Linton Kwesi Johnson at the Queen Elizabeth Hall

On Monday night I went to see Linton Kwei Johnson at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the Southbank. He was being interviewed and talking about his life as part of the Southbank's BOLD festival (i.e. B(e) OLD) about artists over the age of 60 (or something like that). Linton wasn't over 60 when he created his great works, but he is now, and looking good and dapper to boot.

I first heard of Linton 40 years ago in 1978 when he was righteous with his dub poetry album and heavy, heavy reggae backing to poems about protest and resistance to racism and police brutality and the wonderful and scary 'All Wi Doin Is Defendin'. I last saw Linton ten years ago at the Barbican when he was celebrating the 30th anniversary of his first album, 'Dread Beat An Blood' (as Poet and the Roots) with Dennis Bovell and his band providing the reggae to his poetry.

Linton talked about his early life in Jamaica, coming to London as a child in the early 60s and experiencing racism, joining the Black Panthers and becoming politicised, developing his approach to poetry and performance, adding a reggae backing to his performances. There was lots of name-dropping, from influential black writers and thinkers to John Lydon and Public Image Limited who Linton supported in the late 70s.

He finished off the evening with a reading of four poems, beginning with 'All Wi Doin Is Defendin' which he wrote in 1978 even though it wasn't recorded and released until 1978. It was great to hear him read his poems and the rhythms in his voice.

It was fascinating to hear him talk about politics and some of the 'causes' he'd been involved in and led and the gradual rise of the influence of black politics. He gave a shout out to David Lammy MP for continuing this today. He also commented that he wasn't just spouting slogans, he was 9and is) a serious political activist - don't just talk it, be it and do something.

Some favourite comments:

- he hasn't published any new poetry in recent years since he doesn't feel it's up to the standard of his earlier material.

- in the early days he recited his poems to a reggae tape and had three mates skanking behind him to enhance the atmosphere - I loved him referring to them as his 'backing dancers'!

- he's not 'West Indian', he's Caribbean - 'West Indian' refers to Columbus getting lost and mis-naming the islands because he read his maps wrongly.

It was great fun to see Linton again and just listen to him talk about his life. The interviewer was Robin Denselow who asked a question and then wisely shut up and just let Linton talk. If only more interviewers were like that!  The photos were nicked randomly  from Twitter so I can't give credits - sorry, but thanks for posting.

If you're interested, there's a new selection of his poems recently published by Penguin and it's well worth a look.

'A Christmas Carol' at the Queen Elizabeth Hall

OK, so Christmas festivities started today with giving a Tree a home for Christmas and going to hear a reading of 'A Christmas Carol' at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the Southbank. I also wore my thick, furry winter hat for the first time so it must be nearly Christmas.

Most years I read 'A Christmas Carol' in the run-up to Christmas and I never get tired of it. Dickens is a master story-teller and this is one of his best, the tale of how Mr Scrooge became the epitome of Christmas spirit. It's not easy but old Ebenezer does it.

We all know the story of Scrooge being visited by the spirits of Christmas past, present and future and how he grows to love Christmas, of Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim. All classic characters that tell a very touching tale of one man's journey into Christmas and humanity. Yes Ebenezer, that's you.

It's a stage reading - the same as I saw last year - with different actors taking on the characters and reading an abridged version of the story by Rosie Kellagher. Griff Rhys Jones was Dickens/the narrator and Bill Paterson played Scrooge (reprising their roles from last year). Ron Cook played Bob Cratchit and Tim McInnerny played a few roles. It was great fun and surprisingly dramatic given they're all dressed in suits and wotnot rather than costumes. The big screen at the back of the stage featured various period illustrations in black and white but I can't help feeling the atmosphere would've been enhanced with a Christmas Tree or two on stage. Or maybe just some candles?

In any case, it was a really good start to the real run-up to Christmas. The foyer had a small brass band playing carols and everyone was cheerful as we trooped into the hall to take our seats. I'd wandered along the Southbank beforehand, browsing in the Christmas market and the excitement of the colourful magic roundabout and found a huge tree outside the Royal Festival Hall for the Macmillan's cancer charity, a wish tree where you can write wishes and memories of people with cancer and some of them were very touching. This is, I think, the first time I've seen a Tree on the Southbank and it's most welcome.

Welcome to Christmas 2014!

