curious - The Lost Macidol Files

I haven't been to this site in quite a while. For most of my poetry crew this will be unheard material from another lifetime!! Some of the same topics dominate the verses, just a few more weed smoking references! Enjoy.

Shout to Ashwan who produced most of the beats and my Chi Town crew for the Summer In The City experience...peaCe

SGP2011

Check out my Saturday afternoon set at Secret Garden Party. The Valley Of The Antics stage hosted me and Angry Sam last year and were good enough to have us back to open the show this year. Big up Theo for hooking us up.

My stand out performances of the weekend were:

Blondie's flawless vocals

The Resonators Sunday morning set

Stanton Warriors dutty DJ set

Switch & Khalil @ Wormfood on Saturday night

and much, much more.

SGP may be less of a secret than a few years ago but it's still a hell of a good festival. Can't wait for next year!!

curious & Angry Sam in today's Guardian...

It is only a couple of weeks since myself and Angry Sam hosted The Guardian for a school poetry slam. Following slam conventions, the poets performed poems from the Year 9 anthology for the judgement of an audience of 300 teenagers. Blake and Wordsworth battled it out with Kate Tempest and Linton Kwesi Johnson; with Kwesi taking top honours!! There was also a performance from a year 9 student who won the school's London Poetry competition with a poignant and image-laden piece of highly-crafted writing. One for the future, surely!

--> Big thanks to Judy and Richard from The Guradian for supporting this event and producing this article.

peaCe

Getting down Saturday night...

Out of Step at Mascara Bar in North London went off last night. There was a good turn out to see Angry Sam host and perform. His blend of wry wit and insightful critique was well delivered and received. Cat Brogan was the only female in the trio and repped her causes hard. Politics both geopolitical and sexual defined her set and her performance was sassy and assured. It was good to share stage time with such good poets and friends and to rock the spot with just a microphone (and an ipod for the breaks!!)...

...After that it was off to hear DJ MK, A-Cyde and Chris P Cuts rip the set at The Alibi in Dalston for the second of the new season of Gullyvers. This trendy late night spot attracts the local eclectro-punk set; throwback hip-hoppers and all the other weird and wonderful sub-groups that make up this exciting scene. The true music heads get a treat from the 3 DJs spinning music that is as eclectic as the fashions of those who dance to it. However, this is a hip-hop night and cutting, mixing and creativity abound in each set as the genre lists lengthen and the movements continue. Everyone has a good time; the door is free; the drinks are cheap and the dancefloor is sweaty (like a dancefloor should be!).

So that's two reasons why Dalston's trending right now. If you're in London and don't know Dalston, check it out because there's a lot of hot shit going down there right now. To find out what's on in N16, check out www.N16mag.com for info on events as well as restaurants, bars and other local info. peaCe

OPEN/WIDE - 30/04/2011

I say:

Here is the flyer so you know it must be happening!! After last month's top drawer performances, anticipation of another hot open mic night is high amongst the WORDAMOUTH familia! Charlie Dupre was a stand out last month and ripped a 10 minute set at Favela Chic the following week, warming up for Polar Bear and SessioN NoisseS, as well as booking himself a spot in the summer slam final to win a days recording at Alaska Studio. S0, if you fancy doing the same, come down on Saturday 30th April and do a piece or two.

OPEN/WIDE is not a slam event! There are no points, judges or eliminations. Simply email to book a spot or turn up early to sign up on the night. There are NO time limits; NO rules banning props, instruments, singing, rapping, nudity etc; and definitely NO clap-o-meters !! Just an open mic, a friendly and participative audience; an intimate venue; A great DJ; the cheapest drinks in town; free cake; and hopefully, YOU!

Following the events, selected artists will be contacted for gigs at other WORDAMOUTH events and one performer will be invited to the summer slam final to win a days recording at Alaska Studios - Easy!!

Be there; do that!!

peaCe

OPEN / WIDE @ Alaska 26.03.2011

I say:

WORDAMOUTH opens the mic at a new venue with hosts Angry Sam and curious. OPEN/WIDE offers open mic spots without the restrictions of some other nights - props, beats, instruments, collaborations, freestyles are all welcome on the WORDAMOUTH mic. The focus is on developing talent through access and feedback from a creative and diverse audience.
A hive of poetic and musical talent Alaska Studios is an exciting venue to be associated with. Come down and spit/sing/rap/recite or just have a drink and cheer like a crazy fool; the choice is always yours.
DJ sets from curious and guest DJs complete the picture.

OPEN/WIDE is not a slam BUT we will be inviting acts to perform at our other night FreeStyles @ Favela Chic on 12th April featuring Polar Bear and Session Noisses.

