Luke Wright’s Stand Up Poetry Club presented a compelling contrast of talent

Posted on 19th November 2018

Promoted to the main auditorium, Luke Wright’s Stand-Up Poetry Club swapped intimacy for elbow room in an evening dominated by the anger of men who can’t quite believe what is happening in the world. First up was Wright, test driving some brand new poems. His disdain for social media perhaps pushed against an open door, while his commentary on a poetry night in Wales was unusually reflexive, but his wistful regret at Darren being bullied was elegiac and thoughtful and his malevolent parody of Audi drivers was unhinged genius.

The sets of both Martin Rowson and Elvis McGonagall centred on a similar theme – righteous indignation – tackled with sharply contrasting styles. Inevitably, they both had a pop at Brexit, but Rowson rattled out his acerbic, spittle-flecked lines with machine gun ferocity, attacking middle England, public school chums and even war poets. McGonagall, by way of contrast, was never in a hurry, tackling prejudice against migrants, Piers Morgan and post truth with a deceptive cheery smile and nods to Ronnie Corbett and Barry Norman’s pickles that had the audience laughing in spite of the horrors revealed.

Once again, it hats off to Wright for presenting such a compelling contrast of talent and nourishing evening of entertainment.

Luke Wright returns to the Corn Hall on the 2nd March next year with his latest one-man show Luke Wright – Poet Laureate

David Vass