Poetry Pop Jukebox Co-op at Gullivers

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor
Poet Andrew McMillan. Photo Ursula Soltys.
Poet Andrew McMillan. Photo Ursula Soltys.

Poetry Pop Jukebox Co-op at Gullivers, Manchester 24 January 2019 Entrance is free

The Poetry Pop Jukebox Co-op is back for a second time, this one taking place in the cosy (and accessible) back room at popular live literature go-to, Gullivers in the Northern Quarter.

Promising to pop up in different venues every two months (last time, it was held at STEAM hub The Old Abbey Tap House), the new live lit event on the block brings together some of Manchester’s finest writers for a new poetry night with a twist… Under the watchful eyes of Greg Thorpe, Helen Darby and other busy-around-town organisers, different poets take turns on the mic to read a selection of their own work, along with another work by a poet they admire, plus the lyrics to a pop song of their choosing.

Think: “Keats against The Cure? Pam Ayres meets Pantera? Missy Elliot vs TS Eliot? Audre Lorde and erm, regular Lorde?”

The first “killer first line-up”, back in November, featured the likes of Bryony Bates, Fat Roland, Mica Sinclair and (a last-minute step-in) Violet Blonde; the second includes Jae Lythgoe, Andrew McMillan and Emily Oldfield (who had to give it a miss last time), with Verbose fave Maz Hedgehog and MIF Creative50 participant Ella Otomewo announced just as we signed off for our festive break.

Recently spotted headlining the sex, drugs and rock’n’roll Verbose at their new venue Fred’s Ale House in Levenshulme, Jae – “born to librarians, raised by stories and besotted by language” – plays with literary forms, pastiche and tropes to create “melodramatic fables exploring culture, queerness, the zeitgeist of existential dread and the consolations of literature”.

Poet Emily Oldfield is editor of Haunt Manchester, editorial assistant at I Love Manchester and a writer for Louder Than War and elsewhere. She recently appeared alongside LIINES and KAZE at the four-day WAM Words and Music Festival of spoken word and music performances curated by Dave Haslam at Night & Day Cafe.

Andrew McMillan is senior lecturer at the Manchester Writing School with three pamphlets and two full-length collections with Jonathan Cape under his belt. His second collection, playtime, was just published in late 2018; his debut, physical, was the first-ever poetry collection to win The Guardian First Book Award. It also won the Fenton Aldeburgh First Collection Prize, a Somerset Maugham Award, an Eric Gregory Award and was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize, the Costa Poetry Award, The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year 2016, the Forward Prize for Best First Collection, the Roehampton Poetry Prize and the Polari First Book Prize, and was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation for Autumn 2015.

Already sounds like a great line-up!

Where to go near Poetry Pop Jukebox Co-op at Gullivers

Castle Hotel pub in Manchester
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Castle Hotel

A pub with a 200 year-long history on Oldham Street in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, the Castle Hotel has a musical past.

Queer Lit
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Queer Lit

Manchester’s longest running specialist LGBTQIA+ bookshop, Queer Lit provides a much needed platform for Queer authors.

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Bags of Flavour

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RPB

Otherwise known as Ross Parlane’s Barber Shop, RPB is a barber shop in the middle of Manchester’s bustling Northern Quarter.

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District Manchester

District is an exceptional Thai restaurant based on Oldham Street in the Northern Quarter, offering an incredible tasting menu and wonderful cocktails.

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Blockbusters NQ

A quirky bar, paying homage to the unfortunately deceased Blockbusters video rental stores, with aptly named cocktails and a great atmosphere.

Beermoth shop in Manchester's Northern Quarter.
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Beermoth

Beermoth on Manchester’s Tib Street stocks specialist beers, chosen with a quietly confident knowledge.

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Soup

Soup Kitchen is a superb communal cafe by day and an excellent live music venue by night. The perfect choice for lunch or a great night out.

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