A superb poem written and performed by Tony Walsh (aka 'Longfella'), which successfully captures the magic and euphoria of live performances. Created as part of the 20th birthday celebrations of the Manchester Arena, Tony's passionate tribute to the cultural and artistic hotspot has won the praise of many, including fellow Mancunian, international boxing champion Ricky Hatton MBE.
#WeAreManchester
Perfectly appointed to banish any dullness or ennui brought on by a mid-Spring – albeit unseasonably warm – Monday, Blahblahblah once again delivered the goods. Curated, compered and kicked-off by Anna Freeman, who offered some of her own brand of entertainingly witty verse, the frame was set for a stonking evening of spoken-word from firmly established acts.
Straight up was Adam Kammerling, who combined an achingly hilarious slam delivery that would render the most humourless of spectators unseated, with terse social commentary appropriate for our times. Kammerling, who is a member of underground poetry collective Chill Pill, is dynamic enough in his approach to allow the tongue-in-cheek humour to dovetail perfectly with indignation, life-observation and politics. A wizard of all things raucous – his ode to the squirrels that inhabited a cemetery close to his former place of residence, an example – he also delivered the occasional more introspective moment sincerely and deftly.
Aisling Fahey followed with heartfelt, confessional pieces that left you with no doubt as to why she has been selected as Young Poet Laureate for London. She offered a well-timed soothing set following the rambunctiousness of the previous performance. Her delivery has been noted elsewhere as warm – and this certainly came through with a tender flow, sometimes straying into darker themes but punctuated with levity. Fahey’s superb channelling of memory and emotion – from childhood in East London to family legends carried over from Ireland – was arresting. The imagery evoked by her verse engaged from start to finish; this, combined with her fluency and articulacy belies the tender years her Young Poet laureateship would suggest.
Hollie McNish needs little introduction. Well-established amongst the spoken-word milieu, having her poetry commissioned to appear on BBC Radio Four and performing alongside other heavyweight wordsmiths, she took a breather from a sell-out tour to perform. If any gap in approach between the first two – equally brilliant – performers was discernible, McNish nicely tied these up, providing the bridge between side-aching hilarity and touching autobiography. Most notable was her female-perspective retort to Flo Rida‘s ‘Whistle’ which had a spluttering audience hanging on each line, and her witty musings on death and family. Though established she is however no means establishment; her closing intelligent riposte to London-centrism a prime example. The audience was privileged to see an artist who is at the top of her game effortlessly and skilfully deliver at such close quarters.
While the basement theatre of the Bristol Old Vic provides an intimate performance space in any case, such was the calibre and audience engagement from the acts that the space pulled in even further. A palpably mesmerised and excitable audience savoured the evening – which seemed to come and go extremely quickly – from beginning to end. While all three acts were superbly unique, some common strands can be identified, which made for a perfectly rounded evening. All managed to be erudite and challenging without being inaccessible; all performed masterfully and maintained a massive rapport with the audience. The whole evening was enjoyably thought-provoking, often gleefully irreverent but never dull. All this for a mere £7; a chance to see a selection of the crème-de-la-crème of young UK spoken-word artists.
Blahblahblah once again curated a blinder for spoken-word/poetry aficionados and the uninitiated alike. For those looking to fill the void left between that exciting, liminal feeling from attending, for example, underground (yet often tribal) music acts and something a bit more nourishing for the soul and intellect, what happens in Bristol at these events is pure gold. With ‘They Are The Champions’, Blahblahblah continues in this vein.
Photography: Darren Paul Thompson
Anna Freeman / Hollie McNish / Adam Kammerling / Aisling Fahey
Blahblahblah: Website / Facebook / Bristol Old Vic
Springing back into action for 2015, Bristol's recurring spoken-word event 'Word of Mouth' hosted the regional leg of the increasingly popular touring concept 'The Anti-Slam'.
Hosted by Dan Simpson and Anna Freeman, the evening challenged a collection of performers to do their very worst, with an arbitrary selection of prizes awarded to the person scoring lower than their competitors.