Entry is £5

Hope to see you there.

email: poetcurious@gmail.com to reserve an open mic spot or sign up on the night. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE.

Muddyloop/curious in the spotlight 6/3/2011

Yes people! Just ahead of Wordamouth's return to the Favela's of Old Street,I will be spitting and chatting shit (hosting) for the mighty Muddyloop at Villain (East Village) in Gt Eastern Street London EC2A on Saturday 6th March. Come and check out the sounds of one of London's most exciting collectives as they drop sexy electronic pop funk on your unsuspecting cerebellum.

Seriously though, it is free entry; there are some sick acts and your support would make it all the more...supported(?)

Hope to see you there !!

If you aren't sure, check out Muddyloop's latest single with video by friend-of-loop Dino K. Big tings !! Available now on Loverush Digital. Visit www.muddyloop.com for more info. peaCe

Wordamouth 2011 - Welcome back!

Wordamouth kicks back off for 2011 at the first of two exciting new venues. FreeStyles at Favela Chic retains the high standard of performance and revelry that it brought to the Live Room. Hosted by myself and Angry Sam, FreeStyles showcases the best in Spoken Word poetry for a creative and conscious audience. Favela Chic is one of the hottest venues in the capital and Wordamouth are taking full advantage of its support for poetry.

The first event at Favela is on 8th February (flyer above) and features HKB FiNN, Cole Salewicz (The Savage Nomads) and Anna Le (Sage and Time). The event is partly sponsored by ethical clothing company Statemeant who are supplying me with clothing in return for props! Check 'em out and buy a T-shirt!

There is no open mic at this event, but fear not - Wordamouth sparks up at another new venue at the end of March that will offer a larger, brighter spotlight to the poetry scenes emergent laureates. Alaska Studios is the venue and Waterloo the area. A 2min walk from 'the Imax', Alaska offers a warm welcome to a plethora of creative talent. Wordamouth is proud to be part of the roster. More news on that later...

Dates:

8/2/2011 - Wordamouth presents FreeStyles @ Favela Chic, 8-1am, Free Entry.

poets: HKB FiNN, Cole Salewicz, Anna le

DJs: curious, Billy, Anarkali Elektra

8/3/2011 - Wordamouth presents FreeStyles @ Favela Chic, 8-1am, Free Entry.

Poets: Johnny 'Fluffypunk' Seagrove + support

Djs: curious + guests

26/3/2011 - Wordamouth @ Alaska, 8-Midnight, £5/4 - OPEN MIC

Poets: tbc

Djs: curious + guests

12/4/2011 - Wordamouth presents FreeStyles @ Favela Chic, 8-1am, Free Entry.

Poets: Sessions and the Bear (Polar Bear, Session Noisses)

Djs: curious, Session Noisses + guests

Future Movement - interview for The Artruists

I was lucky enough to get this clip shot by Lara Akinnawo for her blog, The Artruists. Follow the link to her site and read the interview that accompanies this poem. This piece talks about the ridiculous state of our political institutions. Enjoy.

Big thanks to Lara.

Wordamouth - Old to the New

BIG LOVE to everyone who came down to Wordamouth on 22nd November. The jam might not have been packed but the mic was busy all night. The enigmatic straight talk of Tim Wells was counter-pointed nicely by Charlie Dupre's rhythmic onslaughts and Swing-hop spitting. The open mic was live as usual. Stand-out for me was Nathan Guessask's tale of incarceration, but a shout goes out to Richard Marsh; Chip Grimm; Hayley Stevens and Catherine for representing lovely.

Here's the pics:

curious

Charlie Dupre

Tim Wells

Hayley Stevens

Richard Marsh

Chip Grimm

Catherine

Nathan Guessask

Still to come in 2010 is the Wordamouth New Years Hold Up at The Live Room on 29th December. Great line up for this one with, hip-hop spokenword supremo HKB Finn bringing his own brand of vibes; Paul Case aka Captain of the Rant will be spitting his use fire of satire and Prisoner turned poet, Chris Syrus brings his own guitarist to the party to get the party started with some positive movements. The mic will be open as ever, with the added bonus of a dj on stage for the MCs who want to drop on a beat or for those that just want to get their jam on...

2011 - Look out for more spoken word from Wordamouth as we plan a move out of North London towards a more central location as well as getting down with plans to set a sister night up in Birmingham, courtesy of Wordamout family member, Hayley Stevens. Nothing is finalised yet, but there's big ting a gwan for Wordamouth in the New Year, stay aware. peaCe

curious: Announce The Sound

Also linked to last post, I got a new video clip up on YouTube. Its got 100 in the first week which is serious for me. If you haven't checked it yet, do so and leave me a comment on the YouTube page. PeaCe.

