Poetry is pretty damn cool. However, many of us will have been put off rhyme and verse for life by the laborious studying of anthologies during years 10 and 11, circling verbs in red pen and bullet-pointing dictated meanings until the ink ran dry. Don’t be fooled.
Poetry can be exciting, spellbinding and “like mud wrestling, only with words”. The latter is a direct quote from Kate Tempest about Bang Said The Gun – London’s premier spoken word night, which is touted as ‘poetry for people who don’t like poetry’. This Friday, Soho Theatre hosts the fantastically raucous event, with Josie Long and John Osborne steering the ship. Expect cardboard cut-out applause signs, shakers made out of milk bottles filled with pasta, and one of the organisers banging on the bar whenever proceedings get too quiet. Normal rules do not apply here.
