My fifth gig is in the bag, and I have to say it was one of the most enjoyable ones yet.

The Holly Bush is renowned on the West Midlands scene for being an essential gig for any aspiring comedian, while at the same time not suffering fools thanks to its devoted audience of regulars who know what they like, and what they don’t! So I would be lying if I said there wasn’t a slight frisson of fear as I drove down the M5, wondering how they would react if I ‘did a Brighton’ (see previous posts).

I needn’t have worried. This particular monthly gig is run by Dave Dinsdale, who is a legend on the circuit and who I know from when we used to work together at a certain Birmingham call-centre. I also received a friendly welcome from another Dave – ‘Holly Bush Dave’ as he’s known – and spent a bit of time chatting to other acts.

The comedy happens in one of the bars, which is packed in with punters, all of whom are respectful of the fact that comedy is taking place, so it’s really a dedicated room rather than a bustling bar, and so distractions are minimal.

I was feeling a bit tired, and wanted to leave early because of an early start the next day, so I volunteered to go on first which, as you may know if you’ve read other posts, is my preferred slot anyway.

Dave warmed up the crowd, and then off we went. I’d been nervous on the drive over, mainly I think because the venue is not familiar to me, but I’d relaxed once I got there. Nerves hit me, though, about a minute before I went on, and I really had to make an effort to control my breathing through the first 2 or 3 lines to ensure the nerves didn’t show.

I opened with my Rolo gag, which is always a strong starter, and then went through the same 10 minutes I’d done for the Lou Deemy night. As I got into my stride I relaxed quite a bit, and the material was coming to me very easily.

About 6 minutes in, I did my ’8 more sleeps’ routine, which struck a chord with some of the regulars at the back of the room. After a couple more lines, there was a big laugh that was triggered by a comment from one of the regulars that I didn’t quite hear. I assumed it was an in-joke between them, so I kind of appeared bemused by it (because it wasn’t due to anything I’d said – the laugh was in the wrong place) and carried on. I was really pleased that I’d not let it ‘throw’ me, because it’s the closest I’ve had to a heckle (although it wasn’t one in the traditional sense) and I carried on confidently and with ease.

I think that in terms of remembering the material, it’s the best gig I’ve done. I wasn’t even close to forgetting anything, and the emergency T-shirt remained hidden throughout (hurray!)

I stayed to see two more acts, and the room definitely got ‘livelier’, which I suppose is the big advantage in going on first if you’re not sure about handling hecklers. The downside, of course, is that the laughs aren’t so big – but I discovered afterwards that the first slot at the Bush can sometimes be greeted with silence, so I’m pleased to have bucked that trend.

The Bush crowd, though, are very good-natured hecklers, and actually got some big laughs themselves at a few points, so fair play to them!

I don’t have any more gigs booked at the moment. I start my new job in a week, so I thought it best to give myself a few weeks breathing space. I don’t want to leave it too long, though, because doing two gigs in a week has really made me realise how much good progress can be made when the momentum is there.

Now I know that I know it (?), the main work now is to tighten up the act. There are sections that are a bit clumsy, and the routine doesn’t fit together as well as it could, so there’ll be some changes. I’m hesitant about changing too much too quickly, though, because then the focus shifts back to learning and remembering, rather than the delivery.

If you get a chance to go to one of the Holly Bush comedy nights, I would definitely recommend going. If you’re not driving, I hear the beer is excellent, and it’s a fun room to play if you can handle the occasional bit of good-natured banter.

Where will gig number 6 be, I wonder?