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Back to Somerset for a few days. At a service station I went to the loo. As I came out a man clocked me and struggled to think of what to say, before blurting out "Podcasts" which I took as the compliment I think it was intended to be and thanked him. It would have been more weird if I'd still been using the facilities.
We were seeing the folks, of course, but it was also the Wells Comedy Festival this weekend and we were taking the opportunity to take Phoebe to see Flo and Joan who she loves. The show was supposed to be for people over 14 and Phoebe is only 11. It was highly unlikely that anyone would care as long as we parents said it was OK, but to be on the safe side Phoebe had dressed in her trendiest clothes and put on some make-up. She continues to be way cooler than either of her parents and though I am not sure she would have passed more diligent security, she did look like a teenager. And it was lovely to see how excited she was to be doing something as grown up as seeing a gig that she shouldn't really be allowed to see.
Some parents seem to feel queasy as their kids turn into tweens and I am not saying it's not a crazy thing to happen, but maybe because I feared I wouldn't live to see this, it just makes me proud to see Phoebe growing up.
If I spot a kid in my crowd I usually tell them they are going to learn some stuff tonight and chastise the parents for being so irresponsible. Luckily Flo and Joan aren't quite as rude as me, but the rude bits generally floated unnoticed over Phoebe's head.
This was a work in progress and so there were a couple of shaky moments, but surprisingly few for such a technically difficult act and the sisters are so charming/acerbic/funny that their asides and embarrassment just added to the experience. I'm used to doing WIP in tiny rooms, but this room holds 350 which would be a good tour gig for me (indeed I think I did RHLSTP in this room a few years back) and it must be a bit weird trying stuff out in front of such big crowds, but they seemed pretty relaxed.
It's a great conceit for a show - they have written new songs based on the set list of a band that they found when they played the Shepherd's Bush Empire and though there wasn't quite time to get through the whole thing this evening, this should work brilliantly over two halves on tour. If we can get tickets I think we'll try and see the finished show in the autumn.
Ernie loves Flo and Joan too, but we would never have convinced anyone he was 14 with all the make-up in the world and he might have got over excited and shouted stuff out, but he got to hang out with his baby cousins (actually the kids of his cousin, but I am not going to try and work out what that relationship is and wouldn't remember even if I did) and didn't take his banishment too hard.
I am glad that my kids have such great taste in comedy and it's a real milestone to take the eldest to her first live adult comedy show. I was listening to Derek and Clive from the age of about 12 and I didn't turn out too badly did I?
Did I?
Why have you gone all quiet?
