I had a gig in Glenrothes to do and I woke up in Bolton, with a slight hangover, and with my friend out of the house, at work. I grabbed a shower and found my travelling partners (who had made their way from where they were staying) already downstairs when I surfaced. Slightly sheepishly I said my thank yous to the father of my friend and accepted a lift to where my car was.

We hit the road at 11.30. I didn't get home until about half past two in the afternoon. I had a couple of hours at home and then got back on the A1. I hit the outskirts of Edinburgh in enough time to sit with my laptop and do some scant preparation for the gig and also write a few outstanding blog entries (not enough). I then picked up a friend, whom I was taking to the gig in Glenrothes. We headed up to the place.

The gig should have been easier. It wasn't. I was unprepared and struggled. The opening act didn't do much better. My attempt to smooth over the cracks with the guitar after the opening act didn't help. In the middle section, my guitary stuff, which included a song which I'd set up from the last show (the previous month) left them moderately cold. Then I introduced the promoter/sound-man and ran up to the sound box to take over for him as he ran down to the stage. He did really well. As he finished, so I ran back to the stage, and tripped and fell sprawling over it. I realised, as I was falling that I could make this seem funnier, by using it to my comic advantage and hamming up the fall, but it was a genuine cock up. I'd gone onto the stage at the beginning of the evening, too sure of myself and unprepared. I ended up literally falling on my arse. I also really hurt my shin, which had caught the stage as I fell. I was pissed off.

However, in the closing section, I played off my embarrassment and staged the room for the final act who did really well. If a show is compered terribly, then the closing act will have a harder job than this one had on his hands. I learned an important lesson too! I'm an arse!

After the gig we went for takeaway food at a nearby house - it was owned by a regular patron of the gig, who is also an act in her own right. It was very pleasant.

After that, we went back to the flat of the promoter and had beer and late night chat about comedy. I was fairly gutted to have had a bad gig in front of one of my favourite audiences... the audience I have a resident compere role with. D'oh!