Arts

Stand Up And Spit

Norwich Arts Centre

23/11/16

Stand Up and Spit proclaimed itself to be “a night of ranting, sweary, boozy poetry which packs a powerful political punch.” Gathered in the NAC were an odd mix of about 30 people, all who looked like they came to these kind of events often. The first performer was Tim Wells, an East End man through and through who runs the Stand Up and Spit project. Tim began by remembering another ‘professional poet’ (said with dripping irony) who once asked how he found performing poetry in the East End. “In general people like poetry” he replied “but they fucking hate poets”. This, I think, goes straight to the heart of his own style – no frills, no fuss and no flapping about, just straight talking accounts of East End life bathed in anger with what Tim sees as a cultural assault on British working-class life. 

Second was Norfolk’s very own Prem Nick, veteran punk poet and certainly eccentric. His opening poem took aim at the Tories straight away, likening them unashamedly to the Nazis. In a similar vein was his reworked Land of Hope and Glory of course changing ‘Glory’ to ‘Tory’, decrying the state of the nation supressed and exploited by right-wing overlords. Through his 20-minute set he turned fire on a host of establishment figures, middle-class culture, and the Church. Although his poems are a mile away from impressive literary achievements, he was nevertheless hilarious and highly entertaining to watch. Michael Murphy Memorial Award winner Hannah Lowe followed next, an Essex born poet who focused on poems recalling experiences of her youth. Drawing on the themes of race and family life, Lowe had the audience enthralled with her authentic and easy manner and charmingly powerful poems.

After the interval Tim Wells performed a few more pieces, before handing over to Martin Figura, a writer shortlisted for the Ted Hughes award and also a Norwich resident. Hughes struck a more serious tone with his poems, speaking about previous British Prime Ministers, including one Margaret Thatcher (announced to riotous acclaim from a drunk punk in camo trousers at the bar). To finish, the audience was treated to a fantastic performance from young poet Bridget Minamore. Her warm personality lit up the stage and her words were captivating. Beginning with a poem denouncing the pace of cultural change in the London borough she grew up in, she moved into her latest publication Titanic, a collection of short and humorous poems charged with passion, cataloguing the love and heartbreak of a previous relationship.

The evening was definitely entertaining and at times a bit surreal; the poets had very different styles but shared the common themes of anger and protest. Tim Wells told the audience he began the Stand Up and Spit project to catalogue the pre-internet age protest poetry movement online. Unfortunately, he told the audience, young people today face even greater injustices than his generation did. His challenge now is to continue enlisting the talents of young writers like Minamore to spread his movement to a new generation.