Meera Syal - 'Up Your Hairy Hole'

We went to see the 'platform' discussion with Meera Syal and Rufus Norris at the National Theatre about the new play, 'Behind The Beautiful Forevers'. Meera is the star (obv) and Rufus directed. It was part interview and part audience Q&A on the stage the play is performed on so it had to over in good time for the play to start. Early on we were asked to our hands up if we'd already seen the play (I put up my hand) or if we were seeing it that night (most other hands went up).

During the interview with Sarfraz Manzoor (who, at point, said that Rufus really needed some media training before he took over as overall Director of the National Theatre) had elicited from Meera that some of the language in the play was a bit fruity, to say the least. The character she plays is quite earthy and not shy with her choice of words. That made it even more funny when Meera was asked about whether the strap line to the play was appropriate.

Meera's response was. 'Well, it's better than 'Up your hairy hole'.'

She then realised what she'd said and clapped her hand to mouth in embarrassment and started apologising and giggling as she realised that most people in the audience wouldn't know it was one of her lines from the play. A classic moment! *That* is how I shall remember Ms Syal from now on!

And this is my photo of Meera from a few years ago when she was interviewed at the Purcell Room on the Southbank.

Go and see 'Behind The Beautiful Forevers' if you can - it's on at the National for a few months yet and is well worth seeing. My bloggie about it is here.

La Soiree at the Spiegeltent, Southbank

On Thursday we went to see circus fit for the 21st century and it was good. And rude. With lots of flesh on display. And laughter. And pingpong balls. And a small red handkerchief.

Yes, we went to see the La Soiree troupe at the Spiegeltent beside the Royal Festival Hall on the Southbank and it's as far from a  'tent' as you can imagine. Acrobats, contortionists, hula-hoop girl, juggling, strong men, pole dancing and who knows what else. And none of it is what you might expect. Patriotic gentlemen in Union Jack underpants and a naked lady from Croydon (via Spain, obv). What on earth is going on here?

Sitting only a couple of yards from the small stage-in-the-round meant we had a great view of the shenanigans and we had variations on traditional circus/cabaret acts as well as cabaret delivered in a totally different way. I cite the Blue Bunny as an example of the latter, a tall middle aged bloke in a blue latex bodysuit skipping round the place in high heels bursting balloons. I *like* Scotty The Blue Bunny (but I'd need to lose some of the tum before trying to emulate him in latex).

Jess Love was great as hula-hoop girl, keeping the hoops going with different parts of her body while she performed acrobatics galore. And she was fun in her joint show with Ursula Martinez and the gender and clothes swapping duo who ended up all but naked. By then, of course, we'd already had the demote teasing from a grey suited Ursula and her little red handkerchief. Each time she performed her disappearing handkerchief trick an item of clothing vanished until she was naked and then she did the trick again… where could the handkerchief possibly be…? I shall never look at a little red handkerchief in the same way again.

I liked David and Fofo with their ping-pong balls flashing between their mouths while they performed amazing acrobatics and another duo, Saulo and Anna, flying round the stage in acrobatic passion with their moving pole to clamber around. Another highlight was the comedic juggling of Marcus Monroe who started by juggling clubs and then switched to knives - ouch! There was also the rather naughty 'sexual gentleman' Asher Treleaven and his risqué tales.

They were all great fun and incredibly entertaining. I sat for most of the time with my mouth open in wonder and a stupid smile on my face - how on earth do they do *that*? and how do they do *that*? and *that's* just not possible… I even had Jonathan Burns throw his underpants at me after he'd taken them off without removing his shorts.

The true highlight was The English Gents in their pinstripe suits and bowler hats getting up to all sorts of strongman antics and acrobatics galore. And yes, it's them on the poster for the show with both gents in their Union Jack pants and Denis Lock holding up Hamish McCann with one arm. It's a mix of a strong man act with impossible acrobatics thrown in for good measure. Might I say 'wow'?

And Hamish came back in a solo act to close the show with his version of 'Singin' In The Rain' and using the lamppost for his very own pole dance, holding himself out horizontally from half way up the pole in an astonish show of strength. To repeat myself, how on earth does he manage to do *that*?

There are other acts that are part of the La Soiree troupe but they don't all come on every night. And even those that do appear have different acts so you're unlikely to see the same show twice. I like that. Because I *am* going back! It was such fun and a great way to spend an evening. This is fabulous circus-cabaret, but not as you've seen it before. 

