Meet the Cantab behind Cambridge’s first student-exclusive open mic

Consisting of Cambridge students, for Cambridge students, by Cambridge students

3 years ago | UPDATED 2 years ago

Do you like singing? Do you like other people listening to you sing? For me, the answer to both questions is a quick no. But Thomas Carr, the person behind Live@Lucy (an open mic that’ll be held twice-termly at Lucy Cavendish College starting next Friday, Feb 18), is on the opposite end of the spectrum. He likes singing, and he likes other people listening to him singing.

Yes, Tom’s got a stunning voice – there’s no denying it. But who’s to say you need one to be a part of Live@Lucy? It’s not like you need even the tiniest trace of thespian talent to enjoy theatre.

I wasn’t drawn to Live@Lucy because I wanted to sing in public. It drew me in because it promises to be a place where students can spontaneously drop in to relax.

Tom’s dream

Look at Lola (the cat). Image credits: Tom Carr via Youtube

“My plan to make this open mic very chill and low-key means people might feel more comfortable trying out their material on a smaller, less legendary, less intimidating stage.”

Tom’s someone who’s acquainted himself with the experience of performing at open mics. He humbly offered up a horror story of him forgetting the lyrics to “a very long Bob Dylan song” he was just about to sing, but he knows how great it feels to perform a song you (and the crowd) love.

He has high hopes for this project. In his own words, “the dream is to graduate knowing I am leaving behind a well-established, well-organised event that people will continue to attend to show off their talent. Right now though, I’m going to be taking it week-by-week, trying my best to create a space that people will want to keep coming back to, hopefully attracting people from outside Lucy [Cavendish College].”

“If the project could become uni-wide in the sense of a centralised venue with large audiences, I might cry with happiness.”

Why we need a Live@Lucy

“I was so disappointed when I found out Cambridge doesn’t have open mic nights designed to accommodate students from across the university. College-based open mics don’t really seem to be advertised to people from other colleges.”

Yes, Cambridge pubs do host plenty of open mic nights of their own for the general public – but Tom knows from experience that “these nights can be intimidating for new performers.” He points to his “complete mind blank on stage” and his good fortune that “the person running the night had a lyrics book on him with the words to the song on it.”

To him, “a student-run, supportive open mic for any member of the university to sign up for will be an attractive prospect for people who haven’t had many opportunities to perform for a crowd before.” Cambridge social events can already be difficult for some to find their way into – when you factor in just how skilled Cambridge performers are, it becomes hard to disagree with Tom.

Who should show up

“My priority is to accommodate mostly singers and songwriters because there are already well-established spaces for comedians and poets like the Footlights and the Blackbirds.”

That isn’t to say poets, comedians, magicians, mentalists, ventriloquists, or other entertainers are unwelcome. When asked if open mic performers could stage non-music entertainment, Tom’s response was an enthusiastic “of course!”

Everyone’s welcome. Image credits: Camfess via Facebook

In his words, “the plan at the moment is to make it a twice-termly event, to give performers plenty of opportunities in term time to book a spot” – although he conceded that “we might have to play it a bit by ear. If more people want to do it than I’m anticipating, I would be more than happy to up the frequency of events.”

Grinning, Tom added, “I’m hoping the reward of a free drink at the bar for any performer might help attract people to come and show us what they’ve got!”

To attend, you’re required to register here and show up with a negative LFT. If you’d like to perform at the Open Mic, you can sign up here! For more information, check out the event’s Facebook page.

Feature image credits: Tom Carr and Camfess (1 and 2)