John Cooper Clarke

John Cooper Clarke, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Mike Garry, Jan Brierton, Freya Beer

‘In Celebration of World Poetry Day’ At Mancheser AO Area 

March 29 2025

Reside Evaluation

By which the nation’s saving grace and finest identified poet, John Cooper Clarke headlines a defining invoice on the largest ever poetry occasion within the UK.

It’s truthful to say that John Cooper Clarke has been across the block a couple of instances, and at 75, the nonetheless sprightly, wiry, acquainted determine can nonetheless personal a stage with the ability of phrases and a pointy suited and booted charisma. Tonight in entrance of a number of thousand individuals he captivates and cajoles along with his his legendary poems previous and new like like Beasley Road, Twat, Rent Automotive, Get Again on Medication You Fats Fuck, Lydia, Woman With an Itch and Necrophilia…all slices of completely noticed poetic wit and acidic sonnets ingrained into the hearts of a era and past with their witty phrase play and caustic Salford sense of humour. 

There’s numerous good positioned swearing, in fact, but in addition a love of phrases, concepts, idiosyncrasies and the insanity of life and the great physician’s capacity to seek out the magic within the mundane. A Dylanesque twist that has seen him grow to be an enormous affect within the a long time since he first got here to prominence within the punk rock wars.

Dressed to kill in a crooner swimsuit and the now acquainted large hat he walks on to the most important of phases along with his spindly legs and impenetrable shades and for over and hour advert libs observations, tells daft jokes and both reads his poems out or fires them fingers free with the helter skelter excessive velocity that makes him the one remaining punk era figurehead who nonetheless operates on the similar pace as his youth. 

The previous few years have been type to the great physician with the Arctic Monkeys’ cowl of I Wanna Be Yours planting him in the midst of the trendy pop mainstream with slightly below 3 billion listens on Spotify, making it the Sheffield band’s largest streaming music, which underlines his timeless expertise for a brand new era. Nowadays the final of the eternally hip beats a combination between the vicious wit of Lenny Bruce or the beat messiah Neal Cassady whose description by Jack Kerouac additionally sits effectively on the great physician’s skinny shoulders, ‘the one individuals for me are the mad ones, those who’re mad to stay, mad to speak, mad to be saved, desirous of every little thing on the similar time, those who by no means yawn or say a commonplace factor, however burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders throughout the celebrities and within the center you see the blue centerlight pop and all people goes “Awww!”.

Nowadays, JCC is maverick/mainstream, and his love/hate relationship along with his new nationwide treasure standing has seen him fill venues like this, whereas, twenty years in the past, he was a shipwreck and one other fierce expertise burned out by the fripperies of showbiz. 

It’s nice to see his expertise given the highlight and he has by no means appeared so busy and productive with many new poems and pithy takes on life along with his supply that’s as sharp and angular as his fits.

The night is each the most important gig of his profession and a becoming epitaph to Johnny Inexperienced, his venerable tour supervisor for a number of a long time who was additionally a legend in his personal proper. Johny was the tremendous sensible, laborious as nails tour supervisor for the Conflict at their peak who by some means gathered these heppest of hep Conflict Metropolis Rocker hep cats collectively of their most wayward moments in the midst of the real revolution of punk rock. Johnny left us a couple of weeks in the past and lots of have reminiscences of the final word raconteur who additionally has the very best tales to inform by the straightforward truth of being there on the coronary heart and soul of every little thing.

John Cooper Clarke is the celebrated headline tonight however the entire night is a seamless celebration of the artwork of the phrase. From the doorways, the supporting poets seamlessly overlap one another with their completely different takes on this, probably the most historical of artwork varieties.

Opening up is Freya Beer, the pop noir gothic princess whose music we’ve lined many instances on this web site and who can be a poet in her personal proper/write. Her private phrase flows are attractive and crafted slices of from the guts neo romantic lyrical sketches that dare to Baudelaire. Jan Brierton has popped over from Dublin together with her pithy takes on life and center age which might be each humorous and poignant and make a poetry out of their minimalistic simplicity and messages that see many heads within the viewers nodding in settlement. One other of the Manchester college of road bards, Mike Garry has been supporting Dr Clarke for years and has honed his efficiency right down to a theatrical perfection. He holds the viewers along with his off mic singing as he wanders onto the stage, ready till the room is on his phrases earlier than performing highly effective items on life’s ups and downs which might be each humorous, completely noticed and tragic. A charismatic presence, he talks of the ability of phrases and the steroid crank of training after which delivers his well-known litany to Tony Wilson, which is rapturously obtained.

The particular visitor tonight is the legendary Linton Kwesi Johnson, whose political dub poetry made such an affect again within the post-punk interval. With a gravitas afforded by his phrases that depicted the West Indian expertise of the time his voice is much more charming with the added weight afforded by his elder statesmen position. He holds the world within the palm of his hand as he delivers the nonetheless highly effective poems like ‘Sonny’s Lettah (Anti Suss-poem)’, which in Trump world 2025 continues to be a strong warning to the authorities that wish to divide and rule.

The seamless complete stitches these various voices right into a charming perfection and the love and respect between every poet is nice to see. It units the stage for John Cooper Clarke whose headline slot underlines the ability of phrases and is a real celebration of World Poetry Day.

It’s a triumphant evening and homecoming for one in all Manchester and Salford’s most cherished sons who nonetheless connects with the town which has a lot modified from the Beasley road of his youth to the Beasley Boulevard of the now.