04 Jul EVENT REVIEW: ONWORDS & UPWORDS LAUNCH

Friday 3 July saw the launch of ‘Onwords & Upwords’ bi-monthly showcase, the brainchild of accomplished Spoken Word artist, Richard Smartt Jnr better known as [Verb]swish. Verbs explained that he wanted to put on a night that gave spoken word as much of an equal billing as good music. He didn’t want poets rushed off stage to make room for ‘loud music that would only deafen us’. Verbs kept the line up simple; four quality artists spread over the evening. The show wasn’t bursting at the seems with acts therefore the audience could really appreciate each one to the full. The performances were stripped down to bare essentials, proving that none of the artists on the night were your flash-in-the-pan types, with an over-reliance on clever production to hide mediocrity. These are the real deal.