Y Tuesday March 2012 Reviewed

By Paul Tims.



“Number three: Poseidon is Morrissey,” said Kevin Rienhardt, before launching into his poem about travelling into Cornwall on a ferry and facing the fury of a stormy sea, offering up sacrifices of lamb kebabs to modern-day musical idols as Odysseus once had offered up true sacrifices to appease the forces that governed the ancient Grecian world. An explanation is in order: this is Y Tuesday, an open mic poetry event held on the first Tuesday of every month in the Three Kings pub in Clerkenwell, London.



For me, the evening began at a bus stop, in the company of poets Fran Lock and Steev Burgess (respectively the furious voice of the Irish and Gypsy-Poet Diaspora and a ‘prose poem pessimist’ with a rather good line in woolly vests and internal rhyme schemes). Leaning by some bins were two old-fashioned travel-cases someone had disowned. Fran Lock and I took it up on ourselves to investigate their contents on the off chance their might be money/body parts/a live snake therein. It was that sort of evening. After that the bus came and took us into Clerkenwell proper, an area steeped in mysticism and medieval political intrigue in the same way that Whitechapel is somehow laced with an element of gothic horror.



In the reserved room in the upper storey of the Three Kings, incense and candles burned, cakes were brought out courtesy of Ceri May (who, along with Steev, is responsible for running the evening), and poets in various stages of artistic fulfilment drifted in, coming by their ones and twos. The overall effect created was a mixture of cosiness and excitement- an atmosphere somewhere between a séance and a sewing circle, with a dash of high-brow book or chess-club, thrown in for good measure.



In the comfortable gloaming of the room, the brightest stars of the evening had a chance to shine with greater intensity and, in some cases, outright artistic ferocity. It would be futile to list all the poets attending the evening by name, but amongst those who lent greatest flavour to the event were Robert Yates, who specialises in blackly comic translations of Nietzschian German poetry; the afore-mentioned Fran Lock, author of Flatrock, who is still angry about The Enclosures Act that saw the common land ripped from the nation’s peasants (now several hundred years ago), and whose brilliant poem Ghost contains the line “It is in the pale, pubescent glow of early evening that the human resources begin their vindictive ministry”, demonstrating both a talent for the acerbic and a deep understanding of the flaws in human modernity; the (also afore-mentioned) Steev Burgess- or Burgess the Rhymer as he’s commonly identified- whose unique, fast-paced patter is a joy to hear and who’s capable of combining this with serious content (a fine example of which is The Sleeping Lands, where he uses the Vladirmirka road as a metaphor for the human experience and the voyage between birth and death: “Everybody heading to the harsh lands/ Everybody wrapped against the cold/ Taking little photos of their journey/ Looking for another hand to hold) and the man known only as “Jazzman John”, who proves that even on the bleeding edge of the poetic scene, age sometimes just means having a lifetime of experience and craftsmanship to draw on. The icing on the cake came from host Ceri May and her poem, light and clever in tone, about the sheer biological wonder that is sea-life. Specifically squid.



Music (albeit in acapella form) also got a look in, thanks to the hilarious and talented Fran Isherwood and her song “about a surgeon who likes to take his work home with him” (sample lyric: “so I have to tell you laddie/ Though I know your scalpel is swell,/ That it ALL belongs to Daddy/ Because my Daddy dissects me so well!”). Even the pub is to be praised, not just for hosting the monthly event, but also for laying on good meals at a surprisingly reasonable price for the attendant wordsmiths and for their consistently friendly service.



