Wednesday, 7 April 2021

12 Socks shows in 14 days (and then some)


Brace yourselves, buckle up, select the metaphor of your choice and put some dates in your diary if you want to see the Scottish Falsetto Socks this month, cos they're about to do 12 dates in 14 days, and some more on top of that.

I mean you've already missed the first Social Club, about which more here. That was on Friday April 2nd. Now here's what's coming up...


Weds April 7 - Super Fun Comedy. 7pm (8pm Europe), 7 min set, free on Zoom, register here.

(Good show, from Brussels, we gave them Richard III)

Thurs April 8 - Chicken Box Comedy. 9pm, 7 min set, free on Zoom & Facebook.

(Good return show, from riot-torn Derry, which could be seen and heard in the background of Les Ismore's screen. We gave them Richard III, good audience 30+)


Fri April 9 - Comedy Pops, 8pm, 7 min set, free on Zoom, tickets here.

(Highest professional quality of acts, we opened with not very good Prince Phillip material, though thankfully couldn't do the hastily-prepared song, but then gave them An Actor Prepares which went well. Felt it wasn't our best show, and of course it was the biggest audience, 60+)


Sat April 10 - Merthyr Comedy Festival, 9pm, 10 min set, free on YouTube here.

(An actual paying gig, on Streamyard so no visible audience, we gave them the Magic routine)

Sun April 11 - Larklord 

(The Socks hosted a round of this Taskmaster-like very good fun show on Streamyard, managing to entertain the room with our improv and ad libs, no actual material.)


Thurs April 15 - Social Distance Warriors 

(A fun, and different, format, which comprised 15 minute interviews and a few games, lasting two hours. The Socks won the Cast List movie quiz and did some fun improv & ad libs. No actual material. On Zoom, but then given a treatment so it went out nicely framed, but with no audience, like Streamyard.)


Fri April 16 - Blue Suede News

(A variation on Have I Got News, hosted by Roger Poulter, again on Streamyard - it's been a Streamyard week. The Socks managed some good improv on topical stories, again no material.) 

Sat April 17 - SUPERHEROES (our own solo show, full report here)

Sun April 18 - Sounds Proper 

(A good and busy line up, we were on second and had to leave early. Did a cracking 5 minutes of Magic routine and some banter. Also picked up the final act for the next Social Club, Michelle MaliZaki who was on right after us, live from LA).

Mon April 19 - Unmuted, from Australia, 11am UK time, the Socks host the show

(Great fun. Gave them a new, Melbourne-oriented, version of We Can See You, and various other bits of schtick and lots of banter, between 7 acts who filled an hour.) 

Tues April 20 - Comedy Virgins (3 minute set, show cancelled)


Weds April 21 - Spiky Mike's birthday party

(A last minute surprise. We knew we'd been invited to Spiky's online birthday party, and that there were going to be some acts performing, but it was only the day before we discovered that the Socks had been put on the bill. That makes this by far the most star-studded bill we have been on this month. We were performing alongside Hal Cruttenden, Patrick Monahan, Steve Royle, Tom Binns, James Dowdeswell, Brian Damage & Krystal, Mandy Muden, Jonny Awsun and Scott Bennett. I know! The Socks did a nifty little 5 minutes of gags, mostly the travel puns, and were well received. A brilliant show to have been on.)

Fri April 23 - 27 Minute Comedy Hour.

(A tight format, a. bit like Mock The Week, that admirably squeezes everything into less than half an hour, as advertised. The Socks were out of their comfort zone with this one. Apart from a 3 minute set, the rest was cracking gags about topical stories and it's not a style that we're best at. We've been doing nicely with our adlibs and improv on other shows - see Larklord, Social Distance Warriors, & Blue Suede News - but this time we felt we weren't up to strength. Not bad going to have one weaker show among such a busy month of appearances)


Sat April 24 - Reckless Comedy (headlining) + Thirst Grab (from India at 6.30, look at us doubling up)

(This was an interesting double-up to compare and contrast. The show from India had 100 people in the audience, started at 6.30pm and we did 10 minutes at the start. Great to be seen by so many new people, and on a bill where the acts were doing half their set, usually the punchlines, in Hindi. Then we crossed to Reckless which, I thought, was going to be maybe 90 minutes long. So, since I knew we were headlining, I told Socks fans we'd be on about 9pm. There then followed a succession of open mic comedians, some good, some less so, and I lost count of how many. Maybe ten? That meant that we didn't get on stage till nearly 10.15. We then did a blistering set - we gave them Halloween, Earth Song, and Magic, the classic 20 minute set. Sadly, apart from three Socks fans who hung on to the bitter end, there was no audience apart from fellow comedians, but the laughter was great and it's always reassuring to know we've still got it. But performing to so small an audience, and for no money, does seem slightly pointless and we'll have to be more discerning about the shows we do from now on. We need to get back to paying gigs, so thank heavens we have seven live shows lined up starting in June.) 


Sunday April 25 - Dean Friedman's All Request Show

(We do this every month and sometimes forget to mention it, usually cos we do so little in the show. This time we had a spot miming to a song by Dean called He's My Friend, that he wrote for the TV show Boon back in the day. We also did door duties and led the chat at the aftershow, and Dean always makes me feel a part of the team, so a fun and fitting end to the weekend's run of shows.)

Weds April 28 (was to be Weds April 14) - Velvet Banana Comedy from Prague 

(This was a storytelling show, rather than straight stand up, so the Socks gave them The Performance Artist and some gags. Fun atmos, audience was just the comedians but a good bunch.)

Fri April 30 - SOCIAL CLUB 2


And announcing the next new show - Eurovision Sock Contest on May 14th!






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