WordPlay - The Live Room - 25/10/2010

Its the 3rd, the 1st and the last WordPlay on October 25th at The Live Room, 236 Green Lanes, Palmers Green. It's officially the 3rd instalment of what is quickly becoming London's most inclusive spoken word poetry jam. Its the 1st that I will be hosting, and from next month the night is getting a new name and a few changes to the format to hopefully bring in a larger crowd. So the 25th is the last WordPlay as well as the pre-party for Watch Ya Mouf (or So To Speak...haven't decided yet). Come down and check out the poets and the have a drink in a cool venue with hot new music and a cool, appreciative crowd.

Wanna spit something?

If you're a poet, rapper or wordsmith of some other description, get in touch to book a spot on the mic. email me at; poetcurious@gmail.com

For updates on artists performing and special offers on entry and drinks, check out the Live Room website www.liveroomlondon.com

Curious sound and visuals

Found this when I was deleting tracks off my ccMixter account. I had no idea it had been made. Hopefully someone's made bare money off it and I can swoop in for my cut (get it, cut - very clever!). The track is one of Ashwan's beats that I took and got my boy Morose to lay that sick guitar over; a quick rearrange and chop up and now it's all mine!!! (and everyone else who contributed, of course). Enjoy

The poet with the golden gun...

Last night's Bang Said The Gun went down with a small crowd of lyrical gun-slingers waging a war of metaphor and a killing spree of simile.

The limelight was shared by some of the capital's hottest emerging stand-up poets. Angry Sam dropped a hot 10 minute set, touching on the hot topics of the moment with a skilful blend of critique and comedy. Anna Le brought some swagger to her performance building towards an epic 'Jimi' piece - very sweet and honest performance from a young, talented lyricist.

Other notables were Kate Modern's sexy diatribes about debauched liaisons and a nameless slammers pop at Facebook abusers. However, the slam could only have one winner, and as you can see from my photo at the top of the page, the trophy came home to North Weezy making it a 2 in 2 average on the slam circuit - BANGBANG indeed.

If you want to see what all the fuss is about, come and see me drop a 10minute set next Thursday, where alongside myself, Chris 'Ventriloquist' Redmond and the sassy Selena Godden will be making the free entry seem very cheap.

Thanks to Dan for hosting a top night and to all the slammer - who got murked - Bbbrrraaappp!

Curious&Ashwan-Damn Liar *NEW*

After a lengthy gap while we were handling 'bidnezz' and getting our 'kid game' in order; here's some newness from myself and scouse beat vandal ASHWAN. This a technically a mash-up of one of my spoken word pieces; a beat from another Ashwan project and the first verse I ever recorded with Ashwan (and Swindelli). The result is more consistent than the elements suggest.

No more playin', this is front-line, war time...

Poets in a Pogo

So this was the line up at Pogo Cafe last night. Check them out here then come see them perform live some time...

Angry Sam kicked things off and played host for the night:

After my set, Hackney legend Tim Wells brought some cockney colour to proceedings:

Heavyweight transcendentalist Yap killed it - see him (and Angry Sam) at Hammer&Tongue at the Green Note on Parkway in Camden on 7th June:


Fashionable and late was microphone pugilist David J who dropped his ever-evolving style of lyrical gum-running - sick!

All this talent, performing for free, because people need help and support. Yet, they can still put on a free night of poetry, dub vibes and home-cooked curry.

What you gonna do to help?

And the winner is...CURIOUS (ya dun know)

Yeah that's right, I am officially the Hammer&Tongue London slam champion.

It was a close thing at times but I new all that stubborn, competitive arrogance would pay off one day.

The night was absolutely rammed, so respect to every one that came and represented for me and the other poets. There was some mad talent on show and I now realise I have a lot of writing to do before this summer's National Finals (hopefully at the South Bank in that London)

Big shout to Angry Sam and Sophia Blackwell for hosting my boastings and to Steve Larkin for coming up with the whole Hammer&Tongue idea. Mostly though, big love to all the competitors - you got murked!!!

In celebration I'm posting this vid that my man Ashwan put together for a track he produced - Age of Curiousity... peaCe

Finally, it's happening to me...

Represent y'all, represent...

Hammer&Tongue London slam finals are tonight at the Green Note Cafe on Parkway in Camden. Doors open at 7pm. Tax is £3/5.

Come help me win!