Just up-river from trombone poetry HQ, over on the North bank of the Thames, are the Hermitage Community Moorings, in Wapping. For the occasion, the floating pier-house became the Hermitage Oral History Café, and hosted a poetry night. Graham Buchan regaled us with locally-inspired poetry, and trombone poetry hove to with a new flotilla of marinet poems written for the event, plus improvised hornpipes. A performance poet over-taxed his memory and sank. Extra rum rations all round.
The day after, yet further up-river, trombone poetry flew the flag again near London Bridge City Pier for the Thames Festival, courtesy of Southwark Arts Forum. Khadijatou Doney charmed the crowd; trombone poetry baffled them with a new work made from a dismembered Hebrew/English phrase-book.
No sloop was laid on for the voyage to Margate, but trombone poetry found its way to the venerable Theatre Royal for Bubble & Squeak, a cabaret extravaganza in aid of Broadstairs Food Festival. Nigel Burch & The Flea Pit Orchestra set the ball rolling, and trombone poetry weaved in a couple of short sets among The FranTastics, Skip “Little Axe” McDonald, Christine Tobin and a crowd-challenging free-jazz blow-out by Trevor Watts and Veryan Weston. Most of the crew were eventually washed up at the bar of the Walpole Bay Hotel.
Tuesday 25 October 20;00
ruM + Eddie’s Brother + Chris Parr + Tom Slatter
The Green Dragon
58-60 High Street
Croydon
CR0 1NA
admission: free
Friday 28 October 19:30
trombone poetry + Matt Scott + Mike Adcock & Sylvia Hallett + Raymond Shine + ?
SCALEDOWN
The King & Queen
1 Foley Street
London
W1W 6DL
admission: free/collection