Old Crown, Digbeth

An eclectic mix of the best of Poetic talent assembled once again to vie for the title of Rhyme’s Slam Champion, previously held by Spoz. A mark of the increasing prestige of the event was the presence of the Farrago National Award Winning poet Mark Niel who had travelled from Miton Keynes to compete – and won.Yet a slam is defined by its constituent parts as much as by the winner, and so it proved here. Confusingly Mark is the 2010 Champion, even though it was competed for in 2011!

 Co-finalists were Ddotti Bluebell and Jodi Ann Bickley. Ddotti has become a seasoned campaigner over the last year or so and it was good to see her competing at the finish. A beautiful and compelling artist she writes about everyday life with a passionate, lyrical intensity, sometimes part sung, part rapped, but always in distinctive style. 

 Jodi Ann is, by contrast, a relative newcomer. ”Hold Tight”, “I’m an Idiot but I Love You” and her signature piece “Bob Marley & Me” are all relationship based, fey and light, but acutely observed and layered with wry pathos. A poetic Lily Allen, she charmed and delighted in equal measure and is clearly here to stay. 

Semi-finalists Matt Windle and Andy Cook by no means disgraced the boys. Matt entertained with a killer tale of why it is so difficult to get a taxi when you are drunk, Andy Cook delighted with “Five Reasons Why We Should Send Singers on Creative Writing Courses” on the absurdity of song lyrics. 

A GOOD NIGHT OUT

With seventeen poets in total, inevitably some very good contributions did not make the cut. Gary Longden asked “Why Do Women Like Crap music?”, Ben MacNair offered us warnings on modern life, Janet Smith offered a powerful trilogy culminating in the wonderful “Bear” and Spoz had us all laughing to his idea of a good night out.

The multi-talented Heather Wastie knows how to work a good idea. Following the success of “Halloween Nightmare” she offered the sequel, ”Christmas Nightmare” in which the Carol singers were definitely not harbingers of peace and goodwill. 

In the second half, Sammy Joe made a solid debut slam performance, whilst the talented American, Sean Colletti, just off a plane from California performed the clever “There is no Mathematics in Facial Expressions”. Louise Stokes never shirks from delivering serious poetry with a message well, by contrast Donna Scott had us roaring to “I like Cake”. Marcus Taylor claimed a girlfriend in every district in Birmingham whilst Najeeta and Keisha closed the opening round with performances of considerable promise. 

Winner Mark Niel gave us a master class in how to win a slam and exposed his craft for all to see. His opening poem combined a list of all the things we hated about 2010 combined with a call and response refrain of “why don’t you push off and die”. Contemporary accessible pop culture meets audience participation – you can’t lose can you? His semi-final set piece of a strip tease while explaining how he becomes sexually excited reciting performance poetry, as usual, brought the house down. The pauses and disrobing, all timed t perfection. His “Slam Winner” was a new work about performers with irritating “Poetry Voices” which struck a chord with us all – even if we had been spared the worst examples in the readings previously. 

Hosted by the slick Lorna Meehan ( with stage management by Kim Charnock!) the evening was a tremendous success with the historic setting of the Old Crown a fitting backdrop. To think that Queen Elizabeth 1st talked of defeating the Spanish Armada in that very building, I wonder whether the entertainment was as good back then? 18-01-11.
Kay Dents

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Victoria Pub, John Bright Street, Birmingham 

This was the second event at the venue, located behind the Alexandra Theatre, organised by Apples & Snake’s West Midlands co-ordinator Bohdan Piesecki.

A packed house of almost 100 people saw a varied and high quality bill of the best of the Midlands, English and European Poetic talent.

The evening was split into two sections with short open mic slots warming up for the headline performers. 

Ddotti Bluebell’s street style with acapella sung passages was as smooth and sassy as her new look. The ever reliable Charlie Jordan debuted a trademark, pithy “Words”. Bob Hale entertained us as “One of the Girls”, Matt Windle belied his status as the youngest performer with his uber cool delivery, all warming up for first half Headliner, Sergio Garau. 

Sergio Hails from Sardinia, Torino and Berlin and his multi-cultural background is used to full effect in his performance. Speaking in his native Italian, he also performs innglish, German and Russian in a virtuoso multimedia set the highlights of which were “ Kauf Mich” and “Luna Park”. Performing in front of a video screen he loves to blur borders. His physical performance is demonstrative in classic Italian style. When not speaking in English sometimes what he is saying is translated on screen as part of the performance, sometimes not. The screen is an internet tool, as he dates – with himself. So what the audience is not seeing is a sub-titled performance but neither is it seeing a mere audio visual backdrop. Unique, innovative and compelling the sound, rhythm and cadences of other languages are skilfully employed to counterpoint the more familiar English delivery in a brave tour de force. Bravo Sergio!

TEENAGE DATE

The second half opened to Louise Stokes’s moving plangent words, Gary Longden’s knockabout verse, Curly’s wonderful, multimedia “New Horizon”, Maggie Doyle’s wistful homily to a teenage date and Jodi Ann Brickley’s quite brilliant alternative teenage date scene set “ Bob Marley & Me”. 

 Emma Purshouse is a very clever performer whose acting and characterisation skills wonderfully flesh out her material. Her talent is in taking the most mundane situations and bringing them alive. “Nubbs” tells of an ex-boyfriend’s obsessive pursuit of discarded cigarette butts. Only could take on the character of a fruit machine, complete with Mexican voice and tell a hilarious tale of the thoughts of the machine as it encounters punters in the lounge bar.

Main headliner Ross Sutherland was recently listed in The Times top 10 list of rising literary stars and did not disappoint. A laconic easy going set had as its centrepiece a modern fairytale with animated backdrop interpreting the traditional tale of “Little Red Riding Hood”, and was a fitting culmination to a fine evening. 

“Hit the Ode” presents again on Feb 10th, 7.30pm with headliners Fatima Al Matar, Ian McMillan “The Shirley Bassey of Poetry” (TES), and from America, Joshua Bennett who has performed for President Obama. 13-01-11

Kay Dents
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Margaret Rose Abri Cafe, Digbeth

THE opening event of 2011 saw Irish author Mary Rochford debut at the Cafe reading from “ Niamh Takes Ulysses Home”. Although a Dubliner by birth, she studied at the University of Birmingham, obtained a Masters from Birmingham City University and lectures.

Her collection of short stories “Gilded Shadows” was listed in the prestigious Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award and won Birmingham City Library Reader’s Book for Birmingham Award. Her reading perfectly showcased the lyrical style which has won her such plaudits with her affection for her hometown of Dublin, obvious. Her presence was a real coup to organiser Stuart Zola.

Regulars Lorna Meehan, Brendan Higgins, Stuart Favell and Jasher provided sterling support with Louis Campbell arriving just as proceedings were drawing to a close. With the increase in invitation only paid events, Poetry@The Cafe is providing a much needed platform for new poets to find their feet, and for established poets to try new material. The next open mic event will take place on Thursday, 3rd February at 8pm. 06-01-11.

Gary Longden