PERENNIAL punk poet John Cooper-Clarke is once again gracing stages around the UK as he completes his latest tour.
He was joined by fellow poet Luke Wright for his new show at Reading Concert Hall, featuring poems from his latest collection of works, What.
Wright kicked off the show with aplomb, deftly weaving his work through with his conversational style and cheeky humour.
His performance blurs the line between spoken word, poetry, and stand-up, touching on topics such as love, divorce, and even figures from history.
Among the highlights were Honeymoon at Weybourne, which touched upon the ‘anchoring’ relationship with a partner, and a particularly impressive rendition of a broadside news poem about Edward Dando.
His performance of Ring, a poem which looks at married life in reverse through the lens of a wedding ring, was particularly breath-taking.
Following a rousing introduction by long-time manager and friend Johnny Green, Cooper-Clarke took to the stage in his signature grey coat, exaggerated newsboy cap, and skinny jeans.
His casual delivery and occasional tangents are as disarming as they are charming, giving way to break-neck delivery of some of his finest work in the last five decades.
Highlights included classic poems such as I Don’t Wanna Be Nice, Beasley Street, and I’ve Fallen in Love with My Wife, as well as some particularly racy Limericks.
He closed the set with a double-bill of crowd favourites I Wanna Be Yours and the expletive-laden Evidently Chickentown.
Overall, Cooper-Clarke demonstrated why he is considered by many to be the “people’s poet” and showed no sign of slowing or blunting his surgical analysis, keen observational skill, or his ever-present, disarming wit.
Full details of upcoming shows are available via: johncooperclarke.com
