Muckle Viking

UPCOMING GIGS

2010-07-20T19:33:00.008+01:00

Comedy Gigs So Far

2010-07-20T19:18:00.012+01:00

A list of the comedy venues I've done so far:

Standup@sound, Sound Hall, Lerwick
Haha Raw, Ivory Hotel, Glasgow
Breakneck Comedy, Blue Lamp, Aberdeen
Standup-Helly-Aa, Garrison Theatre, Lerwick
Red Raw, The Stand, Edinburgh
Red Raw, The Stand, Glasgow
Absolute Beginners, Beehive Inn, Edinburgh
Clickimin Centre, Lerwick
Snafu, Aberdeen
Comedy Corner, Bacchus, Glasgow
Haroldswick Hall, Unst
Laughing Horse New Act of the Year Competition, Meadow Bar, Edinburgh
Cellar 35, Aberdeen
Comedy@the Tron, Tron Bar, Edinburgh
State Bar, Glasgow
Creased Comedy, Trent House, Newcastle
Comedy Church, The Lounge, Largs
Comedy@the Halt, Halt Bar, Glasgow
Comedy Camp, Rush Bar, Edinburgh
Laughing Horse New Acts of the Fringe, Meadow Bar, Edinburgh
The Jocks & Geordies, Meadow Bar, Edinburgh
Fresh Faces at the Fringe, White Horse, Edinburgh
PG Tips Up, Sin Lounge, Edinburgh
Free Booze, Cafe Renroc, Edinburgh
Long Live Comedy, Dog & Parrot, Newcastle
Fresh Faces at the Fringe, Glode, Edinburgh
Mirth of Forth's Packed Lunch, White Horse, Edinburgh
Laughter for Lunch, Beehive, Edinburgh
Anatolia, Hackney, London
Anam, Islington, London
Royal George, Charing Cross Rd, London
Royal Hotel, Penicuik
Wayside Bar, Edinburgh
The Tunnels, Aberdeen
White Horse Inn, Balmedie
Bellmans, Penicuik

Most Northerly Gig

2009-12-14T11:21:00.000Z

On Friday night, I did my most northerly gig in the UK's mostn northerly venue - Haroldswick Hall in Unst.

I had originally intended going to see Steve Earle at the Clickimin Centre in Lerwick. However, when I got the chance to do some stand-up at the Baltasound Junior High School staff 'do', I jumped at the chance. Turned out Steve Earle was cancelled anway. He got stuck in Inverness due to fog. Will get a refund on my tickets anyway.

For those that don't know, Unst is the most northerly island in Shetland and involves 2 ferry crossings to get there. After the first ferry, driving through the island of Yell, I was reduced to a crawl for much of the way due to freezing fog. Thought I was going to reach the next ferry in time. Did though and coming over the hill, before dropping down into Baltasound it all looked very ethereal. A cloak of low lying fog hung over the houses, penetrated by a yellow glow from street lights.

I'd lived in and taught at the school there for 6 and a half years, so it was a bit like coming home. On to the bus laid on and got a great welcome. The same when I got into the hall.

After the emal, did a fifteen minute spot - most people hadn't known I was coming up - never mind doing stand-up!

Unst is a great wee community, but now their small secondary school is being threatened with closure. It's a great wee school, and an important hub for the whole community. The Unst folk are resilient and I know they will not take this lying down. I hope there's many more do's I can get to.

Want to see more about the school, then check out their web-site: http://www.baltasound.shetland.sch.uk/

Also check out Sandy Nelson's blog on the right-hand side for snippets about Unst life.

A Quick Update

2009-09-29T14:15:00.002+01:00

At Peerie Bryan's request, a quick update to show that I'm still alive:

Since January, done gigs at Garrison Theatre in Lerwick, a coupla times at the Stand in Edinburgh and Glasgow (alongwith Daniel Sloss who you might have seen recently on Paul O'Grady Show, Gavin Webster, Kevin Bridges - who was on Michael McIntyre's Roadshow), the Beehive in Edinburgh, the Clickimin in Lerwick (with Michael Redmond).

Saw Michael McIntyre perform at the Stand in Edinburgh and U2 and Elbow at Wembley Stadium (along with 90,000 other people).

Visited the Lake District and Cambridge for the first time.

Spent the Easter holidays on a beautiful island in Croatia.

Also got some upcoming gigs: Beehive Inn, Edinburgh (12th October); Snafu, Aberdeen (13th October); Bacchus, Glasgow (15th October).

I'll try and expand on some of the above later.

Stand Up Helly Aa

2009-01-15T20:26:00.004Z

Our Up Helly Aa Fire Fest is fast approaching - and our next Shetland gig. The Lerwick UHA's the biggest but there's several smaller ones throughout the isles. I took part in one in Unst 3 years ago & have the pics to prove it. These may be posted later but are awaiting classification by the British Board of Censors. Definitely not for the squeamish!!!

Back to Reality

2009-01-06T11:20:00.003Z

Well, it's back to work again after our jaunt away sooth. Down in Glasgow, I managed to get to do a 5-minute spot at a comedy club there. Quite daunting to be in a room full of comedians - but a good experience. Thanks Alan - & everybody for their support. Mind you there was free champers and mince pies as well.

