Fluent in both Vol. 1
25th August
Boavista restaurant
Nottingham
I ventured out,
Upon the early afternoon
Head entombed deep in thought,
playing rocking tunes.
To embark on a journey
that would take me
far and wide,
across vast landscapes
and never-ending countryside.
in giant metal beasts
that carved across the land.
To a little place called Nottingham.
In a busy, vibrant Portuguese cafe
outside Nottingham city centre,
We were treated to a new poetry event.
Hosted by friend of Get Mouthy, Hilario.
The night promised us 4 headline acts
and open mic, with a blend of poetry and music.
And it delivered.
The cafe was a buzz,
a lovely family feel
to the occasion,
there is clearly
a lot of love in the room.
Portuguese food was coming
Fresh out of the kitchen.
And slowly the buzz became a roar.
The energy was contagious,
everyone was happy to be there.
eating and drinking
sharing stories, connecting.
After a few minor technical glitches
which were handled swiftly and professionally,
Hilario took the mic,
and introduced us to fluent in both.
Fluent in both was started
as a way to give people
a chance to share their poetry
in their home language,
as well as in English.
This is a beautiful thing,
showing that you don't necessarily
have to understand the words,
to feel the emotion held within them.
Then asked if anyone wanted to take the mic,
So, I took the sacrificial first poem.
Giving a reading of my poem "even darkness"
*Shameless plug
available in my book in shadows,
end of shameless plug*
The night was to be split
into a couple of open micers
then a Headliner then break, 4 times.
This gave everyone that wanted to read a chance,
but also, enough time to socialise.
So, Hilario took off his host hat
and put on the poetry hat,
and gave us a great set,
with a mix of English and Portuguese.
Some laughs, some deeply emotional pieces.
Attila was the second Headliner
And this guy was brilliant,
reading his poems
in both Hungarian and English.
Both languages offered something
unique to each poem,
the sound of the words
when delivered in Hungarian was beautiful,
and made everyone stop and just admire.
The next Headliner was Davina Songbird,
who I've had the pleasure of seeing at some-antics,
and always delivers a powerful performance.
She gives us a blend of singing and Poetry,
Her voice is strong and soulful,
rumbling through the room,
pulling up a chair
and demanding that you listen to it.
Her poems are often
connected to the songs,
so, give a different take
on the same story or feeling.
We ended the night with
the amazing Parisa East,
and again, I had seen her perform before,
but when people are this good
that is a true joy.
She also gave us music and Poetry,
Her music is soulful, jazzy,
with a voice that sounds
like a sultry hot day
giving you a hug.
Absolutely beautiful.
It was also the day before her birthday,
so, the crowd erupted into song,
singing happy birthday,
as a cake was brought out
from the kitchen in surprise.
Another moment of pure family love.
I apologise for not commenting
on the open micers,
it was a new crowd to me,
so didn't get names for them.
But we had a great mix,
definitely some that
I'd like to see again.
and it is a wonderful thing,
being able to take the mic
and guide the audience into
a world they may not know.
it takes a lot of nerves,
and everyone did brilliantly.
All in all, this was
a beautiful evening of art,
culture, shared humanness and warmth.
Well worth the journey.
And well done to Hilario
for building it
and here is hoping
it has a big future.
Thanks to
and to all the poets and performers
for an excellent night,
and for being warm and welcoming.
Please support the local arts scene,
try to get along to any events and support the artists,
without audiences these events cant grow,
like flowers need the nouishment of the sun and rain,
artists also need the nourishment to blossom
and for events to fully bloom.
Peace, Love & Poetry
Kyle
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