SLAMCHESTER at 53Two

This October, Manchester welcomes the return of SLAMCHESTER, a spoken word slam hosted by acclaimed Salford poet and co-founder of long-missed cult night Evidently Kieren King, and featuring a special performance by Biz Bond.

After a stellar debut in June, SLAMCHESTER is back at 53Two for Round Two – and this time the high-energy battle of words is promised to be even bigger, bolder and louder. “This is slam poetry at its best,” said The Reviews Hub of the summer event, giving it four stars.

The slam element of the event will see eight of the city’s most exciting voices compete live on stage in a fast-paced, high-energy poetry battle. This isn’t your quiet, head-nod poetry night, it’s a full-blown spoken word showdown – bold, loud and unpredictable. With two scored rounds and only one winner, it’s a competition where words hit hard and stage presence matters. Expect punchy performances, passionate voices and an atmosphere like no other.

The poets competing for the all-important slam title are vibrant members of Manchester’s spoken word scene are Rory Aaron (writer of narrative poem-turned-play This Town, which has been on at Contact and Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024), Griot Gabriel (currently Manchester’s Slam-o-Vision Champion and shortlisted for best performed poem for the Forward Prizes 2025) and Trystan Lewis (Bradford Champion for the 2024-25 Loud Poets Slam Series), plus Leyla Barakat, Amy L King, Skye Lilly, Loll The Poet and Rayritess.

Leyla Barakat is a Palestinian/Bulgarian poet and actor based in Manchester. Her work centres around human rights, identity and belonging where you are not welcomed. She has work published Young Identity’s poetry anthologies and has assistant directed their newest R&D around poetic revolution.

Amy L King is a Manchester-based poet and writer. She is slam champion of Slam of the North and Say Owt (next on in York on 3 October) and winner of the Derby Poetry Festival Prize (2023), and she co-ran the Saboteur Award-winning spoken word night Verbose from 2021-23. She has work forthcoming or published in Magma, Fourteen Poems, Ink Sweat & Tears, Under the Radar and Dust poetry magazine, and her work has been featured on Kiss FM, BBC radio Sheffield and Platform B radio.

Skye Lilly is a queer creative who “loves travelling everywhere, somewhere, and nowhere, to connect with people through art”. Their words “blend humour and wisdom weaved with wonder” and you may have seen them perform at Rhyming Words, hosted by Culain Wood (seen recently at Crooked Poets and also the first SLAMCHESTER).

Loll The Poet is an alternative spoken word artist hailing from Manchester. She is opinionated and is ready to tell you what she thinks, and she rhymes a lot – prepare to be gripped by her unique rhyming patterns and emotion filled pieces. She prides herself on her strong stage presence and she is headlining Manchester’s longest-running live literature night Verbose (along with Cooper Robson, also at Say Owt, see above) on 29 September.

Rayritess – Rayhanah Rowe – has just performed at the BBC Contains Strong Language Festival in Bradford, and was a finalist in the Words First 2025 showcase. Her debut poetry collection, All Four Seasons, is out with Olympia Publishers.

Alongside the slam, the night includes an open mic section for fresh new voices plus a special guest performance from the reigning slam champion Biz Bond (Southbank Centre New Poets Collective, BBC6 Music), who will showcase the razor-sharp writing and captivating delivery that earned them the crown.

Speaking about the event, creator and host – and, importantly, four-time UK Slam finalist – Kieren King (pictured here in an archive photo) says: “I’ve been part of this scene for years, and it felt like the right time to create a space where performance poetry could be celebrated with the same passion as live music or theatre. SLAMCHESTER is about giving people a night to remember and a platform to be heard.”

Created as a celebration of Manchester’s thriving poetry scene, SLAMCHESTER aims to bring together the city’s established artists and up-and-coming talent under one roof. SLAMCHESTER is envisioned as the first step toward a city-wide slam tournament. Known for making poetry accessible and exciting, Kieren says he is cultivating SLAMCHESTER as a spoken word movement and will produce a series of dates in 2026, so be sure to keep an eye out for those!

Doors 7pm. £6 in advance, £8 on the door.