A List Is Just A List

I'm a bit of a lister, me. I write lists. I don't mean shopping lists (other than at Christmas), my lists are far more interesting. I wrote a list of plays by Christopher Marlowe so I could cross them off as I saw each play. I write set lists after gigs for no particular reason other than I make lists. I make lists at work, not so much things I need to do but a list of what I'm not doing so, if or when something goes wrong I know I need to put it right. I have a list of every hug I've ever had from Amanda Palmer. Yes, I am that geeky.

I make my lists in a pocket sized black Moleskine notebook that travels most places with me. It's full of lists and notes and the occasional drawing and every now and then I'll open it randomly and see what I find. I've just opened it randomly roughly in the middle to find my notes of visiting the London Paralympics in 2012 and seeing swashbuckling. I've just opened it about three quarters of the way through to find a random quote from the George Bellows exhibition I went to at the Royal Academy in May 2013 and, on the opposite page, is the setlist from Yoko Ono's gig that opened her Meltdown series on the Southbank in June 2013.

There's all sorts in this little notebook. It's not a diary - this blog is probably more of a diary of my daily doings and visitings and seeings - but it is full of lists in chronological order. The last entry is a note about Viv Albertine' book launch at the Lexington on 3 June 2014. The next entry will be a list.

This weekend has been a bit of a remembrance one, remembering people and things and events from years ago. I've no idea why. I started thinking of all the bands and solo artists I've seen over the years and realised I only remember a fraction of them. So I'm going to start a list. I know I saw quite a few bands in the mid-70s and again in the early 80s but I can't remember that many (probably because I didn't keep a list).

I know I saw a lot of bands in 1981 because I was involved in the students union and helped out on gig nights but can't really remember that many. I remember seeing SLADE and Dave Hill offering me a cigarette (a Benson & Hedges), I remember seeing The Tourists and Annie Lennox's voice, I remember the Ramones, I remember Gary Glitter on his motorbike, I remember Lene Lovich and Wreckless Eric and Rachel Sweet and I remember The Clash. But who don't I remember?

I shall start a list of those I remember and then go through my record and cassette collection to see if any jog my memory, and then start on CDs and digital stuff. I know I never saw Siouxsie & The Banshees (I have no idea how I missed them despite buying all the albums) but I've seen Siouxsie several times in the last decade. Some people I didn't see back in the day but have made up for it more recently, like Poly Styrene, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Viv Albertine and, of course, the Sex Pistols.

So, watch this space for an epic blog in the form of a list...

... what else can I make a list of?

Southbank Poster

Here is the new artwork to promote the Southbank. I like the Southbank. It has the Royal Festival Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall for concerts, it has the National Theatre and The Old Vic for theatrical productions, it has the Hayward Gallery for art, it has the British Film Institute and the giant iMax cinema and it has eateries and shops. It has the Big Wheel (aka The London Eye). It also has the River Thames and a stunning walk along the south bank of the river, majestic bridges and the beaches at low tide. It has the best railway station in the world in Blackfriars, built in the middle of Blackfriars Bridge that presents amazing views of Tower Bridge and St Paul's Cathedral when you get off the train. It has buskers and living statues and a magic roundabout and Udderbelly every summer and Jubilee Gardens where I took part in the Rain of Poems.

I served as a London Ambassador on the Southbank during the 2012 Olympics when London was pretty and its denizens all wore smiles. We had the sun and summer heat back then. And every winter it has an ice-rink, a Christmas market and lights in the trees and, when we're lucky, snow.

At the moment the views from the Southbank are rather splendid with the nights drawing in, walking east and seeing the lights of the skyscrapers in the City on the other side of the river. Even better to be in the middle of Waterloo Bridge and to look at the lights on both sides of the river. A magical sight.

As Ray Davies sings, 'Waterloo sunset's fine...'. And rather beautiful too, I would add.

Viv Albertine - 'Clothes Clothes Clothes, Music Music Music, Boys Boys Boys'

Viv Albertine is writing her autobiography called 'Clothes Clothes Clothes, Music Music Music, Boys Boys Boys' after something her mother said to her about her interests back in the '70s. I was lucky enough to see Viv play a short gig at the 12Bar Club in January at which she also gave us a short reading from a draft of the book from her laptop. She read out the section of the book about The Slits supporting The Clash on their 'White Riot' tour in 1977 and mentioned their Newcastle gig. It was made even more interesting by Mick Jones (her boyfriend at the time) being in the audience.

It's nice to see progress has been made with the book and it's now listed on Amazon with a publication date of 1 May 2014. I'm not getting my hopes up since release dates often change (usually pushed back, rarely forward), but it's another step closer to it actually happening.

