It feels like so much and so little has changed since the last blog entry.

London was a wash with little highs and very few sighs. Staying with friends and their families has become a mantra on this tour. My brothers family in Cov, My old uni mate Michael, his wife Catherine and his two kids. Now, in Manchester its a friend Kev from my clubbing days and his 2 little ones. It’s been wonderful.

Attended Write and Release online from Michael’s front room in Redhill, his pad got a good rating from the other poets as I had to move from the kitchen due to signal. It was lovely to perform at Write and Release again, having headlined it a few months back now. It’s hosted and run by Randy Horton. It had a good mix of open mic and I would recommend it as somewhere to try new stuff.

London’s only live gig was Genesis Slam on Thurs. It held a packed audience and a lot of keen and talented slammers. The winner was well deserved and it was fun to see Dan Simpson MC at the slam. I came across Dan at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2018, his poetry is of very high concept and incredibly cerebral but packaged for instant ingestion. Joel Auterson’s final round sacrificial poem about growing up was one of the most beautiful poems I’ve heard in ages. The winner mixed triumphs over stuttering and the pure joy of his poem about how to love yourself left you feeling full of light. It was a fine slam.

BTW Dune (5 stars)

Now, in Manchester its time for 3 gigs this week, Manky Poets on Fri, Beatification on Wed and Sale Write Out Loud event tonight. I have performed at them many times, as open mic and headliner. The bend this time is to promote the one person show at Fuel Bar Cafe in Withington Mon 22nd (8pm start £5 door). It means this week I will be reading snippets to give a taste of the show. I am very excited about finally rolling it out and nervous energy threads its way through the days.

All in all though, this tour has been full of positive, little lifts and beautiful interactions with old friends and new acquaintances. Onward!