SLAMCHESTER at 53Two

This June, Manchester welcomes the launch of SLAMCHESTER, a one-night-only 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 Jardel Rodrigues.

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.

The poets competing for the all-important slam title are vibrant members of Manchester’s spoken word scene: Biz Bond (Southbank Centre New Poets Collective, BBC6 Music), John Clifford (BBC Upload), Kate Ireland (BBC6 Music, Glastonbury Festival), Esther Koch (BBC Radio1 Xtra), Ella Otomewo (BBC Words First), Shak (Spoken Lyrik Producer), Robert Steventon (Punk In Drublic, Bluedot Festival) and Culain Wood (Rhyming Words, Glastonbury Festival).

Alongside the slam, the night includes a special guest performance by renowned poet and BBC Words First Winner Jardel Rodrigues, plus an open mic section for fresh new voices.

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. Speaking about the event, creator and host – and, importantly, four-time UK Slam finalist – Kieren King 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.”