It is like a very busy pub. Because it is a very busy pub. There are people who know eachother well, people who know eachother a bit, people who recognise eachother's faces, people who recognise eachother's blog names, and people who have no idea who it is they're talking to, but are having a blast anyway.
There's a lot of chat, lots of drink, lots of free cake and pork goods, and the evening tends to fly by.
If you're considering going, but are put off by the idea that it's a pub full of strangers, don't be!
Just about everyone who's ever gone to one of these things has admitted being shy, apprehensive or downright terrified before going, but ends up being really glad they went.
I jump on the train down to London from my little Bedfordshire town and get quite ridiculously excited about it all beforehand.
There are always new attendees - looks like the London mingle on March 2 is going to have a few new faces, so if you fancy going, check out the thread here for more details.
If you are going and you have a problem with an over-enthusiastic, short, chubby woman hugging you, please tell me in advance and I will try to remember not to invade your personal space.
(*Other mingles in other parts of the country are available. And are also excellent.)

speaking from personal experience of the ones that I've (sort of) set up in the north-west, as soon as I spot a newbie entering I introduce myself, point out whoever else is around, make some introductions etc.

The rest is entirely up to you, but we're a convivial, friendly bunch and the chat flows as freely as the alcohol.

So yes, it's a bit like a pub, but it's one where everyone would like to get to know you. That's the difference.

the divine ceremonies, the ritual sacrifices and the bizarre sexual practices. and that's just Lenny

I host the London mingles and I try and keep an eye on the door all night. Like Grant, as soon as I see a newbie arrive, I pounce, introduce myself, offer them some cake and take them around the room and do some introductions, and then try and foist more cake on them.

You should find plenty of lovely people to chat to, who'll be genuinely glad to meet you. If you are near London, Petef, I hope you'll consider coming along next Friday. The link with more information's in Drakey's fine post above.

where, for the first time, everyone is physically unfamiliar but you know you share the same interests. And if your a close reader of the blog, you know a little of some individual's history or recent activity.

Quite sinister actually. Postively Twilight Zone-esque.

But there's cakes and pies and that so do what I do and neck as much of that as possible then sidle off stage left.

They are marvellous. Pure and simple. They've become great successes and you WILL make friends.

... muttering a new form of polari to ourselves consisting solely of Richard Thompson song titles in lowered voices. We wear masks like the film Eyes Wide Shut. Eventually we appraise the quivering newbie. We raise our left trouser legs, exposing our collective left knees. We ask the secret question to which we ALL KNOW THE ANSWER. Which is "MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF UP ARROWS YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED YOU SCUM????"

If the answer is anything less than 15, you are savaged by the vicious three headed dogfacedboy who is freed from his kennel only at mingles. If you meet this VERY REASONABLE standard, you get to have your CD critiqued by EVERYONE THERE. Then we give you a Chinese burn. Before buying you a pint.

Sadly I'm on holiday this time round. But that's what happened to me when I first showed up. AND I LOVED IT.

If you're (adopts Dennis Norden clipboard voice) one of those people who may have, well, perhaps, started the occasional controversial (non music-related, as it goes without saying all of these are fair game) thread, can this be resolved peaceably or does it rather end like this?

[Clip: an inflammatory ending for a God-fearing policeman.]

Is there some secret signal?

*This may not be strictly true.

....about the plight of Rangers FC, the recent Glasgow Mingle ended in tears....

A few questions for petef (and any other budding members):

1. Where in the Midlands are you?

2. Do you attend gigs and if so where do you go?

3. Musical preferences?

4. In particular, do you like Fleet Foxes?

5. Are you a football fan? If yes, who do you support?

6. How much have you spent on CD's (not downloads - they're the devils work)in the last 12 months?

7. Do you like politically incorrect jokes?

Give the right answers and you're in.

Seriously, the Midlands has a few of us knocking around but we don't seem to be too good at getting together as a Massive. Steve Turner and I meet up reasonably regularly, and have attended gigs with Last Rose Of Summer. There has been one mingle (in the Balti Triangle last October) where a select gathering got together, swapped music, ate curry and talked bollocks (although I missed that one sadly).

We need to get our act together and organise something else soon. Any other Midlanders fancy declaring their presence? Would be good if we could have some sort of census showing who's where and whether or not they fancy joining in, meeting at a gig or something else.

For example, Steve and I are going to see Costello in Symphony Hall in May and I know DogFacedBoy is coming up from London for that so we're hoping to meet up with him. Would be good to meet any others going, for a bite to eat, beer or chat as well. Same for other gigs too.

I spend most of the evening having a fag outside

I arrived incognito, owing to shyness. Within seconds Hannah had asked me to dance. She didn't ask me about my bollocks but she did get me royally fcked on her LSD-addled 'Acid Cake'. I should have guessed: the clue was in the name. We happily frugged to music supplied by Leeds Boy while Rosbif waited for me in the car.

And then I started banging on about the Levellers...

And that was just for openers.

I hope you enjoy yourself/

1. You meet some fab and diverse people who have one thing in common: camaraderie with no exclusivity
1. You "have a good time all the time" (© Viv Savage)
3. You wonder to yourself why you worried about going in the first place
4. You go home on a cloud of optimism and suffer withdrawal symptoms until the next mingle.

As a newbie I thought I might like to come along to a mingle. I asked my wife and she said that I couldn't meet up with anyone off of the internet. In her words "they could be 13 year old girls or anything!"

Meanwhile, I might be able to come along to a midlands based mingle should one come up in the future.

Beer. Fiendishly difficult music quiz (courtesy of Ianess), rather fab Thai food (also courtesy of Ianess), music swapping (and I'm as bad at that as I am at the music quiz - many thanks to everyone who gave me a CD last time however). It looks a bit like this...

Surprised that no one has picked up on it, but did anyone recognise any of the three main actors?
Frankie Miller (yep, THAT Frankie Miller), Rab C and the psycho guy from Straw Dogs.