Open Mic at the Slipway

Songs, poems, three-minute comedy. Sign up on the night. All levels, warm crowd. The list opens at seven on a chalkboard by the counter, and everyone gets two songs or five minutes, whichever comes first.

We have a small PA, two mics and a house guitar if you forgot yours. Regulars include a retired postman who writes sea shanties, a sixth-former with a loop pedal and a woman who reads her grandmother’s recipes as poetry. First-timers get the loudest cheer of the night.

It is the last open mic before Christmas, so festive numbers are encouraged but not compulsory. The café serves tea, hot chocolate and toasties until nine. Free entry; there is a hat on the piano for the café’s heating bill.