Verbose with Dave Haslam at Fallow

Regular live lit night Verbose has been “bringing words to the ‘burbs” for over three years now, with compères Jo Howard and Zena Barrie at the helm for the last six months. To celebrate in style, Team JZ are putting a proper Manchester legend on the mic this time round: none other than Dave Haslam.

Dave Haslam made his mark as a resident DJ at the Haçienda back in the 1980s, continuing to tour worldwide ever since. He has also written for magazines including The Face and The London Review of Books, and he has published a number of books. His fifth is his memoirs, Sonic Youth Slept on My Floor, out late May with Little Brown, meaning Verbose is giving you a super-early sneak peek! Almost a who’s who of late 20th-century popular culture, the book features the likes of local heroes Mark E Smith, Tony Wilson, Johnny Marr, Morrissey and Ian Brown, alongside stars from across the pond such as Nile Rodgers and David Byrne, plus those woven into the fabric of the music industry, from Terry Hall and John Lydon to Laurent Garnier and Viv Albertine (herself with a memoir out this year, and coming soon to Manchester Literature Festival – watch this space!).

True to the new-look Verbose, there is a theme at every monthly outing, and for March it’s music. To honour this arrangement, the other headliner announced thus far is electronica aficionado Fat Roland. A man of many talents, he’s also one of the hosts of another of our favourite spoken word nights Bad Language (back at The Castle tomorrow, Tuesday 27 March, 7.30pm, rather than the usual Wednesday, to present Ralph Dartford: Recovery Songs, and just in Salford here for a one-off special) and a regular at the Edinburgh Fringe. This evening, we’re told he’ll be testing out a brand-new one-man spoken-word-comedy show he has already sold out (!) at the Lowry later in the year – so this is your chance to catch it before anybody else.

As well as showcasing three excellent headline performers, Verbose also includes a popular three-section open mic for prose and poetry performers to share their work in three-minute slots (bagsy one by emailing verbosemanchester@gmail.com). Past open micers have included lecturers from The Manchester Writing School and the Centre for New Writing, multi-award-winning playwrights, established authors and published poets alongside up-and-coming writers and stage newcomers – all are welcome at the friendly Fallow.