Earlier in the year I visited The Eagle Inn to take a look at Salford's premier spoken word night, Evidently (see here). It was certainly worthy of all the awards and plaudits that have been thrown in its direction.
It isn't an event that dwells on the tired, archaic poetry that many of us struggled to decipher at school. Evidently celebrates the vibrant and engaging side of contemporary spoken word. It's relevant, lively and encourages new writers to be entertaining and expressive.
The Eagle Inn is a great setting for live entertainment with a performance space quite unlike any other. Originally a conventional two floored space, it is now a single room with a stage and impressive balcony. The original fireplace from the second floor still quirkily hovers in the bare brickwork. It is quite fitting that a room with such unique character hosts Evidently.
As always, the evening will be masterfully hosted by the fantastic Kieren King, with open mic slots available to regulars and first-timers alike. The poets come in all shapes and sizes and are from a wide range of backgrounds. There are also many different performance styles on offer; from the hip-hop influenced to the traditional and those who prefer to opt for a more comedic approach and delivery.
At the December 12th event you'll find some great open-mic performers and two top drawer headliners, as Evidently sees out 2016 in style with Sara Hirsch and George Thomas Miaris.
George describes his style as "fast, colloquial and observational...I am quite a cynical person so I think that comes out in my poems quite a lot, but humorously - I hope. I'm influenced a lot by hip-hop and I try to be as rhythmically tight as I can when I write."
Fans of Kate Tempest, George The Poet and Kojey Radical are certain to enjoy George Miaris' cutting-edge wordplay, looking at life from an unusual angle. He's a prominent member of the UK's burgeoning spoken word scene and took part in BBC's Words First scheme at the Contact Theatre with a number of other talented poets, most of whom have also performed at Evidently.
"That was hugely inspiring for me" he says "I've also performed in London and at open mic nights around Fallowfield and Withington. I am currently preparing to perform for a collaborative night between composers and poets that I have co-organised, which is terrifying and equally exciting.
"I am really looking forward to performing at The Eagle, after being there a few times to see a number of things" he adds "It's a cosy and warm venue. I'm also quite excited to be around the close knit community...to see familiar faces and receive general positivity from those at the night."
Sara Hirsch is also making her Salford debut after performing at Word War last year... "I had such a brilliant time that I made a pact to come back up and perform at Evidently whenever there was a slot with my name on it" she says.
Sara describes her poetry as "honest, accessible and sometimes rhymes. Traditionally it is fairly autobiographical and always stays rooted in my own lived experience. I do use the odd pun as well, but obviously mainly it is really serious emotional poetry.... occasionally about the hokey cokey."
She is currently touring with her debut poetry collection Still Falling and has included Evidently as part of the book tour... "I have wanted to perform there for a whole year" explains the former UK Slam Champion, who is currently completing her writer/teacher masters degree at Goldsmiths University.
Sara, who also runs her own Genesis Slam night in London, has a busy year ahead and her appearance at Evidently is a good chance to catch her while you can, as she explains, "I am currently working on my dissertation project which is actually another poetry collection exploring feminism and architecture, yes, both of them, simultaneously. I will be getting my head down and writing that for most of 2017, and am also off to New Zealand again next year to teach spoken word at the National Youth Drama School."
Asked about her own favourite poets, Sara argues that to list them would take all night... "It basically boils down to admiring people who say something in a way I never would have thought to say it, or if they make me laugh, or both..."
Both these acts should over-fit that bill, and there's the open mic slot if you fancy trying to impress...
Evidently Christmastime
Monday 12th December 7:30pm-10pm
The Eagle Inn
18 Collier Street M3 7DW
£3
For more details see the Evidently Facebook event page – click here
Evidently takes place on the second Monday of every month
Words by Ian Leslie
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