After seeing Viv's great shows supporting Siouxsie at Yoko Ono's Meltdown festival in June I'm pleased to say that I'm seeing her again on the Southbank in a couple of weeks time. This time she'll be playing the Purcell Room in the Queen Elizabeth Hall on 17 October. If she does a signing after the gig I'll ask about the book. 

The Unthanks - 'Songs From The Shipyards' at The Purcell Room

This evening I went to see those Unthanks lasses perform their new record, 'Songs From The Shipyards' live at the Purcell Room in the Queen Elizabeth Hall. It's the soundtrack to a documentary made up of film clips over the years since 1910 about the shipyards on the River Tyne. The Unthanks - Rachel and Becky, Niopha, Chris and Adrian - sat underneath a big screen that showed the documentary and they sang and played along to it.

It's a collection of songs that describe the ups and downs of shipbuilding on the Tyne, of the men who built those ships that sailed the world and created trade routes that fed the country, defended our island  and went to war in the Falklands. The skyline of cranes, of ships being built beside the back to back terraced houses of Wallsend, the closure of Swan Hunter and Scotswood Road. I remember some of the scenes shown in the film, vague memories of skeletal cranes on the riverside and factories with walls black with coal dust and smoke. It's all so very different today.

I was particularly taken with the song 'Big Steamers' about those ships that roamed the oceans of the world bringing food back to our little island. It reminded me of my Dad who was in the merchant navy in his younger days, travelling round the coasts of Africa. He left the merchant navy to be an apprentice engineer and he then built the machines that built other things. None of my immediate family worked in the shipyards but they're part of the proud heritage of every Geordie.

There was also a touching version of 'Shipbuilding', the Robert Wyatt song made famous by Elvis Costello in the '80s. They sang it against footage from the Falklands war and groans at the sight of Maggie Thatcher. That sets the tone for the rest of the film and the record as the decline sets in and the shipyards close, with the refrain of 'You might steal our future but you'll not steal our glory'.

If you get the chance to see them on this current short tour then you should. And get the record. It's a melancholy feast and one I'll play for the memories. The Unthank sisters grew up on the banks of the Tyne in the same little village as me. I remember things that they won't because of the age difference, but it's lovely to hear them sing of things that mean something to me even though it's history to them. Thank you, lasses, it was lovely to see you again. It's a great record.

National Poetry Day 2012

Did you know that today was National Poetry Day? No, I didn't either until I heard it on Radio 4's 'Today' programme this morning. I decided I would contribute by reading some poetry on my way to and from work today from my new collection of poems, 'The World Record', published as part of the Poetry Parnassus festival.

The Poetry Parnassus was part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad and was launched by the Rain of Poems event back in June. Poetry was all over the Southbank if you chose to look at it - written on walls and on placards hung on the railings by the Thames. There was poetry from each of the 204 countries competing in the Olympic Games and, I think, that's what attracted me to to the collection. I went into Foyles and asked if they had the poems on display along the Southbank and that is where I found 'The World Record'.

Of course, as soon as I got on the bus to work I realised that I'd forgotten the book. How can I contribute to National Poetry Day? I decided the answer was to write a poem and tweet it to the world. This is what I wrote:

Where the wild things are

Is the place to be

With flames and snow and wind and hail

And a storm brewing out at sea

That's all. But I now consider myself to be a published poet. Of course, no-one commented on my poem or retweeted it but I choose to believe that's because everyone was stunned by its literary merit, its philosophical conciseness and its depth of meaning. I believe.

What did you do for National Poetry Day?

Some Day All The Adults Will Die - Hayward Gallery

I went along to see 'Some Day All The Adults Will Die: Punk Design 1971-1984', a small exhibition at The Hayward Gallery last week to see the roots of punk design and how it evolved but I think it's over-selling itself somewhat. Bill it as an exhibition of posters, fanzines and limited-edition 7” singles and I'm with you all the way. 

It's only two small rooms plus a corridor upstairs at the Hayward but it was packed with memories and smiles for me. There were lots of references to the Sex Pistols but I saw nothing for The Clash or X-Ray Spex, and only one mention of The Jam. Lots of the names of bands meant nothing to me (but probably meant everything to the curator) since we were in the territory of bands coming together for a few gigs and then splitting into various off-shoots but it was the energy and enthusiasm that seeped from the posters and records that entranced me. This was DIY culture writ large.