A review, by rights, should contain some criticism, but it’s honestly hard to find a bad word to say about Y Tuesday. I’ve attended the event before, and so I am forced to admit that not every performance on every Y Tuesday is a true spectacular. Even the best writers and performers occasionally hit a bum note. That said, this evening typifies the event: even the poets who I have not been able to mention by name in this review display both friendliness, competence at their craft and, for the most part, a consummate professionalism that is clearly born of a genuine, and thoroughly deserved pride in their work. For an open-mic evening, the level of potentially publishable material and talent on display here is impressive... I say impressive, but I honestly just had to force myself to delete the phrase “breathtaking” because I’d gushed too much already, and if that’s not a seal of approval, I don’t know what is. Once again, Y Tuesday is the first Tuesday of every month, 8:00 P.M, at the Three Kings pub in Clerkenwell, London, and if you’ve got something to read, it’s never hostile to new talent. Consider this a whole-hearted recommendation

Review is about Y TUESDAY POETRY CLUB on 7 Feb 2012 (event)

When asked what is his favourite poetry night, Jazzman John Clarke had this to say:-
What is your favourite poetry night in town at the moment?
"That's a difficult one really as there are so many decent ones to choose from. But, if pushed, I think I would have to nominate an intimate, relaxed and friendly (and well-run) poetry night (with some acoustic music thrown in) called: 'Y TUESDAY POETRY CLUB' and is run by lyric poet and musician Steve Burgess (aka 'Burgess The Rhymer') and the delightful Ceri May (originally, Line Thomsen). It is held upstairs (in The Red Room) at a great boozer, The Three Kings, 7, Clerkenwell Close, EC1 (just opposite the church) and happens every 1st and 3rd Tuesday – the next event's on Tues 4 Nov and Tues 18 Nov (arrive from 7.30pm-8pm to sign up for the floor spot) and usually has 2/3 features - 'FREE ADMISSION' and Charles Mingus on the jukebox!"

(Farringdon Tube: buses 55, 63 and 243)

JAZZMAN JOHN CLARKE in the Londonist.

Review is about Y TUESDAY POETRY CLUB on 4 Oct 2011 (event)

A review posted to us from poet/singer/artist Jude Cowan:-
SUMMER EVENING ABOVE THE BAR (6TH JULY 2010)

Another evening of poetry and a little light music above the Three Kings in Clerkenwell. For many years this was my local, and it's an amazing pub with cool, quirky decor. The rhino head glared at me as if I had cut it off as I stepped up the wooden staircase to the little front room with the comfy leather chairs and the doo-wop jukebox where those gathered would play Fairport Convention tracks before the serious business of words and art kicked off.

The lynchpin, the foundation, the rock of Y Tuesday is Mr Steev Burgess, a great artist, a fine poet, who uses rhyme and rhythm and insight to produce gems which reflect on relationships our business of living in this disappointing and mixed-up world. His co-host, Ms Ceri May arrived with a recycled bag full of jammie dodgers and chocolate cake, looking divine in bottle green dress and yellow flower clip. In bare feet, painted toenails twinkling, she welcomed the motley crew of poets to share their work with fellow listeners.

Ceri and Steev read a couple of 'tango poems' together that Steev had written for two voices. This self-devised series were very effective. Not only did they have a rather musical dramatic presentation but Steev has, I think, a winning way with form, which enables his reflective subject matter to be digested with ease. This means that the content, which slides through emotional difficulties, encounter, challenge and changes, slips down. His bitter poison is sweetened with sugar, and the audience drink it in their ears.

Alec Bell, who read a few of his darker mediations with his rogue expression looked totally dashing with new beard and hat. He seems twenty years younger. He's running a new performance night in Richmond and I think poetry has made him a new man. I approve.

Poets who read one, two or three pieces included Cathy Flower, who gave a sinewy and forthright delivery of some fine narrative work, the talented and humorous Fran Isherwood (who I missed as I had to go catch my train) and the dedicated wordsmith Michael Wyndham, whose sister sat close by sipping a nice big glass of water.

Posted by Jude Cowan

Review is about Y TUESDAY POETRY CLUB on 7 Feb 2012 (event)

The Y's guys invite you to celebrate their 6th year in the Y Tuesday poetry "hive" upastairs at the Three Kings. Bee early ! </,>) #;)

Review is about Y TUESDAY POETRY CLUB on 7 Feb 2012 (event)

Always enjoyable event. Relaxed, good-natured, unamplified. Only problem is the room is not large, so getting everyone in can be a problem.

Review is about Y TUESDAY POETRY CLUB on 5 Jul 2011 (event)