Show: 16.12.13. with Michael James Parker

It's been a while since I got round to doing a show but here's an episode featuring Brighton performance poet Michael James Parker.

Tune in on 29th December when I'll be back on Cambridge 105.

16.12.13 featuring Michael James Parker by Headstand on Mixcloud

Hammer & Tongue Slam Final with Simon Munnery - 5th December

This Thursday I have the honour of competing in the Brighton Hammer and Tongue poetry slam final at Komedia. The honour is further enriched by the inclusion Simon Munnery as the headline act making the £5 admission an absolute steal. You can get all the details here.

Here's an article I wrote last time Simon Munnery did Hammer and Tongue which gives an idea of what to expect both from Simon and the slam.

(Originally published on localsecrets.com)

The small function room upstairs at The Emperor was packed for Hammer and Tongue: a night of spoken word entertainment featuring a poetry slam, performance poet Cat Brogan and comedian Simon Munnery whose name frequently appears in close proximity to words such as “legend,” “genius,” and “surreal.”

Hammer and Tongue started in Oxford and now runs events in five cities. Each event features a slam: a competition in which entrants have 3 minutes to perform a poem. A panel of judges drawn from the audience awards points out of ten. The result is a fast-paced event with high energy and dynamic performances creating a tight bond between poet and audience.

Slams are not as brutal as they sound. Slam etiquette demands respect for performers and newcomers brave enough to step up to the mike are always rewarded with a round of applause and a good score. For the most talented performers the rewards are greater. The national final is highly competitive and winning brings national media exposure, paid gigs and other exciting opportunities.

Hammer and Tongue provides further entertainment and inspiration by featuring established performers at each event. Support act Cat Brogan delivered a polished set combining witty and thought provoking poems on subjects including social prejudices and her Northern Irish upbringing. Her powerful delivery perfectly combined words and performance, the hallmark of a slam champion and worthy of the sellout crowd who had come for the headline act.

"I used to be allowed to stay up to watch this guy on TV,” announced excited compere Alex Iamb as he introduced award-winning comedian Simon Munnery. Taking to the stage strumming a toy guitar he dispensed with the three minute bursts of poetry format and delivered a twenty minute ramble of observational comedy and shaggy dog stories. With material on subjects including killing dogs, Swiss hazard signs, seedy great uncles and rural life it was an unpredictable routine that kept the laughter flowing.

Munnery’s skillful use of language allows him to constantly juggle a diverse range of topics and give stand up comedy a fresh twist. “Anyone from anywhere? Anyone noticed anything?” he inquired, deadpan, early on. “Some of these jokes require background reading,” he remarked after a line about Greek mythological characters Sisyphus and Icarus. Only towards the end of the set did he do any poetry; a chant sarcastically praising a well-known chain of pubs and a surreal and embittered rant on London.

It was a low-key gig for a veteran performer who has many awards, TV and radio series to his credit. His appearance is testament to the outstanding reputation Hammer and Tongue has for organising events which are getting more people to listen to, write, perform and enjoy poetry.

Hammer and Tongue featuring Stephen Morrison-Burke

The headline act for Hammer and Tongue this month is the 2013 slam champion Stephen Morrison-Burke. He stormed to victory in London after winning the Cambridge heat last year. Now he's on tour to share his powerful work with H&T audiences around the country. To get an idea of what to expect listen to him on this show from earlier last year.

28.7.13 with Stephen Morrison-Burke by Headstand on Mixcloud

All dates are on www.hammerandtongue.co.uk. The most relevant ones to readers of this blog are 7th November in Brighton and 13th November in Cambridge. Support in Brighton comes from another recent guest on Headstand Tommy Sissons.

Next month it's the Brighton final which I'll be competing in on December 6th.

Interview: Euros Childs

Headstand favourite Euros Childs plays Brighton this Saturday. The former frontman of Welsh indie band Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, has had a prolific solo career.  Last year’s album Summer Special was nominated for the Welsh Music Prize and he has already released the follow-up Situation Comedy. 

The album was recorded with a band in a live environment. “I've worked this way on quite a few albums,” he says. “It's probably the first album I've made in which all songs are sung from the perspective of different characters.” These include an Avon lady and a singer who realises: “nobody is really listening,” on Holiday From Myself. The album finishes with a 13-minute mostly instrumental piece, Trick of the Mind. “I wanted the album to finish on an unexpected note,” he says.

There was an unexpected note or two at a previous solo gig in Brighton. He recalls: “I played a solo gig with a piano in a church a few years ago. I was in the middle of a song called Poodle Rocking and a piano string snapped and hit a woman sitting in the front row. Luckily she was unharmed.”

He will be playing with a full band on Saturday towards the end of a national tour, then it will be time to take a break and plan the next album.

Euros Childs plays Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar, 9-12 Middle Street, Saturday November 2nd, 7pm, Tickets £10. Support: Laura J Martin and The Wellgreen.

Rob Auton and Brighton Poetry Society

I'm still getting to know the Brighton spoken word scene but there are a couple events coming up in the next week.

