Writers Cafe Reveiw Dec 2007
I never ceased to be amazed by Ian's reviews! While I'm rushing around trying to solve problems , make sure there is someone to follow each artist, fix the sound system, consume wine (important!), dance, perform, compère, network, fall in and out of lust, fix the ozone layer and all the rest that's expected of me - Ian is quietly and intelligently observing and recording it all. Organisers don't always have the luxury of sitting down and watching it all and this month was more challenging than most with our main artist - Susie Wilkins
having had to cancel owing to her car burning up on the way out London (and I know she was gutted about having to cancel the gig but these thing happen and we would never expect an artist to take great risks to get to us - gigs can always be rearranged and hopefully we can rescheduled a gig for Susie next year). From my viewpoint as organiser sod and his damn law were having a field day with our Sheffield poet getting to Stockton and then getting on a train back to Darlington by mistake, the sound system going silent and then doing a Jimi Hendrix while I ranted poetry over the top of it (such unexpected fun!) - it was Woodstock 2007! Into the bargain, we were late starting and Keith Armstrong's performance was curtailed as he had to get back to Newcastle I felt at times I was in a new episode of Fawlty Towers (which is cool but a bit mad) but at the end of the day, as Ian has observed, I managed to throw together a show that inspired His pen! As Ian has also said, it marked the coming together of poets from around the UK as a result of the networking Keith and I have been doing this year. So ok - rant over - here is Ian's latest review - Trev
Photos courtesy of Brian Stubley - The Writers' Cafe Photographer. (If you use Brian's photos please credit them to Brian Stubley - thanks)I'd like to thank the team for all their work for the Cafe this year - Dawn and Andy for doing the door, Maria and Nigel for doing the bar (and their team) Paul Burns and his staff for managerial support, Ian for Reviews, Brian for brilliant photos, Ruby for being compère at the start of the year, Ann for continued support and for being poster icon!
Review Writers Café 5th December 2007
Before we kick off this month
Trevor was in a state of organized chaos as there were problems with
two of the scheduled
acts. One had got on the wrong train and was
heading away from Stockton towards Darlington again and the headliner had been forced to cancel
due to a burnt out car in London. It was noticeable that the only
person concerned by these crises was Trevor proving that everyone
present knew a good bill would still be provided, and of course, as
usual it was.First on stage was Andy Gregory making his Writers
Café debut. He played guitar and sang some lovely quiet and reflective
songs. The first was called “The Tawny Owl” and was inspired by an owl
he had seen once living in a barn. This was a unique folksy bluesy
numbers and the Woo Hoo cries of the owl fitted and added atmosphere.
They could so easily have been a crass gimmick in less talented hands.
His other songs included “The Monkey and The Bear” and “Whingeing
Willy” which was amusing and not at all offensive as it could have been.He
was followed by Trev Teasdel a local poet and much loved Café
regular.
His poems included the rollicking “Hey Up What’s The Crack”,
the more atmospheric “Waking Up in Walker” with its wonderful line
about the silos leaking surrealism, and my favourite of his “Down Our
Street”, which rattles along at rap speed with clever use of words to
paint a clear picture of run down estate. He also performed a poem that
started life as a song. “One More Battered Woman” is a tale of domestic
abuse based on the experiences of a female friend of his, and is
emotive and chilling. He closed with “Dance and R n B – The Surround
Sound”Trevor was followed by another Café regular J B Butterfield
with his brand of bluesy Americana songs. J B Started
with his song
“Man on the Wire” a jolly number about a circus performer but carrying
a deeper message about taking risks in life. This was followed by a
seasonal song which I think was called “Soon it will be Christmas Day”.
As ever J B’s performance was accomplished, confidant and supremely
entertaining and he added intimacy by performing in front of the stage
rather than on it. He closed with an up tempo cover of “California
Dreaming” which like all good covers was performed in the artists own
style making his version recognizably his without losing the essential
components of the song.
The next artist was poet Monica Sharpe.
She performed poems about a Dream Catcher, New Orleans (based on a trip
there), a New Years spent in a pub and people swimming on Redcar beach
on Boxing Day. Her poetry is calm and descriptive a sort of landscape
painting with words or a snapshot of life.
Next artist was poet
Robin Vaughan-Williams who organizes a similar event in Sheffield (Spoken Word Antics at the
Red Deer). His
work was also descriptive and suited his calm quiet reciting style.
After a few poems on a range of topics he finished with some poems from
a suite of poems he is working on called “The Manager”. He performed
poem numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 & 6. Each poem was about a different
manager and or management style and many of his images were easily
recognizable to anyone who has worked for or even as a middle manager.
He
was followed by Guy Hudson from Lincoln who has performed at the Café
before. He also organizes a similar event there and it is nice to have
visitors from these sister events which Trevor and Keith Armstrong also
visit. This time Guy performed a monologue by Checkhov which while on
the face of it was a man giving a lecture on the perils of tobacco
revealed much about his home life. Guy’s performance was stunning
showing a real acting talent as he displayed the nervous nature of the
character in his delivery and manner as much as in the words that
veered between the alternate threads of the characters lecture material
and his harridan of a wife. This was a new type of performance for the
Café but was a very successful and enjoyable experiment. He finished by
performing one of his own poems which was a much more confident
delivery now that he was out of character.
Trevor returned to
perform “Nightfall in Sorrento” and “Stereophonic London” while
technical hitches were sorted in the sound system. This resulted is
some interesting feedback accompaniment.
The sound system was
being readied for another singer/songwriter Will Fenwick. His first few
songs had a feel of
Nick Drake about them both in musical style and the
vocal sound. However after only a few songs Will was asked to make way
for some other artists who had trains to catch and politely and
willingly did so.Keith Armstrong recited a poem about The White
Horse of Kilburn in
honour of its 150th Anniversary. As ever Keith is
an imposing presence with a loud and crystal clear delivery.
After
this he introduced Tony Morris who sang a song on the building of the
same white horse, encouraging the audience to join in on the chorus,
which most did with gusto and enjoyment.
They were followed by
another Lincoln poet called Dex. Dex also did
something quite
different. He performed some poems backed by a series of sounds, noises
and electronic beeps that intertwined with the words enhancing them and
Dex’s style of delivery. The result was reminiscent of a poetry
delivery with elements of Throbbing Gristle and Hawkwind. It is amazing
at the huge variety of ways that poets are managing to mix sound and
music with their words and this was a highly effective and entertaining
example.Will Fenwick returned to complete his set and the
evening’s entertainment. Although there were still some Nick Drake
similarities he reminded many people of Al Stewart. His style of
performing was quiet and with minimal chat between songs (almost none)
he let his songs speak for themselves. A problem with the mike stand
meant that he sat hunched over his guitar for most of this performance
in a strangely
humble pose. His songs were delicate and flowing often
with tempo changes and the words often skipped along on top of the
guitar tune. After the performance I found out that this was not only
Will’s debut at the Café but his debut at public performance. It has
been noted before that one of the many joys of regular attendance at
the Writers Café is to see new performers grow in confidence and
improve their stagecraft from one performance to the next. This time
this change was visible during the one performance and this reviewer at
least looks forward to a return performance from Will.December’s
Café was the usual entertaining success despite the initial problems of
wrong trains and burning cars. The unusually large number of guest
poets from outside the usual area who were previously known to each
other gave the event a comradely feel with much mutual jokery. It was
almost a small convention. These established and experienced performers
did so with their usual style and in the true spirit of The Writers
Café gave support and encouragement to the less experienced performers
and the evening was one of many delights, some not expected.
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