| Main Performers | Allen Ginsberg,
Heathcote Williams,
Valerie Bloom,
Ifgenija Simonovic,
Mahood Jamal,
Kazuko Shiraishi,
Brendan Kennelly,
Roger McGough,
Grace Nichols,
Inge Elsa Laird,
John Agard,
Miroslav Holub,
Waterson: Carthy,
Carol Ann Duffy,
Shusha,
Patti Smith,
Paul Durcan,
Jackie Kay,
Gwyneth Lewis,
James Fenton,
Adrian Mitchell,
Patience Agbabi,
Andrei Voznesensky,
Progress with Zila,
Caroline Coon,
James Berry,
E J Thribb,
Perry Benson,
Moondog,
Nick Cave,
Warren Ellis,
Christopher Logue,
Simon Armitage,
Hanif Kureishi,
Mark Fisher MP,
Nerys Hughes,
Gerard Presencer,
Fran Landesman,
Damon Albarn,
Trevor Laird,
Michael Horovitz,
John Hegley,
John Cooper Clarke,
Ray Davies,
Kylie Minogue - speakers |
| Orchestra or Band | The Broadside Band,
Stan Tracey Quartet,
The Macusi Players,
Evelyn Tubb and The Broadside Band |
| Set List | 13:30 Heathcore Williams, Valerie Bloom, Ifigenija Simonovic, Mahood Jamal, Kazuko Shiraishi, Brendan Kennelly,
14:30 Roger McGough, Grace Nichols, Inge Elsa Laird, John Agard, Miroslac Holub,
15:30 Waterson: Carthy, Carol Ann Duffy, Shusha, MC Justine Frischmann,
'To the Reader' (Patti Smith),
'The Passenger M' (Patti Smith),
'The Throw' (Patti Smith),
'Staff of Life' (Patti Smith),
'Magua' (Patti Smith),
'Charity Boy' (Patti Smith),
'Beneath the Southern Cross' (Patti Smith),
'Farewell Reel' (Patti Smith),
16:30 Paul Durcan, Jackie Kay, Gwyneth Lewis, James Fenton, The Macusi Players,
17:30 Adrian Mitchell, Patience Agbabi, Andrei Voznesensky, Progress with Zila,
18:30 James Berry, E J Thribb, Perry Benson, Moondog,
'Dead Joe' (Nick Cave with Warren Ellis),
'Black Hair' (Nick Cave with Warren Ellis),
'The Mercy Seat' (Nick Cave with Warren Ellis),
Kylie Minogue:
'I Should Be So Lucky',
19:30 Evelyn Tubb and the Broadside Band, Christopher Logue, Simon Armitage, Hanif Kureishi, Mark Fisher (MP),
20:30 'Under Milk Wood', Dylan Thomas (Nerys Hughes, Stand Tracey Quartet ft. Gerard Presencer), Fran Landesman, Damon Albarn, Trevor Laird,
'Essex Dogs' (Damon Albarn),
A Song' (Damon Albarn),
'Waterloo Sunset' (Damon Albarn),
'Parklife' (Damon Albarn),
21:30 Michael Horovitz, John Hegley, John Cooper Clarke, Ray Davies,
Allen Ginsberg |
| Performance Notes | This was an all day, nine hour poetry event, with over 45 performers, at which notably Kylie Minogue shook off her Stock, Aitken and Waterman pop image and performed a tongue-in-cheek spoken word version of 'I Should Be So Lucky' at Nick Cave's suggestion. Indie Kylie, the NME star, was born.
The event was devoted to specific themes including jazz poetry, translations, singer-songwriting, young people's and children's poetry, musical arrangements and settings of poetry, readings and performances of verse. There were nine sessions or 'heats' of roughly 45 minutes each, with an interval of 10-15 minutes between them, in this grand finale to the first Poetry Olympics Weekend (POW!) Festival.
"The event began with a female performer singing in Japanese to her own echo, followed by another female performer chanting "Steve Biko...Ken Saro Wiwa...". Michael Horowitz blew on a small horn which he called his 'anglosaxophone' to announce his part in what he called "this Bardstock", and announcing, "let's levitate this place!". Brendan Kennely read from his then new collection of poerty called 'Poetry My Arse'. Patti Smith when on stage asked, "Should I start counting the audience?" due to the small crowd the event had gathered. Nerys Hughes performed 'Under Milk Wood' with the new Stan Tracey Quartet."
(The Guardian 8 July 1996) |
| Related Archival Material | Programme (RAHE/1/1996/),
Handbill (RAHE/6/1996/19),
Poster (RAHE/2/1996/16) |