Bilston Voices is always interesting but last night's was one of the best I've been to - and I'm not just saying that because I was one of the performers. Outside the weather was miserable but the turnout was remarkable. Cafe Metro was packed to bursting with an eager and appreciative audience and the acts were all excellent with performances that were mostly poetry but poetry in a very diverse collection of writing and performance styles.
We kicked off with Carol Ward who gave us a collection of humorous verses on topics ranging from transvestism to the uses of brick walls. They were well-structured and well-crafted and, just as important, they were funny. A lot of "humorous" poetry turns out not to be very funny but that wasn't a problem in Carol's set.
She was followed by Roger Jones, a familiar voice at this kind of thing. For Roger it really is the voice that sells it. He's an accomplished performer of all kinds of writing and last night he gave us a mixed set including some quite serious poetry, a couple of nicely observed memoirs of childhood and a couple of sketches. I was very taken by his opening poem, a thoughtful piece wondering about what had happened to some childhood friends from an old photograph, and he bravely attempted a Villanelle , a verse form that I have attempted myself once or twice. It's an absolute pig of a verse form and near impossible to write well but he had managed it, though he did tell me later that he had only ever written that one and had no intention of trying another. Can't say I blame him.
I was the final act before the break and obviously I'm in no position to judge whether I was any good or not though I gained a gratifyingly warm reception. I was attempting, for the first time in ten years of performing, to do my set without a written copy, entirely from memory and I'm pleased to say that though I stumbled once early on and had to look at my notes, the rest of the set went without a hitch. It was as nerve-racking as the first time I ever read in public but it was a great experience. The lack of a script freed me to put more tone and emotion into my set and to make better contact with my audience. I shall certainly be trying to do the same at any subsequent performances. My set was mostly taken from some of my more serious poems but with a couple of lighter ones thrown in to lift the mood.
After the break Dave Finchett, another familiar performer, read a series of poems. His humour is often subtler than many and his poetic imagery more... well, more poetic. A lot of his work is what one of my friends (who really doesn't understand poetry) would describe as "prose, written down in lines" but that would be doing it a terrible disservice. His poems included a couple of very funny ones about office jargon and automatic "press one to go to next menu" telephone systems as well as a more than passable impersonation of Michael Winner eating in a posh restaurant.
The final act was Lorna Meehan and she had also chosen to perform largely without a written copy. Her style was big and active and quite physical, her poems ranting at the audience in fine style. She was better, by a very long way, at it than I am. Her topics included an impassioned plea to elect Stephen Fry as President, a raging demolition of Lady Gaga and a lustful entreaty to the latest Doctor Who for a cross-species relationship. She was excellent.
So, overall, one of the best evenings so far at Bilston Voices which continues to raise the bar in the quality of the writing and performances. I only hope that I can keep on raising my game to move with it.
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