Hollie McNish, Eugene Kelly set for Liverpool show

Spoken word star Hollie McNish joins Eugene Kelly of the Vaselines, Pete Wylie and more on a bill mixing live poetry and music at Liverpool's LEAF in January, programmed by Edinburgh collective Neu! Reekie!.

Feature by News Team | 26 Nov 2015

Celebrated for their gigs combining live spoken word, poetry and music, the Edinburgh collective come to Liverpool for the first time in January with a special showcase at LEAF on Bold Street.

Spoken word sensation Hollie McNish joins Eugene Kelly of The Vaselines, Liverpool mainstay Pete Wylie and Forward Prize-shortlisted poet Eleanor Rees on 28 January, on a bill that will also mark the launch of a new label, Triassic Tusk – a project by The FOUND Collective, set up to compile and reissue rare records from FOUND's vinyl collection. 

Fresh from the success of winning a Creative Edinburgh Award, curators Neu! Reekie! – led by Polygon-published poet Michael Pedersen and fellow poet and activist Kevin Williamson – will also be performing, as will FOUND's Lomond Campbell, DJ Whisky Stephen and secret guests to be revealed nearer the time. 

Balancing high-energy performance with a receptive atmosphere where artists can try out new material, Neu! Reekie's events are now a fixture on the Edinburgh scene, with past guests including Irvine Welsh, Jackie Kay and Bill Ryder-Jones, and this past summer's #UntitledLive show with Young Fathers and Andrew Weatherall cramming in 1000 attendees.

The January date will be the first appearance in the Northwest for Hollie McNish since her show at Manchester's Dancehouse in May. "It’s weird – I feel very grateful but also feel like I’ve just been lucky,” said McNish of her success in an interview with The Skinny last year: “I get lots of young people emailing me being like, 'I want to get into spoken word, how do I do it?' Write poetry, read it out, do as many gigs as you can."

Well-known as the frontman of Liverpool band The Mighty Wah!, Pete Wylie has a host of hits to his name and score-writing credits for Hurricane Films and BBC Radio 4. 

Famously namechecked as Kurt Cobain's favourite band, The Vaselines' influence travels far and wide. Since singer-songwriter Eugene Kelly reactivated their understated brand of lo-fi pop with sparring partner Frances McKee in time for Sub Pop's 20th anniversary in 2009, the duo has released two warmly received records. Having dusted down his beret for the Insider festival this past autumn, Kelly turns his attention to Liverpool for a rare solo appearance. 

Nominated for a Forward Prize Best First Collection award and published by Salt, Liverpool-based poet Eleanor Rees described her poetry as a "virtual reality... an energetic, emotional movement" in a recent interview with The Skinny. Her third full-length collection, Blood Child, is out now via Liverpool University Press.

The Skinny is excited to support this great night celebrating the spoken word and showcasing talent from Liverpool, Scotland and beyond.

A Triassic Tusk - The Skinny magazine - Neu! Reekie! Extravaganza: 

The First and Last with Pete Wylie, Hollie McNish, Eugene Kelly, Eleanor Rees + Lomond Campbell, Michael Pedersen, Kevin Williamson and special guests 

Thursday 28 January 2016, 8pm, LEAF on Bold Street, Liverpool 

Tickets: £5 from Brown Paper Tickets.


More from The Skinny:

 "We're gonna fight a battle for poetry" – Read more on Neu! Reekie!

 Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee on 25 years of The Vaselines

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