ON TONIGHT IN LEICESTER! (Sunday 26th November) and elsewhere across the country for the next month
Poetry promoters Write Out Loud, and Oxford’s Hammer and Tongue - one of the most important international slam promoters - bring some of the world’s best spoken word artists – from Africa, North America, Europe and Australasia - for “The Four Continents Poetry Slam Tour” - high-octane, highly entertaining performance poetry competitions where audiences judge with an Olympic-style scoring system.
Performance poetry has launched the careers of artists such as Ani De Franco, Saul Williams, Phil Jupitus and Craig Charles. Since the first, in Chicago in 1984, they have spread worldwide. Every major US city has them, and thousands flock to the annual National Poetry Slam. They are growing in Australia, New Zealand and Africa, and some of the biggest are in central Europe and the UK, whose Elvis McGonagall took the current World Slam Champion title at the World Slampionships in Rotterdam this spring. Each country represented: USA, Canada, UK, Sweden, South Africa, Botswana, Australia and New Zealand, will bring a different culture; each performer a distinctive style.
Write Out Loud’s Julian Jordon explains: “This will be a night to remember, with a fascinating variety of styles from Canada’s John Akpata’s political hip hop with fast-paced intelligent lyrical sophistication, through Botswana’s Andreattah Chuma’s softer, more soulful vibe, to Elvis McGonagall’s hilarious, hard-hitting political satire and impressions.
TOUR DATES FOR 2006:Leicester - Sunday 26th Nov - Firebug, 1 Millstone Lane - no phone contact available
Leeds - Monday 27th Nov - The Brudenell Social Club, 33 Queens Rd - 0113 2752411
Bolton - Tuesday 28th Nov - The Phoenix, Montgomery House, Bark Street - 01204 535861
Nottingham - Wed 29th Nov - Canal House, 48-52 Canal St - 0115 9555060
Newcastle - Thursday 30th Nov - The Cluny, 36 Lime St - 0191 2331113
Glasgow - Saturday 2nd Dec - The Hlat Bar, 160 Woodlands Rd - 0141 3529996
Edinburgh - Sunday 3rd Dec - Bongo Club, 37 Holyrood Rd - 0131 5587604
Brighton - Monday 4th Dec - Komedia, 44 Gardner St - 01273 647100
Oxford - Tuesday 5th Dec - Zodiac, 190 Cowley Rd - 01865 420042
Reading - Wednesday 6th Dec - South St Arts Centre, 21 South St - 0118 9015234
Bristol - Thursday 7th Dec - The Polish Club, 50 St Pauls Rd, Clifton - 07771 900583
Where possible, talented regulars at each venue will also perform.
Checkout http://www.writeoutloud.net//public/index.php
The Artists:Europe:
Elvis McGonagall (Scotland) - The current world slam champion
Henry Bowers (Sweden) - World slampionships runner-up 2005
Africa:
Kojo Baffoe (South Africa) - Monstafunk productions supreme
Andreattah Chuma (Botswana) - Star of Exodus Live Poetry
North America:
John Akpata (Canada) - Capital Slam Champion 2005
Sonya Renee - 2004 US National Slam Champion
Australasia
Penny Ashton (New Zealand) - Critically acclaimed comedy poet
Thom the World Poet (Aus) – Legendary traveling street poet
Hosted by:
Julian Jordon - co-founder, Write Out Loud
Steve Larkin - Spoken Word Olympic International Champion