On Saturday there's a chance to witness the surreal humour of yellow loving, blue sky thinking Rob Auton as he performs The Sky Show upstairs at the Three and Ten on Steine Street. It starts at 6pm and tickets are available here.

On Monday Brighton Poetry Society host an open mic event at The Victory Inn, Duke Street from 8pm. Entry by donation. More info here.

If you know of any other music or spoken word events in Brighton that deserve a plug get in touch.

Show: 20.10.13 with Tom Sissons

This show features an interview and poetry with Tom Sissons. At 18 this Brighton based poet has already published his first pamphlet, reached the national finals of Hammer and Tongue Poetry Slam and done a national tour with Apples and Snakes.

You can also hear:

The Undertones - Teenage Kicks
Melt-Banana - Infection Defective
Euros Childs - Tête à Tête
Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer - Hail The Chap
Arnaud Rodrigues - Turma Da Poiê
Chris T-T & The Hoodrats - The Bear
Tom Sissons - Poetry
Gran Kino feat Ayanda Nhlangothi, Burni Aman, Manelis, Jitsvinger - Brand New Day
Afrodita Nikolova - Thresholds
The Handsome Family - Owls
Polymath - Vertex
Isolation - Kafuka

20.10.13 with Tom Sissons by Headstand on Mixcloud

Headsound: Chris T-T and The Hoodrats - The Bear

Brighton singer-songwriter Chris T-T returns with new album The Bear out 7th October. The title track is an anarchic anthem which manages to reference Joan Rivers and Louis CK and Lenny Henry in his lead role in 90s sitcom Chef.
It has the bite and intellect of The Pixies and the humour of Half Man Half Biscuit.
He's on tour absolutely everywhere in the UK from October - December.

Headsounds are weekly recommended music and spoken word tracks. If you'd like to nominate a future Headsound get in touch with a link to a video or embeddable player (eg. Bandcamp) and 50 - 100 words on why you recommend it.

Tour dates

OCTOBER
10 Aberdeen Lemon Tree
11 Ullapool The Arch Inn
12 Inverness Ironworks
13 Glasgow Oran Mor
15 Brighton Komedia
16 London O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
17 Gloucester Blackfriars Priory
18 Cardiff The Globe
20 Leicester The Musician
21 Bromsgrove Artrix
22 Oxford St John's Church
23 Bury St Edmunds The Apex
25 Norwich Open
NOVEMBER
7 Manchester St Philips Church, Salford
8 Kendal Brewery Arts Centre
9 Newcastle Cluny
10 Leeds Brudenell Social Club
11 Cambridge Junction
13 Winchester Discovery Centre
14 Exeter Phoenix
16 Hastings St Marys In The Castle
17 Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms
19 Birmingham Glee Club
20 Sheffield Greystones
21 New Brighton Floral Pavilion
22 Bristol Folk House
CHRIS T-T ‘THE BEAR’ UK TOUR – SOLO
24 Cardiff Moon Club
28 Ipswich Town Hall
29 York The Black Swan
30 London Bush Hall Supporting Jim Bob (Carter Usm)
5 Manchester Kraak Gallery
6 Leeds All Hallows Church
7 Durham Old Cinema Launderette
DECEMBER
8 – 11 Scottish Tour, Dates Tba
13 Bexhill Eras Of Style
14 Margatetom Thumb Theatre
15 Milton Keynes Watershed Arts
18 London The Monarch
19 Brighton Venue Tba
20 Devizes The Lamb

Poetry in Brighton

Ross Sutherland

I've been in Brighton nearly three weeks now but I've yet to properly discover the poetry scene here. So I'm looking forward to going to Redroaster coffee house tomorrow evening (September 26th) for a reading by Brendan Cleary who's launching his new collection on local press Pighog who are hosting the night. You can find out more about the event here.

Next week Hammer and Tongue starts a new season at Komedia on October 3rd. I have interviewed headliner Ross Sutherland and it's due to appear in The Argus this Friday. I look forward to meeting him again and hearing about his recent visit to a network of secret tunnels under Disney Land, Florida (seriously!) and seeing his latest show Stand By For Tape Backup. Find details here and come to enjoy some top quality performance poetry and maybe compete in the slam. I know I'm going to.

1st Show from Brighton

This first show from Brighton includes Ross Sutherland and Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip who are both playing the city this month along with the usual random mix of music and spoken word.

If you're a musician or spoken word artist and you'd like to be featured on the show please email info@patrickwiddess.co.uk or tweet @headstand. I'd particularly like to hear from Brighton based acts.

22.9.13 by Headstand on Mixcloud

Fat Boy Slim - Right here, Right now
Tom Adams and Dan Jeffries - Iceland Song
クリームチーズオブサン(Cream Cheese of Sun) -リバーシ (Reverse)
Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip - Stunner
Ross Sutherland - Three Minor Compaints
Mega Emotion - Brains
PJ Harvey - The Whores Hustle And The Hustlers Whore
Alfred Noyes - The Highwayman
Franka De Mille - Come On
David Francis - The Girl Got On
Pulp - I Spy
Musicforvoyeurs - Colliding Lovers
Luo - Imprints