I loved glancing around the wall of fanzines and spotting an edition I'd actually bought back in the day. Then looking over the wall of 7” singles and seeing a rather battered cover for the Swell Maps whereas mine is rather more pristine. I also loved looking in a glass case at some cassette singles – were they in a a glass because they were cassettes (a now lost technology to anyone under 30) or because they were rare? I don't know, but it made me smile.

The whole exhibition made me smile. It's rather incomplete in that there's nothing about fashion or any of the other visual or tactile arts – it really is about posters, record covers and fanzines and there's nothing wrong with that. Maybe one day we'll get a more all-encompassing exhibition about punk, but not today. If you're at a loose end on the Southbank with half an hour (or less) to spare the head on over to the Hayward Gallery and take a look.

Buffy Sainte-Marie at Meltdown

I've fallen behind with my blogging due in part to the Olympics but mainly because my laptop died on me last week. I need to do a mammoth Olympics blog but the day after the Closing Ceremony is not the right time. Instead I'll tell you about something that can only mean joy - Buffy Sainte-Marie has been back to London for two shows on the Southbank as part of Anthony Hegarty's Meltdown festival and I attended both (indeed, had guest list tickets to both but that's showing off).

The first event on Monday 6 August in the Purcell Room was originally billed as, 'An Interview With Buffy Sainte-Marie' but, due to the absence of an interviewer became, 'Buffy Sainte-Marie - A Multimedia Life'. We were treated to a slideshow of Buffy's photos over the years to get us in the mood and then on she strode with the confidence of an experienced public speaker. Buffy spoke for the next hour or so, delivering an entertaining and thought-provoking talk about indigenous peoples and how the ordinary peoples of Europe had suffered for centuries under the same rulers that invaded the Americas.

She then did a Q&A, answering questions the audience had previously written down. I had three questions answered:

• 'No No Keshagesh was originally called AIM Elijah - what does that mean?' - Elijah refers to Elijah Harper, a Native American politician in Canada who blocked constitutional changes that hadn't been agreed with native peoples. AIM refers to the American Indian Movement.
• 'What was the last record you bought?' - Alabama 3
• 'If you were in the Olympics what sport would you take part in?' - Buffy pulled a face and said, 'naah' she wouldn't be in the Olympics since she lacks the competitive gene. She loves flamenco dancing but if she was being chased by a tiger she'd be the meal!

As a teacher, Buffy gave us three book to read as homework: 'Indian Givers' by Jack Weatherford, 'Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee' by Dee Brown and 'The Female Brain' by Louann Brizendine.

The second event was a gig in the Queen Elizabeth Hall and we were treated to a full two hours set. She walked onto the stage in a glitter jacket and with glitter in her hair with her band of Jesse, Leroy and Mike (also known as Juno award nominees Bruthers of Different Muthers). The setlist was:

Piney Wood Hills
Cho Cho Fire
I'm Gonna Be A Country Girl Again
Mister Can't You See
Cripple Creek
Still This Love Goes On
Up Where We Belong
No No Keshagesh
Universal Soldier
Darling Don't Cry
Until It's Time For You To Go
Working For The Government
Little Wheel Spin And Spin
Soldier Blue
Generation
The Big Ones Get Away
Cod'ine
Blue Sunday
You're Not The Loving Kind
Goodnight
Look At The Facts
The Priests Of The Golden Bull
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee
Starwalker
He's An Indian Cowboy At The Rodeo (encore with pow wow dancing).

There were two big highlights for me. The first came with 'Darling Don't Cry' when I was transported back to Belleville in Canada in 2005 and the theatre erupting into pow wow singing as the mainly First Nations  audience sang along and lifted the roof with their beautiful sound. The second was hearing 'Generation' for the first time played live.

Since it was an extended set then Buffy played some songs that she doesn't normally include in her set and 'Generation' was one of the additions. It's from the 'Buffy' album from the early 70s and a song I recall hearing for the first time back in 1976 on a BBC2  programme about Buffy. It was released again a couple of years ago when all of Buffy's early 70s albums were re-released. A mighty 'wow' for that song. The chorus ends with the line, "I just want to dance with the Rosebud Sioux this summer" and I was wearing my rosebud shirt to celebrate Buffy in London.

It's always good to see Buffy play live and the Queen Elizabeth Hall is a good venue to see her. My one beef about the Meltdown is that Buffy wasn't mentioned in any of the promotional materials for the series other than on the main poster that listed everyone - or, at least, I didn't see any mentions. Why was that, Meltdown people?

