An extra special event created by Kieran Davis, A.K.A Baldy in association with Worcester Lit Fest happened Friday 20th January at St Swithun’s. It was a magical night of fun, I have not laughed so much at poetry EVER! My face hurt, there was not one act that didn’t raise a smile and often snorts, groans and full on belly laughter.
It was a brilliant gig to be a part of and I am grateful to Kieran for allowing me to be part of it. People who weren’t around the scene in 2014 missed my brief dabble with funny poems. My repertoire is small, about 5 poems – so for this set I emulated the style of BaldyPoems and wrote 6 new ditties.
Kieran started the night in style he was the compere for the evening and not only treated us to Baldy Poems in between acts but also some stand-up, one liners too. We started in black out darkness with an exceptionally funny joke and after a few Baldy Poems we moved on to the opening act:
John Lawrence kicked off the evening, his set was brilliant and even performed my favourite poem about DIY. John is a clever writer and I have always loved his lighter side poems.
Neil Laurenson was next, I miss hearing Neil’s poems, his wry, sometimes dry sense of humour. He made us all laugh (and many of us panic – who goes for a run before a gig?!), it was a pleasure.
Nina Lewis I was next I performed two poems written in 2014 for Mouth & Music. Adjectives Poem – Online Dating (which I think I managed the backwards pose with a little help from the mic stand) and the ever famous Moustache Poem. In between I used my new little ditties, the charity collection one became an audience favourite. It was great performing comic material, not being serious and liberating to wear a big moustache.
Unfortunately I didn’t take any photos until the 2nd half (apologies to John and Neil) and the quality of my phone camera has a lot to be desired.
Baldy kicked off the second half of the evening, sharing some of my favourite BaldyPoems and one or two that produced gasps rather than groans. He performed my all time favourite ‘Vase’ poem. Kieran was a great MC and should be very proud for pulling off such an entertaining evening.
Our Super Secret Surprise Guest was Peter Sutton who treated us to a walk through his family album where we did our best to guess the rhyme, with some hilarious results.
Mark Kilburn, who is another favourite poet of mine, introduced his set as serious and depressing, I knew he was pulling our leg but there was a concerned murmur in the air as his initial poem started in a serious way. He was off course, only joking and treated us to laugh after laugh and a slightly different persona in his final poem.
Catherine Crosswell who I recommended as a Queen of Comedy delighted the audience with her wordy magic and some French thrown in for good measure, not to forget the singing. She has such a beautiful voice. I was delighted that Catherine came to join this event, for the past few years her heart has been stolen by theatre and since the passing of our good friend Clive Dee, there has not been a Confab event in Malvern. I have really missed Catherine and it was lovely to see her at a happy occasion. The audience loved her.
And to top the bill the featured performer, Mogs. Who is a master at comic poetry and was an excellent choice for King Headliner. I loved hearing his Panda poem again and The Fart that ended the World. With some passing reference in introduction to Trump.
It was a stellar line up and a successful, enjoyable night. I for one cannot wait to do it again. Well done, Baldy! What was also super is that there was a good turn out – events need audiences and this one was a winner.
The Wonderful Promotional Work of Baldy Poems.
JOHN LAWRENCE
Folks, the time has come for us to announce our first poet in our Kings and Queens line up. A drum roll, please…
Shout, cheer, and get wildly excited for the wonderful… John Lawrence!
Who? Oh, that John Lawrence! The chap of advancing years who pops up now and again with gently funny verse, then hides away in his fortified castle in Redditch, writing occasionally, until the next time he ventures out on his white steed.
Isn’t he also the author of The Secret Five and the Stunt Nun Legacy, that mirthful/irksome (delete as appropriate) Blyton parody? Yes, that’s the one.
NEIL LAURENSON
Folks, stop what you’re doing and perk up your ears because we’re about to announce the second poet for our comedy line-up. John Lawrence will be joined by the humour, wit, and satire of… Neil Laurenson!
Neil has read at poetry events across the region, including the Wenlock Poetry Festival and Ledbury Poetry Festival. His debut pamphlet Exclamation Marx! was published by Silhouette Press last April, and you can find details of the book – including how to purchase your own copy – in the following link: http://silhouettepress.co.uk/shop/exclamation-marx-by-neil-laurenson/
A round of applause, please, for our latest poet to join the line-up!
NINA LEWIS
Ahem! We have another announcement to make, folks! Joining our stellar line-up of laugh out loud performers we have the wonderful, the talented, the hilarious… Nina Lewis!
