 'Off Season' at an Invisible Dot gig, told Joe (the trumpeter from Horne Section) that we had a blast at The Horne Section Christmas Bash and also got to chat with Tom Basden at the December Special Relationship (in which he signed my Joseph K text). Good times.

3) I didn't blog for 4 months and caught up in the New Year. GO ME! It is now very much up to date.

4) At the moment these are random bits of paper with thoughts scattered all through books, my bag and on my bedside table. I use them for the 'a thought' bits at the bottom of my blogs.

5) Not going great guns with this task. I have written to a variety of friends and family but it wasn't with the challenge in mind - it was usually replying to the emails that they sent me. Will try harder.

6) I haven't lost any weight and I haven't put any on.

My New Year's resolution is to be more aware of things around me instead of turning a blind eye. I also hope to stop waisting time online and getting out more.

I deleted my Twitter acount (I was follwing 800+ people and had almost 500 followers) last week and since then I have caught up with the majority of my blogging, watched 2 films, read (almost) 2 novels and have spent at least one day of the weekend out and about.

A thought.

By the end of 2011, I hope to be living in a house with my own room and preferably have a new job that I enjoy.

December 2010.

Docklands Sinfonia Presents Love The Earth. St. Anne's Church.

The first half was conducted by Imogen Heap. Nature clips were shown on a screen at the back of the alter while the orchestra and choir made beautiful music. It was pretty awesome to say the least. Heap conducted the audience during the final piece - balconies and all.

Joke Party.

Kevin Eldon, Clever Peter, Tommy and the Weeks, William Andrews and Tony Law.

Jam-packed audience. Lots of fun. RiP, Joke Party, I shall miss you.

Richard Sandling's Perfect Movie.

Quite a lot of the filming couldn't be completed due to SNOW CHAOS, but it was still bloody good (despite my lack of film knowledge). Dmitri and Vassily were tops and Nick Helm secured a place in my top 10 comedians.

Joseph K.

A modern adaptation of Kafka's 'The Trial' written and starring Tom Basden; also featuring Tim Key, Pip Carter and Sian Brooke. Outstanding! I really like the way the actors played a variety of different characters.

Financial Times review here and YouTube clip here.

Karaoke Circus.

It's lost is funness for me. Not knowing any of the songs may play a huge part... Kevin Eldon and Pappy's gave my favourite performances. Oh also, it was great to hear Danielle Ward sing during the final song.

Dead Cat Bounce. Pleasance Theatre.

My staff Christmas party was the same day and I was a bit drunk. It seemed to be over very fast. I loved hearing 'Midget' live - very talented chaps.

An Event Of Some Kind. Cavendish Arms.

I rushed over from The Pleasance to catch the second half. I'm not that familiar with Norman Lovett, but I very much enjoyed his stand-up which was pretty silly and a bit surreal. It's always a pleasure to see the Junior Ministers perform. H Anthony is so much like Tim Key in the sense that he always looks so different every time I see him.

The Special Relationship. The Invisible Dot HQ.

Tom Basden's Christmas themed story about a youth discovering that a shopping centre nativity has been turned into Santa's grotto was particularly good. I also really enjoyed local poet Paul Birtell. His poems were chucklesome and rather dark; I must buy his book. My night was made when Tom Basden signed my Joseph K text.

The Horne Section Christmas Bash. Union Chapel.

Oh man! This gig was COMPLETELY AWESOME. It featured Frisky & Mannish, Bruce Airhead, Jeremy Lion, Oompa Brass, Tom Basden and Tim Key ('Little Donkey' was played as he came on, but the words were changed to "little Tim Key, little Tim Key, walking on the stage"). The banter between Basden and Horne about Alex's chickens was incredibly funny ("you keep chickens, so you're not a real man") as was Tim Key's plastic bag of goodies (which included dill as "Tesco didn't have mistletoe"). This also happened. The night came to a close with a Christmas Medley lead by the bassist, Will, singing 'Once In Royal David's City' a capella from the pulpit whilst being conducted by Alex Horne using a drum stick.

Spoonfed's review of the evening is a cracking read.

Tim Minchin vs His Orchestra. O2 Arena.

My first trip to the O2 couldn't have been better, an ace gig and the most wonderful company made this evening the highlight of 2010. Brilliant new songs, great old songs and a 55 piece orchestra left me open mouthed and speechless. My only criticism is that the stand-up fell very flat in such a big space.

My friend Anna has written an eloquent review of the evening here.

Roisin Conaty: Hero, Warrior, Fireman, Liar. Soho Theatre.

An amusing tale about preparing to make a speech at her old high school which is full of anecdotes about her life since she was a teenager. A really lovely show which made me smile throughout. Enjoyed the character comedy at the very beginning - i'm a fan of silly.

Nine Lessons And Carols For Godless People. Bloomsbury Theatre.

So much snow fell earlier in the day and I was concerned that I wasn't going to make it. It doesn't feel like Christmas until i've gone to one of Robin Ince's festive gigs. Frisky & Mannish, Josie Long, Jo Neary and The Mystery Fax Machine Orchestra made me giggle the most.

Lady Garden's Nativity. Wilmington Arms.

Lady Garden (Mary) were joined by Tom Allen (Joseph) Ginger & Black (narrator), Toby (angel Gabriel), Tom Bell (shepherd), Pappy's (3 kings) and 2/3 of The Penny Dreadfuls (wise men) to re-create the Nativity.

My goodness it was funny. I really liked that the sketches, material and styles of all the performers were incorporated into the show. The Nativity with a song about technology? Why not.

FREEZE. The Invisible Dot HQ.

Some pre-Christmas fun from Messrs Basden and Key. With the help of the ultimateguitar.com, Tom Basden and Tim Key led the audience in singing Bon Jovi's version of 'Silent Night' to finish.

Ronna & Beverly. Soho Theatre.

I was meant to go to the cinema for a post-Christmas catch up with a few friends, but then we found out about this gig and decided to give it a go. The guests being interviewed by character comedians, Jessica Chaffin and Jamie Denbo, on this particular evening were Sara Pascoe and Humphrey Ker. Good stuff.

A thought.

Matt Forde, Jermaine Clement, Phill Jupitus and Tim Key have the best laughs in comedy.