The Write Out Loud word army marches again, this time to Leeds. Yes, the WOL boys have been up to Wicked Words in Leeds to ply their trades on the streets, well bars. It was a fantastic night showcasing a high standard of spoken word that amazed us with it’s eclectic mix of styles and topics. Comedy to dark truth, story telling to hip hop rhymes, something for everyone.
The open mic running order was decided by the world famous ‘names out of a hat’ method and breath was held as the first name was drawn. And the lucky winner was… Scott Devon. Who hammered home the first WOL blows with his usual fiery energy and street poetry. Next to carry the banner was one of our veterans Nat Clare, who rocked the mic with his off the wall comedy which left the audience reeling for more, and they got it after Nat was asked for an extra reading. More breath holding and it was the turn of our fearless leader, Dave Morgan who used his mix of subtle charm and original writing to bring a much appreciated new dimension to the night. Then our last card was played in the form of Paul Blackburn, and he was worth the wait, bringing the open mic’s to a close with his off the wall comedy, unusual but always full of laughs.
But that wasn’t enough, we still had the main course to come in the form of our very own wordsmith superstar Tony Walsh. Tony was the guest act for the night and he engaged us all with a thirty minute set that made us laugh, cry and most importantly of all think. Superbly crafted and professionally executed. Tony’s reward came from the thundering ovation he received and the echoing cries for an encore. Tony obliged us and brought the night to a fantastic close.
Great night, great poets and another memory for the WOL word army.