Went to the Stand Comedy Club the next night - in the audience this time. A very entertaining evening. Particularly enjoyed Sean Grant. But had to leave before the end as we'd to catch an early morning flight.

In Cyprus, on Christmas Day, we drove up into the mountains as we'd heard that it had been snowing up there. After playing in the snow, it was back down to sea level to go paddling in the Med!

When it snows up in the Troodos Mountains, Cypriots go up to gather snow and then race back down with it to their villages and homes. The next day, we came upon this fellow not far from where we were staying. A wee Greek Cypriot village, we were in shirt sleeves and shorts, folk were having coffee outside - then there he was just sitting there in the village square!!

Breaking News

2008-12-20T12:10:00.002Z

This is from our local news website at:

http://www.shetland-news.co.uk/news_12_2008/Isles%20engineers%20to%20rescue%20Santa.htm

Isles engineers to rescue Santa

20 December, 2008

The Shetland News has learned that a local firm has been contracted to fly two engineers to the North Pole to fix Santa Claus' sledge.

The trip north is expected to take some days due to a very poor weather forecast and the likelihood of ferry cancellations, as the pair need to connect with a special charter flight from Aberdeen.

Reports suggest Santa has been trying to do his bit to help the global economy by increasing production levels this year.

However the sheer weight of presents has proved too much for his specially designed sledge, and urgent welding is required to fix the problem.

A spokesman for Santa Claus said that the reputation of Shetland’s engineers and craftsmen was well known outside the islands, and he wanted the best men available to do the work to ensure he could meet his annual deadline this year.

Attempts to contact the engineers in Lerwick yesterday proved fruitless. Every workshop contacted by Shetland News said they had been vowed to the strictest secrecy and wondered how the story had got out.

Standup@sound - the pics

2008-12-18T20:25:00.007Z

A local magazine I'I Shetland has a 3-page spread about our recent standup@sound event. Here's pics from the article (all taken by Craig Sim) Remember, you heard of us before we were famous.

Blair MacKay - making sure they can hear at the back

Sandy Nelson - realising who he has to work with

Alex Goodlad - demonstrating the size of something or other

Clint Watt - and his dark & mysterious world

And me - phoning in sick

Island Blogging

2008-12-18T15:19:00.002Z

The first post on this blog mentions BBC Island Blogging shutting down. I've now moved all of my stuff, photos etc. from the BBC's blogging site to the new Island Blogging setup at Soljey Island-Blogging. This includes photos from the past 2 and a half years.

If John Wayne had been frae Shetland....

2008-12-13T16:36:00.006Z

We all remember those westerns we watched as kids. The Apaches attacking the stagecoach, the last minute rescue by the cavalry. But what if we Shetlanders had colonised the Wild West - and brought our ponies....

Click here for what might have been:

Ta tae Radio Shetland

2008-12-10T21:00:00.010Z

Managed to get a copy of the item on Standup@Sound that BBC Radio Shetland did. Quite a chunk of the programme given over to it. We were all interviewed before and after the event, but only Alex, Sandy and myself made it onto the final cut. Gives a good flavour of the whole evening - thanks Jordan for a job well done!

Apparently, there's video footage - taken on mobile phones of us. I keeping looking on YouTube, etc. If I get a hold of any I'll put it up.

Here's the Radio Shetland item in its entirety.

Standup@Sound

2008-11-28T10:11:00.011Z

Last Friday night came - as did the snow!!! Now was the moment of truth for us budding stand-up comics. After several weeks of our Stand-up Comedy evening class it was time for our 'graduation'. The venue was sold out in one day. Apparently, it could have sold out 3 times over!! Sandy Nelson, our tutor and MC for the night (and himself a professional stand-up) informed the audience that this was our debut performance - and that we had written all the material ourselves!! It was amazing the amount of people in the past week or so, who would say: "Well, give us one of your jokes then." Totally missing the point. Stand-up is more like a dialogue by the comedian with the audience. Not the old-fashioned rattling off of old jokes. I couldn't say any of it out of context of the routine.

The music played and I was first up on stage. Take the mic out of the stand and there you are. Just you in the spotlight and the creature called the audience out there. When the laughs start coming - what an incredible buzz!! And when they keep on coming..... No matter how you think you'd maybe done well in rehearsals, getting that energy from the audience moves it up umpteen notches.

I, for one, am desperate to do it again. Of course, there may be times when it doesn't go so well, but that's life.

Fareweel tae an aald freen'

2008-11-26T11:45:00.000Z

For the past 3 years, I've been (ir)regularly blogging, under the name of Soljey, on BBC Scotland's Islandblogging. This was set up to provide snapshots into the unique life - some of it intelligent - on the Scottish Islands. Now the Beeb has decided that Islandblogging has run its course and they'll be pulling the plug on it. Hope I can import the images, etc from Islandblogging to this one - wouldn't want to lose them.

Who says the Vikings are all dead

2008-11-25T22:05:00.002Z

Big hairy vikings are still alive and marauding around the Northern Isles - see pic. And I don't mean just at Up-Helly-Aa!!

I have a blog on BBC Scotland's Islandblogging. However, it seems that this is being wound up. So here I am. Hopefully will eventually be able to import my Islandblogging entries to here.