www.rrrants.co.uk

Thaddeus and the Firing Squad (Kit's on the right!)

Spent yesterday in London. Kit plays saxophone in a beat poetry combo going by the name of "Thaddeus and the Firing Squad" and she had a gig at the Camden Eye pub so we all went along to support.

I hadn't been to a poetry evening for years so I was a little ring rusty, but all in all it was a very enjoyable evening. The event was organised under the auspices of http://www.rrrants.co.uk/ who are intent on taking poetry out into the world and although the quality of the poetry on offer was decidedly patchy some of the acts were terrific.




Lobby Lud (in the hat) backed by The Antipoets

  Of course the Firing Squad was seriously good - Kit played really well - though I thought Thaddeus was a little subdued. The other highlights were the VERY funny Lobby Lud - if ever there was a man destined to step out of the poetry shadows and embrace stardom it's this guy. Think Tommy Cooper mixed with George Formby and you get the picture. Some of his ideas - the ukulele-playing machine, for instance - border on genius.Also worthy of mention was Karen Hayley: although she was only given time for one poem it was a cracker - a love affair between two clowns - and her delivery was comic perfection. Watch that name!

Much of the rest was simply too crude to have much interest. Shock is a useful tool in poetry but it should be used to season the poem rather than become the poem. Some of the stuff being performed was simply too gynaecological for my taste: the performers were using their poetry as a cheap form of transactional analysis, substituting verbalised shit for talent.

Still the diamonds in the smut made it a very enjoyable evening. Well recommended.