Closing up the Poetry Arena on Thursday night was Aisle 16 and Friends, a UK poetry collective with a lot of energy to burn. Unfortunately I missed the first half of the act but if they were anything like the quality of the second half then I’m quite sad I missed them. (Lucky these guys are on every night then! ) 

I entered the tent as Luke Wright, resident poet on BBC Radio 4’s Saturday Live, was debating the merits of pop culture with his poem “It’s So Channel 4”. It was laugh-out-loud funny and the humour kept coming with “The Rise and Fall of Dudley Livingstone”, a poem loosely based on Boris Johnston, and an excuse for Luke to rant angrily about the new London Mayor. Luke held the audience in the palm of his hands and left them begging for more but alas, time was running out.

The evening’s entertainment ended with a wonderful performance by singer/songwriter John Smith. This multi-talented artist enchanted everyone with his soothing voice, opening with one of his own songs. He then went on to regale us with the tale of his hot feet, more an excuse to keep us distracted while he tuned his guitar, but it was a very funny story nonetheless. 

He ended on a high by launching into a rousing rendition of “No One Knows” by Queens of the Stone Age, which was an inspired choice to display his accomplished guitar skills and sent everyone off for the evening with a spring in their step.


Lesley Pinder