Nina is widely published in poetry journals and anthologies, including Abridged, Fat Damsel Take Ten, Hark, Here Comes Everyone (HCE), I am Not a Silent Poet, New Ulster Poetry, Nutshells and Nuggets and Under the Radar.
Nina was a runner-up in the Worcestershire Poet Laureate Competition 2015/2016 and often performs at spoken word events and literary festivals. She was commissioned to write and perform poetry on ‘ecology and the city’ at the Birmingham Literature Festival in 2014.
Nina’s work also formed part of the poetry trail for Wenlock Poetry Festival, and can be be found in the vaults of the Municipal Bank as part of an International Dance Festival and 21 Haiku, used for an Art Installation at the MAC. Her debut pamphlet ‘Fragile Houses’, was published by V. Press last autumn.
We’re going to need you to stop what you’re doing and perk up your ears, ladies and gents, because we have another announcement to make. Joining our court of comedians this week we have the hugely talented Mark Kilburn!
Mark Kilburn was born in Birmingham and lived for a number years in Scandinavia before returning to the West Midlands in 2004. Between 1994-6 he was writer in residence at the City Open Theatre, Arhus, Denmark, and in 2002 was a recipient of the Canongate prize for new fiction.
Between 2004 and 2005, Mark was on attachment at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and in 2012 his poem about the London riots, Milton Friedman Talks Disaster Capitalism in a Burning Hackney Diner, won the AbcTales.com poetry competition.
Most recently, Ballad of a Claret and Blue Boy, a poem celebrating Aston Villa, was featured across the club’s digital media prior to the 2015 FA Cup final. Mark’s novel, Hawk Island, is available from electronpress.com
Clap, cheer, show your excitement for Mr. Mark Kilburn!
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s about time that we announced another poet! Joining our stellar line-up now we have the wonderful… [pause for dramatic effect]…Catherine Crosswell!
Catherine Crosswell is co-organizer of ConFab Cabaret, a Malvern-based cabaret night with lashings of poetry. She is an untidy wife, bidet doubter, list lover, writer and performer. Catherine lives in Malvern where she was the 2013 Poetry Slam champ and also the 2014 Runner-up in Ledbury.
November 2016 saw her poetry published in Voices of 1919 and Doctor Who, A Time Lord for a Change, in an exciting adventure with the Drabbles. She is a proud Vaginella and is currently writing two musicals.
For more information on Catherine and her work, you can check out the following links: catherine.crosswell.co.uk catherinecrosswell.wordpress.com
Whoop, cheer, and brace yourselves for laughter with Catherine!!
MOGS
With just a handful of days left before our poetry-packed night of comedy, it’s about time we let you folks know who your headliner for the evening will be. None other than the glorious, the hilarious, the much-loved… Mogs!
Mogs was a teenager when he wrote his first poem and song. By the time he retired, he had a smallish collection of what he refers to as ’tripe’. Since leaving work he has joined three writing groups and writes as often as he can. So he now has a large collection of tripe (much to the delight of us all, as Mogs’ ‘tripe’ is a true treasure).
A few years ago he discovered that he could make people listen to his tripe, so for the past decade or so he says he’s been inflicting his poetry on open mic audiences. Luckily for them he rarely sings.
Mogs, a well-loved poet and performer in the Worcestershire area, has audiences in tears (of laughter) with his witty and well-worded, pun-riddled poetry. As a winner of the Worcestershire Literary Festival’s Rubber Sword, Mogs truly is a King of Comedy.
Ladies and gents, we give you your headliner – give it up for Mogs!
RELATED LINKS:
https://kdavisfanclub.wordpress.com/
https://worcslitfest.co.uk/2017/01/19/baldypoems-presents-are-you-ready-for-him/
And what Kieran didn’t mention is last year he was the winner of the Rubber Swordplay. WLF Comedy Award.
https://worcslitfest.co.uk/2016/06/14/rubber-sword-won-by-kieran-davis/
Perhaps longer. Last time was Digbeth, Birmingham. I was also doubly excited because he has a new book out and I was able to grab a copy – which I then saved to be my Christmas read, but also borrowed 3 Christmassy novels from the library and with actually celebrating festivities and catching up with family and friends, I ran out of time to read it. It has become my New Year book instead… now my January book. It is my next read and has overtaken a whole shelf of poetry still on my must read radar.
It was actually 2014 when I last saw Ash perform. How time flies when you’re writing poems. The photos I took of Ash are trapped on an old phone, so you can make do with a 2014 lazy Sunday version of me instead.
awritersfountain 