All in all it was a good night last night. If anyone's not aware, it was the press launch of The Stand comedy club in Newcastle and in true Stand style the night wasn't exactly a damp squib, it was (to be honest I don't know what the opposite of damp squib is) more like a resounding success. 'A damp squib....more like a resounding success'-Gavin Webster. Something tells me that won't be on their promotional literature they seem to be handing out to all insundry in the North East's second biggest city with thousands more football fans than their near neighbours with the largest city.

We drank across the road in The Duke Of Wellington where we had to pay for the drinks, I know fuckin ridiculous! before being lead into the new building with comedy 6 nights a week, soon rising to 7 apparently. Tommy Sheppard, main director and shareholder got up and said a few thank yous and gave his encouragement and talked up the city and the area. Good on you Tommy. He then introduced Jo Caulfield who was indeed the first comedian to take the stage at this fledgling club. I know 'fledgling' sorry. I'm not entirely sure what it means, I've read too many non league football reports to avoid cliche writing. Jo introduced the legendary Vladimir Mctavish as first act who apparently opened Edinburgh and Glasgow Stands all those years ago so going with tradition he opened this gig. Let's hope in a few years he opens Stand Aberdeen and then Stand Belfast (by the way that isn't inside knowledge just me playing an educated guessing game, don't take too much notice though Ladbrokes invite me to their staff Christmas do!) After that we had John Scott, Nicola Mantalios Lovett, The Suggestibles, Simon Donald as BarryTwyford and then myself. I thought they might be spent by the time I went on but that wasn't the case and apart from inevitable noise at the free bar, everyone was hanging on my every word.

Who knows how it'll all go. What was good was that every North East comic who was anyone was there. No doubt a load of other bods who had some kudos were in the room as well from the artistic side and from some other teniously linked industries. Of course the jounalists were there. I'm not saying anything, I want to keep this positive. I'd say there were about 70 or 80 folk there that I knew and I was pleased to see. To be honest I didn't notice most of the rest of them. Yes there are always cocks on a freebie and that like to be seen at events like this which is the nearest thing to showbiz and red carpets you can get in this area. I wonder how many of them will turn up at the normal shows where you have to pay to get in and don't get free drink after the dust has settled?

Right it's back to the grind tonight and a gig in Grimsby. No doubt this won't be the last time The Stand Newcastle will be mentioned on these pages despite Mohammed from the Hyena's simplistic assesment of what direction it's going to go in. No really! Who knows, he could be right but I very much doubt it.

Hopefully the wind of comedy changed last night in a basement in the toon. I'll miss using the word fledgling if it does.

TODAY'S BLOG IS SPONSORED BY KANGO EQUIPMENT. I SAW A BIT OF IT HIDDEN AWAY LAST NIGHT. 

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