Flipping the nature of a traditional poetry slam on its head, the premise allowed for a wealth of outlandish and deliberately dubious wordplay to unfold from the performer's exaggerated alter-egos. Whether the low-budget 'gangsta' rappers, face-smoothing revolutionaries or patchy political commentators that entertained the room, the evening proved commendably abysmal. A trio of larger-than-life on-stage judges provided wise-cracking feedback after each piece, which added many further highlights and glued the shambling wordplay together structurally over the course of the evening.
Concluding amongst hearty rounds of laughter, Bristol's Anti-Slam proved an unusual but innovative idea from which to create an evening's entertainment and a strong start to Word of Mouth's 2015 programming.
We had the pleasure of experiencing Ross Sutherland's mind-meltingly ingenious production 'Standby For Tape Back-Up' at The Cube cinema in Bristol recently.
Currently on a national tour, this Edinburgh Fringe hit is highly recommended viewing, sporting a wealth of praise from establishments including The Observer, The Independent, The Telegraph and many more.
The promotional video above offers a taste of the show's multi-media packed, nostalgia-fuelled exploration of Ross's relationship with his Grandad. Unfolding through the unlikely prism of jumbled recordings on an old VHS tape, this unusually constructed concoction is a truly unique experience of lasting impact - catch it now, whilst you still have the chance.
More information and ticket listings can be found here - RossSutherland.co.uk
With yet another sold-out crowd packed into the cosy confines of Bristol Old Vic's basement theatre, Anna Freeman introduced the March edition of Blahblahblah to an excitable applause. Briefly warming the audience with a piece that exasperatedly scrutinised Alanis Morissette’s hit song ‘Ironic’, waves of laughter circled amongst the room with each new over-the-top dissection of the pop star’s dubious lyricism.
The first visiting performer of the evening, Bridget Minamore, was a strong presence who introduced herself very much as a product of her fond hometown, London. Starting with some accessible, enjoyable pieces about life and the capital city, a solid benchmark was set. With minimal time spent dwelling in interludes, she quickly began to explore ever broader ground in her poetry. Not shying from more extreme topics, a move towards darker territory arrived relatively swiftly, “I’m trying not to plummet into the misery too quickly, but you know... hey-ho!”. More difficult to digest than her opening content, the lingering intensity left in the wake of each increasingly heavy subject proved a captivating challenge for the audience to process. Ending with a lighter piece to close her set, Bridget parted having displayed a strong skill-set that ably evoked a mixture of emotions.
Followed by the at-first-glance seemingly timid presence of Sara Hirsch, who'd endearingly edged her way into the spotlight, the crowd were treated to an altogether different talent. Without wasting much time Sara launched into a rendition, quickly growing in stature, volume and animation as her opening piece unfolded. Revolving around the minutiae, etiquette and anxiety of introducing oneself to a stranger, she regaled the audience with a sprightly performance that both examined how we choose to represent ourselves conversationally and questioned where we perceive our own value to lie. Resonant and colourful, this piece typified the enjoyable presence Sara brought to the evening.
Closing the March edition of Blahblahblah in the headline slot was Anthony Anaxagorou, founder of London’s acclaimed spoken-word event ‘Out-Spoken’, author of numerous books and, as was to be demonstrated, the possessor of a powerful presence on-stage.
Whilst performing only a handful of extended pieces, their execution brought an intense focus to the room and the sheer impact of their delivery was dramatic. Pacing the floor energetically and loading each word with an impressive sense of gravity, Anthony's command of the time and space around him was compelling. The imagery and atmosphere he created was as lively as the expression of his arms, which swept and jabbed around him as if electrified by the words themselves. Concluding his set with the formidable piece ‘I Am Not A Poet’, he departed having thoroughly stirred the audience with a unique and engaging performance.
Subtitled 'A Light In The Dark', this latest Blahblahblah event certainly didn’t shy away from exploring the darker sides of life amongst it’s moments of lighthearted fun; crucially common throughout the enjoyable meanders of subject, tone and delivery though, was a consistent level of quality that saw the evening fly by in an enjoyable fashion. With the visiting trio displaying their talents in hugely contrasting yet complimentary styles, it proved another inspired selection of programming by host/producer Anna Freeman, and a satisfying showcase for Bristol’s spoken-word fans.
