Word of Mouth - Kate Tempest and Ben Mellor

Contact: Box Office : 0117 987 7877

December’s Word of Mouth sees three renowned performers from London, Manchester and Bristol take over the Bristol Old Vic’s Basement for a night of razor sharp spoken word, hosted by the ‘achingly funny’ Byron Vincent.

From London : Without a doubt one of the best performance poets in the country at present, Kate Tempest’s rapid-fire lyrics encapsulate urban life. While she’s not one to shy away from telling it exactly how it is, her words are moving and inspiring with an electric delivery that whips across the stage.

“Her works are truly of upliftment and betterment” Roots Manuva

Kate has performed consistently and comprehensively since she began rapping in battles at 16 making a name for herself in the UK hip hop, spoken word and live music scenes. In New York she won the NU-Yorican Poetry Café Slam. She has performed at Glastonbury, supported for John Cooper Clarke at the Leeds Weekender, received a standing ovation at Latitude, and played all the major festivals. She has performed her poetry several times on Spoken Word Surgery on Radio 1 and also had her Sound Of Rum songs played on Radio 1. Steven Merchant invited her onto his BBC6 Music show for a live session and interview after seeing her perform.

From Manchester : Simply one of the UK’s most charismatic spoken word artists, Ben Mellor’s poems pack an entertaining but thought-provoking punch that transfixes audiences around the country.

"A pure undiluted talent. Concentrated." Lemn Sissay

BBC Radio 4 National Slam Champion 2009, Ben has performed his work at venues and events including Contact Theatre, the Edinburgh Fringe, Latitude Festival, the RSC’s New Work Festival and Kathmandu International Theatre Festival. The Latitude Festival, dubbed him ‘one of the country’s biggest emerging talents’.

He has spent a six month residency at Contact Theatre, and also performs hip-hop music with a group called Freestyle Mondays. His current set is inspired by a recent ‘bicycle odyssey’ around Britain, researching social responses to climate change and issues of sustainability.

From Bristol : One the city’s most individual spoken word artists, Shagufta Iqbal, has been actively involved in the poetry scene since 2000 and has performed at numerous venues around Bristol including the Bristol Old Vic, the Arnolfini and the Cube. She performed at the 2006 & 2007 Bristol Poetry Festivals and was a member of the Bristol team in the Bristol vs Paris Slam. She has also performed at poetry and slam events in London, Swansea, Bath, and at Glastonbury Festival.

Price: £8.00 / £6.00

Time: 8:00pm