arts and culture – The Cultural Exposé

Somewhere you should go… Poetry Slam at The Roundhouse

Laura Thornley — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 10:00:20 +0000

If you think that poetry belongs in the days of Wordsworth, then prepare for a re-education. The Roundhouse‘s event returns to air the UK’s hottest contemporary talent in spoken word. There is a cash prize up for grabs, as well as the accolade of being crowned poetry slam champion – and stars of the art will be present to judge the young newcomers, including Inua Ellams, Kat Francois and the mighty grammar-man, Polarbear (pictured below).

Originating in the US back in the 80s, the poetry slam event draws on a variety of influences and styles. It may have all begun in a Jazz club in Chicago but performances range from Hip-Hip rap deliveries to dub poetry and unrhyming narrative formulas. The content of the performances can be anything from politicised verse to current events (could there be some olympic references in there too?). Last year Zia Ahmed took the prize and it’s not hard to see why. Since the performers will be aged between 16 and 25 the subject are likely to be more politicised than ever, just like the days of Alan Ginsberg and the beat poets. So it’s sure to be a great event at the Roundhouse – a place that always concerns itself with pushing the boundaries – and we just can’t resist that! (Words: Laura Thornley)

The Poetry Slam kicks off on August 15th. For more info, visit http://www.roundhouse.org.uk/whats-on/productions/roundhouse-poetry-slam-2012

Words: Laura Thornley

The post Somewhere you should go… Poetry Slam at The Roundhouse appeared first on The Cultural Exposé.

Our highlights of the year no. 3: Flow Festival, Finland (August 2011)

Matilda — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:00:28 +0000

We briefly left London in the summer to attend the Flow Festival in Helsinki – and it was BRILLIANT! Check out our extensive coverage of the multi-art fest here (photo gallery), here (daily diary) and here (review)…

The post Our highlights of the year no. 3: Flow Festival, Finland (August 2011) appeared first on The Cultural Exposé.

What we’ve been up to…Flow Festival, Finland 2011

Matilda — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 10:07:14 +0000

As first impressions go, the 8th annual Flow Festival effortlessly ticked off the standards you’d expect from an event which attracted over nearly 47,000 revellers this year, and has earned its keep as the best for 20 to 30-something hipsters looking for a delightful weekend out. The overall vibe was relaxed and laidback, the well-priced food rocked, there was plenty to get up to – from creating art to enjoying cinema shorts – and such was the set-up of the fest, that the massive grounds remained refreshingly tidy from Friday to Sunday (NB: Finland is renowned for its cleanliness plus you’d get 2 Euros for each can and bottle you recycled – kerching!).

(Check out our Flow Festival highlights photo gallery HERE)

As for the entertainment, the eclectic line-up meant there was something for everyone or you’d get the opportunity to discover someone new. UK’s Girl Unit and Finnish DJ outfit Top Billin brought their rowdy, dubstep and garage vibes to the Nokia Lounge, older heads got to reminisce with The Human League, while the Black Tent hosted exciting raves from trendy funksters Horse Meat Disco and Hercules & Love Affair. Still, the best gigs came out of the Nokia Tent, newly installed this year, and offered the best sound quality over the weekend, ensuring sets from the likes of Janelle Monae, Mayer Hawthorne and The Country and Mogwai went down brilliantly.

(Check out our Tumblr blog coverage HERE)

The main stage unfortunately suffered with sound difficulties throughout, and what should have been colossal performances from MF Doom and Empire of the Sun fell flat instead. The slight exception was Mister Kanye West, who took to a hydraulic stage and runway to close off the fest with his biggest hits along with a troupe of ballet dancers. During the sensational 2-hour show, they seemed to constantly dance around the rapper in fluttery exhaltation, while he assumed his messianic posturing – on a pedestal, of course. It was an awesome performance at points, emotionally tiresome in others (the final “Act 3” could have easily been lopped off), and even though he shed a questionable tear at the end – he was no less impressive.

(Check out our video vox pops HERE)

It’ll be interesting to see how Flow tops itself in 2012 having grown immensely since previous years, but with some brilliant highlights, minimal cock-ups and the great Finnish sunshine to top it all off, this year’s fest has at least shown its mission to get better and better. (Words: Matilda Egere-Cooper)

The post What we’ve been up to…Flow Festival, Finland 2011 appeared first on The Cultural Exposé.