Performance poetry is punk but no guitar

Published on Saturday 16 February 2008 10:15

IN the dim lights of Edinburgh's jazz bar, a crowd of people gather around a stage where a gentle-looking man stands motionless, clutching an unlit cigarette.

His words though, belie his appearance. They are an aggressive commentary on the state of the world today.

A hip hop performance – without music – ensues, followed by a poet who delivers a perfectly-timed performance and makes the audience laugh with his well-crafted one liners.

Welcome to the world of performance poetry, a burgeoning scene in the Capital and one which is gaining popularity throughout the UK.

"Most people have a poetic style and a kind of subject matter," explains poet Graeme Hawley. "But when you get the audience to react in a certain way – especially if you hear a sharp intake of breath at something that you've said – that's a really great feeling."

Graeme has been a performance poet for more than three years, since taking his position outside St Giles Cathedral on the High Street during the Fringe Festival.

Since then, his work has evolved and he delights in satirical verse analysing the world around us.

"My first work was very introspective and quite indulgent but it was my way of dealing with things that were happening at the time," he explains. "I felt liberated being able to write things down."

Soon after his performance in front of festival goers, Graeme heard about Big Word – a night in Edinburgh now run by Jenny Lindsay, where poets get together, take to the stage and compete against one another in a 'slam'.

Poems are judged by verse, performance and audience reaction. Recent Edinburgh venues have included the Bongo Club on Holyrood Road, the City Cafe, The Jazz Bar on Chambers Street and Vox Box at the Mercat Bar.

"I have never been so excited by an art form," enthuses Graeme. "I just thought 'this is amazing'. There were 24 poets covering every subject imaginable."

Indeed, Graeme was so successful, he won the annual Big Word poetry slam in 2006. Shortly after, he was also part of a winning team that took a three nations title against England and Wales.

Another Big Word champion is Bram E. Gieben. "I had written 'teenage angst' poems since a teenager," he laughs, "then three years ago I tried out performance poetry and got hooked. I'm inspired by traditional poetry, metaphysics, beat poets like Jack Kerouac, and hip hop."

Born in Milton Keynes – which he describes as "Britain's biggest shopping mall" – Bram was 11 when his family moved north of the border. He attended James Gillespie's High School and now lives in Dalry. He studied drama before switching to English Literature and, after graduating, worked in call centres for five years – a subject he covers in some of his poems – before deciding to concentrate on his creativity.

Now 27, he is a member of Edinburgh band Double Helix, writes science fiction and performs with poetry group Chemical Poets, under the stage name Texture, alongside poets Tickle and Harlequinade.

"Performance poetry is still quite a hidden part of Edinburgh's culture," says Bram. "And it doesn't lead to a lucrative career, but it's definitely an opportunity to get people's voices heard. It can be very political, and is a real melting pot of influences and ideas."

And though still an underground scene, it is growing in popularity; recently, poet John Cooper Clark supported alternative rockers, The Fall, at the Liquid Rooms.

Bram's future plans involve getting into publishing and helping fellow writers make the most of their craft. "I know from my time working in call centres that people can spend long days working and not find the time to fit in writing. Also, they say being a writer is a club you can't join unless you're in it, and I want to be a local contact who can offer help and provide resources and information for would-be writers, and help them get published."

Graeme, meanwhile, is now getting ready to publish his second poetry collection, entitled Every Day Things, and continuing to promote performance poetry in the city.

"Performance poetry is like punk without guitars, and people either get it or hate it," says Graeme. "Because there's no music and it's just the words, it can be very brutal and naked.

"You always get a sense of expectation before a poet starts and you can usually expect swearing. Sometimes the subject matter can be quite demanding on the listener while other times you can have tears of laughter rolling down your face."

And while Graeme comes across the occasional heckler, he says most people who come along are supportive. "I usually fix myself to the spot because I have been known to get an attack of the trembles," he adds. "I don't smoke but like to hold an unlit cigarette and clutch the microphone."

POETRY EVENTS IN EDINBURGH

Bram E Gieben is among the poets performing at the Big Word poetry night at The Jazz Bar on Thursday, February 21 at 8.30pm.

&#149 The St Anza International Poetry Festival 2007, Scotland's festival of poetry, takes place from March 12–16 in St Andrews and a preview event is being held at the National Library on George IV Bridge on Friday, February 22 at 7pm. The event will feature this year's St Anza poet-in-residence, Adrian Mitchell, and Robert Alan Jamieson.

&#149 The National Library is currently accepting entries for the The Callum Macdonald Memorial Award. The award is given in recognition of publishing skill and effort in the field of poetry pamphlets.