April sees another high-calibre line-up planned, to be headlined by YouTube viral sensation Hollie McNish, shortly before Bristol Old Vic steps up a further gear for an extended Bank Holiday weekend of programming as April greets May. Dubbed 'Blah's Big Weekend’, this bank holiday bonanza boasts a wealth of accomplished performers (notably spearheaded by the critically-acclaimed maverick Kate Tempest) and will no doubt reinforce Blahblahblah's status as a leading light in the exciting evolution of spoken-word.
Photography: Darren Paul Thompson
Anna Freeman / Anthony Anaxagorou / Sara Hirsch / Bridget Minamore
Blahblahblah: Website / Facebook / Bristol Old Vic
A smartly constructed, powerful piece by Vanessa Kisuule, realised superbly in this short-film format.
George The Poet's 'Cat D'. Photos of George's recent performance in Bristol can be found here - http://thespeakerscorner.co.uk/content/189
Here's our photo gallery of George The Poet's recent gig at Start The Bus in Bristol. Performing a mixture of poetry and music (music packed - of course - with his typical linguistic flair), George also gave fascinating insight into the wider context of his art and what societal impact he hopes to inspire with it.
Having achieved so much already (including his first printed collection of work, 'Search Party', which has recently hit the shops) George certainly appears en route to big things.
Whilst his creativity is highly engaging in isolated clips on TV and online, we feel there's a great deal more value to be gained from his live performance, which offers a deeper, more rich context within which to understand and enjoy his work.
Tickets for upcoming tour dates (as well as more information in general), can be found at George The Poet's Official website - http://www.iamgeorgethepoet.co.uk
Returning to action in 2015 with a stellar, eight-strong line-up of guest performers, Blahblahblah’s new-year revival was met with a capacity crowd packed wall-to-wall in Bristol Old Vic’s basement space.
Nestled together tightly, those amassed sipped drinks and chatted animatedly in anticipation of what promised to be a great - if somewhat whistle-stop - introduction to a wealth of celebrated entertainers.
Dividing the headliners into three teams - namely ‘Team Lust’, ‘Team Love’ and ‘Team Loss’ - the semi-competitive ‘Valentines poetry slam’ pretext of the evening was engineered to encourage the discovery of the most powerful, post-Valentines poetic theme, but more importantly to provide an entertaining gimmick upon which an action-packed evening could excitably unfold. The performers themselves were nestled almost as tightly as the crowd, lined upon a long bench under the spotlights, perched and waiting for their call-to-arms as expectant competitors of the three word-wielding tag-teams.
Introduced entertainingly by Anna Freeman, the ‘battle’ commenced. Though without the anticipated appearances of Lucy English and Buddy Carson, the line-up still proved as talent-packed as it was brilliantly varied.
Whether representing their prescribed Valentine themes diligently or spinning only a tenuous association from which they’d entertain and enthral on a tangent of their own, the audience seemed unanimously gripped by the performances of host Anna and her guests. Wilf Merttens, Jonny Fluffypunk, Harry Baker, Vanessa Kisule, Sally Jenkinson, Laurie Bolger, Molly Case and Ben Mellor each took their turn to shine, leading the evening down dramatically different avenues of content and delivery. Very much a roller-coaster of experiences, the performances would switch from subtlety and nuance to laugh-out-loud comedy with a compelling variety, the faces of the audience responding with beaming grins, furrowed brows and misty-eyed resonance accordingly.
With the 'Loss' theme haphazardly championed the winner and it’s poetic proponents awarded a novelty prize for good measure, the evening concluded to the sound of appreciative cheers and rounds of applause. Having entertained those present with a skilled group of performers that created a commendably broad spectrum of experiences for the £7 entry fee, Blahblahblah has leapt excitably into it’s 2015 programming to the enjoyment of a packed crowd.
With a wealth of both established names and promising fresh talent scheduled for forthcoming events, this new-year momentum appears as if it’ll continue to roll comfortably onwards, reinforcing Blahblahblah’s status as the jewel in the crown for spoken-word in the South West.
Photography: George Dallimore
Anna Freeman / Wilf Merttens / Jonny Fluffypunk / Harry Baker / Vanessa Kisuule / Laurie Bolger / Molly Case / Ben Mellor
Blahblahblah: Website / Facebook / Bristol Old Vic
