Run over by the truth

Royal Oak, Lewes
Wed 24 Oct

Adrian Mitchell - 40 years on! To Whom it may Concern is just as telling, just as shocking, as it was then. We're still being told the same old "lies about Vietnam".

A superb set, new as well as old, superbly delivered on the Shadow Poet Laureate's 75th birthday. Many thanks to Lewes Live Literature festival for giving us the chance to hear him again. And for enticing us there in the first place by having Mandy Murray as support, along with Marina Evans - a finely judged Irish opening half.

NB: when the video ends, you get a strip of thumbnails for other related videos - try ¿Qué es la poesía?

What is poetry?
Look at those naked words, dancing together.
Everyone's very embarrassed!
Only one thing to do about it
- off with your clothes and join in the dance!
Naked words and people dancing together?
There's going to be trouble!
Here come the poetry police.
Keep dancing!
Keep dancing!
Keep dancing.

Mandy at The Pond

Mon 21 May
The Pond, Brighton

The last hour of Mandy Murray's Irish session at The Pond. Live music again, only half a mile up the road from the Dome, but a world away in every possible sense - musical genre, instrumentation, playing conventions, audience, locale, atmosphere. And Harveys. Wonderful!