London Ambassador Day 1

Today was my first day as a London Ambassador and, while I thoroughly enjoyed it, my feet are going 'ow, ow, ow' from walking up and down London's Southbank seeing what I could do to welcome the world to London. There's so much going on on the Southbank - we have the London Eye, the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the National Theatre, art installations galore, pop-up restaurants and bars, the roof garden on top of the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Fisherman's Wharf, Jubilee Gardens... so much there and so much going on.

I met some lovely people - my fellow Ambassadors amongst them - who seemed really pleased that there was someone to give them a map of London and answer a few questions. Our job is to make visitors visits better, whether they're from elsewhere in the UK or around the world, and I hope we did that. I got slightly distracted on occasion by all the street artists along the Southbank - well, you've got to watch and enjoy!

I had three, small, personal highlights. Firstly being stopped by a woman from Holland who said she's been in London for two days and was thoroughly enjoying herself and that all the volunteers need to keep their energy levels up and be positive. Secondly by a bloke who asked what all the pink and purple shirts meant and was impressed that we were all volunteers and doing it for free. And thirdly that I met one of the planners of the Marathon who showed me her maps for road closures in exchange for one of my Olympic maps.

The whole time was positive, smiles everywhere and even my fellow cynical Londoners smiling and saying 'no thank you' when offered a map.  Well, some Londoners look like tourists too. I didn't hear a single negative comment.

There was a single major sadness. I approached Russian and Canadian Olympians (there seemed to be a lot of them about) and none of them wanted a map. My challenge over the next week is to persuade an Olympian that they need one of my maps.  Whichever team it is, they will be a star and fully deserve a Gold medal.

Watch out for the pink and purple shirts on the Southbank... it might just be me!

Rain of Poems Video - Drop Poems Not Bombs

A couple of weeks ago I had the joyous experience of taking part in the Rain of Poems over the Southbank in London. I blogged about it here and said it was marvellous. I've just re-lived that experience watching this great, short video of the event. The excitement, the laughter, the competition is all in there, along with the simple joy of the event. I loved it.

The message is simple: drop poems, not bombs.

Rain Of Poems, London 2012

The Southbank in London is hosting the Poetry Parnassus, a celebration of poetry from around the world, as part of the London2012 Festival. The opening ceremony was as spectacular as it was fun - the Rain Of Poems over Jubilee Gardens.

The Rain of Poems was created by Chilean arts collective Casagrande and it pours poems over cities that have been bombed in previous military conflict. Poems are printed onto cardboard bookmarks in two languages (in this case English and Spanish) and thrown out of a helicopter at twilight. The event has previously been held in Berlin, Warsaw, Guernica, Dubrovnik and Santiago. According to the leaflet I was given, "This performance creates an alternative image of the past and is a gesture of remembrance as well as being a metaphor for the survival of cities and people." I thought it was marvellous.

It sounds quite serious but the whole event shrieked joy, followed by a fit of giggles. Jubilee Gardens was full of people of all ages at nine o'clock when the event was due to start and then at ten past nine a cheer rose as people spotted a helicopter approaching the Southbank and the cameras emerged, taking photos of the helicopter as it came closer and then the poems were thrown out into open air to float and flitter away in the breeze. It seemed to take an age for the poems to get close enough to see and then we could see individual bookmarks lit by the spotlights and people started getting really excited.

People were running here, there and everywhere to try to catch poems, big grins and laughter everywhere. Competitions started as to who could collect the most poems. People read their poems out to friends and strangers alike. People swapped poems and offered spare poems to others who didn't have any. It was a lovely atmosphere, there was daftness and happiness in the air, infectious smiles all over and everyone wanted a poem. Before the event started I'd wondered who would clean up all the paper afterwards. I needn't have worried, there was no chance of any stray poem being left behind.

Out of the 100,000 poems dropped from that helicopter I managed to secure four. One was mine by right (as in I reached it first), two were mine but were grabbed by others before my fingers could reach them but were then given to me as a mark of generosity, and one was from a security guard who collected so many he just handed them out. My poems are:

'Author's Prayer' by Ilya Kaminsky
'Cityscape' by Andrew McMillan
'In Search Of The Other' by Ashjan Al Hendi
'The History Of That Tree' by Dhabiya Khamis

If Shakespeare, Yeats, Byron or Marlowe had been there, I bet they'd have been running round grinning and trying to catch a poem or two. My abiding memory of the Rain of Poems will be joy and exhilaration.Well done Southbank and well done to Casagrande for a first class experience. I shall treasure my poems from the sky.