Mike Garry
Mike Garry, Live
Rooms Chester, 13th October 2017
Astounded. Stunned.
Invigorated. Just some of the
feelings I had afterwards. Last night I
went to see Mike Garry perform at The Speakeasy launch night at The Live Rooms
in Chester. I had never seen Mike read
before and was completely blown away.
The Speakeasy is a
new night, which started off with comedian Natalie P-J who got the crowd going
and sparked interest from locals. She is
definitely one to watch. After this came
the open mic, with the open mic policy being; the Speakeasy bell was on the
stage at all times, if the stage was free, all you had to do was get up and
ring the bell, the music would go quiet and the lights would go down, giving
you the stage to perform. I was unsure
beforehand how this would work, but it actually worked really well. After the first poet had the bottle to ring
the bell, people didn’t stop. From more
comedy, to storytelling, and more poets than you could shake a stick at, this
proved extremely popular. The standard
was high and the audience didn’t hold back with their respect and appreciation
for all of the performers. All
performers got £5 back from their ticket price on the night, an ingenious idea
by Michelle Parkinson who organised and compered the night.
Next up was Joshua
Cialis who had won the audition to open for Mike Garry. His confident delivery and steady pace proved
that he was the poet for the job. He
spoke about being influenced by Mike Garry and this was evident in the content
of his poetry.
After a short break
it was time for what we had all been waiting for…Mike Garry! Making an immediate impact in the audience
with his range from softly singing to a Mancunian roar, his delivery was both
haunting and powerful. His interaction
with the audience was incredible, he acknowledged the performers who had
already appeared, and clearly loved the incredible atmosphere and audience
involvement.
The poems themselves
were breathtaking. From ‘Today’ to
‘Penny for a Guy’, he talked about issues everyone could identify with. The content was so topical, from ‘Pay as You
Go’ a poem about a teenager pressured into sending an intimate photo, and the
aftermath when it’s shared online, to ‘Signify’ dedicated to Mike’s favourite
school teacher, his appeal is broad and spans generations. ‘Armbands’ was deeply moving and ‘What me Mam
taught me’ a tribute to his late Mum, definitely brought a tear to my eye. After an astounding set, the crowd still
wanted more, so Mike did us the honour of performing his poem ‘Saint Anthony’
dedicated to Anthony H Wilson who founded Factory Records and started The
Hacienda; a God to Mancunians and anybody who loved music. His friend accompanying him on viola was the
cherry on the cake.
I can’t end this
without giving a massive shout out to Michelle Parkinson for organising such a
fantastic night. From the backdrop, to
actually paying performers –more of this please promoters for the arts-whipping
the crowd into a frenzy, making everybody feel welcome, and for organising the
type of night I’ve never seen in Chester until now, this amazing women deserves
a medal! I can’t wait to see what The
Speakeasy has in store for 2018!
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