Bang Said The Gun at The Lowry
Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor
As part of Bang Said The Gun’s current UK tour, the “raucous” spoken word night comes to Salford. Launched as an antidote to dreary poetry and even drearier poetry nights, and serving up “poetry for people who don’t like poetry”, co-founders Dan Cockrill and Martin Galton have now been joined by Laurie Bolger and former Glastonbury poet in residence Rob Auton.
After taking London by storm, with a sold-out monthly residency at the Bloomsbury Theatre since January 2016, and various one-off shows, including an Edinburgh Festival Fringe performance and a night at Leicester Square Theatre, the gang has previously brought the night to Manchester. Some of the most established names in poetry have graced the BSTG stage, including Roger McGough CBE (presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Poetry Please), former Poet Laureate Sir Andrew Motion, and Kate Tempest, giving Andrew Marr what for on Start The Week just now.
Special guests on the current trip include Hollie McNish, Brian Patten and Salena Godden, called “the doyenne of the spoken word scene” by none other than Ian McMillan. At the Salford gig, the headliners will be poets Jackie Hagan and Mike Garry. There will also be an open mic slams – if you fancy having a go, email info@bangsaidthegun.com.
