Spoken word nights around the UK and abroad: Live Wire

Live literature has evolved in the last decade. Moving on from the back rooms of dodgy, cramped pubs serving real ale to the back rooms of trendy, cramped pubs serving craft ale, the live literature scene in Europe is in the healthiest state it has been for some time. There are many thoughts on the reasons for this: whether it’s because the internet has spread the word that these nights are more open and engaging than previously thought, or down to the ‘I can do anything’ mentality of an entitled generation, who knows? Whichever way, the current literary climate has given rise to an exciting and diverse (as in poetry and short stories) collection of nights.

Full disclosure: as the host of Bad Language (*cough* Best Regular Spoken Word Night in the UK *cough*), I have a vested interest in the wellbeing of live literature around the UK and have been well placed to see it thrive in recent years. From starting out sharing a stage with an open mic singer-songwriter set, we have managed to release four self-funded anthologies, perform at music festivals like Kendal Calling, commission award-winning writers and promote shows for writers like Kate Tempest.

Spoken Word in Manchester

The city we started in, has witnessed a multitude of nights pop up of late, many of which share guests, hosts, and audience members – but all of which maintain their own unique identity.

Evidently (Eagle Inn, Salford, evidentlysalford.net) focuses on short, sharp bursts of poetry, and its spin off, World War Three, is gaining a reputation as one of the best slam competitions in the UK. First Draft (The Castle Hotel, firstdraftmcr.wordpress.com) promotes new, previously unseen works and wanders into comedy, music and theatre in the process. Tales of Whatever (Gullivers, talesofwhatever.com) asks its performers to share a true story between friends, no notes, ten minutes max, and was recently voted the number one storytelling night in the country by the Guardian. Stirred (Three Minute Theatre, stirredpoetry.wordpress.com), meanwhile, maintains a feminist angle on proceedings and runs writing workshops before every event.

Literary non-fiction can be found at The Real Story (Gullivers, therealstory.org), a night that has recently played host to Stuart Maconie and Laura Barton. More leftfield, experimental poetry can be found at The Other Room (The Castle Hotel, otherroom.org), and you can even head into the suburbs for Verbose (Fallow Cafe, verbosemcr.wordpress.com).

And that’s all in one city – a city the literary reputation of which is helped by the ever growing reputation of Manchester Literature Festival, sure, but the trend is being replicated throughout the country and further afield. Let's take a look. 

Spoken Word in Liverpool

In the rambunctious city of the Northwest, the scouse traditions of oral storytelling and frank discourse continue to flourish. Storm and Golden Sky (The Caledonia, facebook.com/stormandgoldensky) provides a platform for established poets of the literary high style, prize-winning variety. The monthly event pairs two poets, who each perform half hour readings, in the hope that ‘new metaphors will be forged, similarities caught, trajectories flown.’ One of Liverpool’s longest running live literature nights, Come Strut Your Stuff (Egg Cafe, comestrutyourstuff.co.uk) strips away the ornaments of production; writers perform in the crowd, without a microphone, and ‘anything goes.’ Liverpool Poetry Cafe (The Bluecoat, thebluecoat.org.uk/events) hosts musings on contemporary themes of modern life, while Brink Speakers (The Brink, thebrinkliverpool.com/events.php) has an ad-hoc vibe; expression is unfettered and newcomers are just as welcome as the more familiar faces of the scene. 

Spoken Word Around the UK

Liars’ League has become one of the biggest nights in the UK and has even managed to find a home for itself in New York and Hong Kong as well as Leeds, London and Leicester. Winners of Best Regular Spoken Word Night at the 2014 Saboteur Awards, they have had a run on Radio 4 and are routinely hailed as one of the liveliest nights around. Most live literature nights see the authors reading their own work, but here the writers write and the actors act. Each event sees writers submit short stories and the best are then read by one of the League's company of around 100 actors. This guarantees high class pieces and a rowdy audience. liarsleague.com

London’s Bang Said the Gun is another of the heavyweights; full of enthusiasm, excitement and very much steeped in the best of what slam poetry has to offer. bangsaidthegun.com | @bangsaidthegun

No live literature lineup would be complete without including the international Literary Death Match, a night that straddles so many countries, with such a wealth of writing talent, that it plays to huge crowds wherever it ends up and aims to ‘showcase literature as a brilliant and unstoppable medium.’ literarydeathmatch.com | @litdeathmatch

Hosted by a punk in York, Say Owt is one of the very newest nights around and is already creating a name for itself as one of the hottest slams. Selling out its first few events, this is a night on the rise. facebook.com/sayowtslam | @sayowtslam

By contrast, Word Life is a stalwart of the live literature scene. Situated in Sheffield and hosted by Joe Kriss, the night has welcomed Kate Tempest, Lemn Sissay and some of the hottest names from the US. opusindependents.com/wordlife

Another London night, Book Slam is run by one of the best and most listened to literary podcasts and claims that it is one of the few – if not the only – literary nightclubs, fusing literature and music. Book Slam can certainly lay claim to hosting some of the biggest names, including Nick Hornby, Hanif Kureishi and Dave Eggers, as well as music superstars Adele and Kate Nash. bookslam.com | @bookslam

Spoken Word Around the World

Heading across the Channel, we find the night that showcases 'literature on fire in the city of light.' Paris Lit Up is a collection of live literature nights and literary happenings in the city that has embraced many, many writers over the years and is the first stop for any lit lovers finding themselves in France. parislitup.com 

Fridays at second hand bookshop Another Country in Berlin host nights based on discussion and speaking. Full of debate and lively discussions in the shop, the night has been chosen as one of the world’s greatest by BBC Travel. anothercountry.de

The European Slampionship (the title giving you an idea of the high quality wordplay they promote) will be hosted in Tartu, Estonia in November. Each year, a wide variety of non-English language slam poets compete for the title of European Slampion. beslam.be/euroslam

If you have a penchant for the literary, whether you're a performer or audience member, there will be something to engage and entertain you in the UK or further afield. Translation dictionary at the ready.

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