John Cooper Clarke John Cooper Clarke, probably the UK's best known performance poet almost before the phrase had been coined, was born in Salford, Lancashire in 1949. He first performed in Manchester folk clubs but, embraced by the UK punk rebellion of the late 70s, gained admirable noteriety as the 'punk poet' and 'the bard of Salford' and hit the charts in 1979 with "Gimmix".
Around the same time his album "Snap Crackle and Bop" made the top 30 and he performed onstage alongside acts ranging from Linton Kwesi Johnson to the Sex Pistols to Elvis Costello. After a spell away from performing, her returned in the 1990s to be re-evaluated and acclaimed by a new generation of musicians, including the Artic Monkeys, whose songwriter and singer Alex Turner has cited John as an influence. In subsequent years his poetry has been featured in episodes of 'The Sopranos' and he appeared as himself in the recent feature film "Control".
We're thrilled to welcome John to Nantwich Words And Music Fest for what will be his only North West appearance on the current tour.
Supported by Mike Garry
Mike is a Mancunian poet whose work focuses on the beautiful ugliness of the city and its people. He was a runner up in the Poem for Manchester competition and has been described by the Happy Mondays' Shaun Ryder as "the best street poet ever".
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