Gritty Manc poet to launch new Preston performance night

A gritty Manchester poet famous for appearing with bands like New Order is launching a new performance night in Preston.

Mike Garry will appear at The Ferret on Thursday 31 October.

Garry has toured with John Cooper Clarke since 2011, and is regularly asked to support bands like I am Kloot, Badly Drawn Boy and The Fall due to his poetry’s unique musicality.

The poet even had his own hit single in 2015 with St Anthony: An Ode to Anthony H Wilson, which was dedicated to Factory Records boss Tony Wilson and put to classical music by the composer Joe Duddell.

The music was inspired by the New Order track Your Silent Face. The video featured members of the band plus Steve Coogan, John Cooper Clarke, Iggy Pop and Shaun Ryder.

Garry has created commissions for the likes of BBC’s Match of the Day, Sky TV and Nike. His poetry is regularly heard on BBC Radio 5 Live, Radio 4, BBC Breakfast, and he has played live shows across the USA and Europe.

Garry, who was a librarian for 15 years before becoming a full-time poet, has worked in thousands of schools and his books have become schemes of work in schools throughout the UK. His groundbreaking work with poetry in education led to Garry being awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Manchester Metropolitan University.

Passionate about bringing live poetry to places it wouldn’t normally reach and to people who wouldn’t normally listen to it, Garry has read his poems in prisons, young offender institutions, mental health hospitals, children’s homes, youth clubs and local pubs.

The performance takes place at The Ferret on Thursday 31 October 31. Doors are at 7pm, and the show starts at 8pm. Tickets are £7 on the door or available from seetickets.com.

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