OPEN MICROPHONE

signing off with Kabra Kadabra

This is it for a while as we sign off  The Dangerous Microphone this Wednesday, 1 July with a high-energy, foot-stomping gypsy blast from Kabra Kadabra in our 30 Minutes of Glory session.

The DANGEROUS MICROPHONE delivers  courageous performances and strong community connections you can’t buy!  So make sure you line up for your last dose of entertainment, challenge and pure joy for one night only in July. Come on down, meet your neighbours around the fire and  enjoy the on-going connections with travellers and visitors as you devour a night of great pizzas,  splendid entertainment and warm company. At the Dangerous Kitchen the food and beverage service is fantastic and the hostesses and hosts make you feel right at home.

Kabra Kadabra is a lively local gypsy-folk band weaving together the musical threads of the Balkans and beyond. Fronted by Golden Bay vocalist Hera Livingston, joined by the rhythmically-nimble acoustic guitar of Rye Morgan and a rotating cast of musical friends. On this occasion Mónica Naudín, singing with latino soul,  Julian Briggs  percussion/guitar and Paul Candish, percussion.. This spirited ensemble brings the fiery pulse of Eastern European folk traditions to life. You may not understand a single word, but that hardly matters — the rhythms speak for themselves.

DANGEROUS MICROPHONE
Wednesday  1 July ’26
Open Mic 6.00 pm – 7.30 pm
30 Minutes of Glory after 7.30 pm  featuring KABRA KADABRA
Open mic 8.15pm – 9.00pm

MOONSHINE IN JULY

where POT-LUCK FEASTING abounds

come Thursday 2 July ’26 and the moon will be reflecting off  the microphone at NgAng’s Gallery in Collingwood.

Won’t you come on down to the Gallery and listen to the good craic and add yours to the mix. Bring some food to share, something to drink, a poem or two to speak and a song to sing. Or if singing is not your thing, just lend your support with a rousing round of applause to the array of performers.

The POT LUCK FEAST will start around 6.00pm with open mic kicking in from around 7.00 pm. We will continue to gather indoors as the winter months make their presence felt!

Love to see you again if you can make it down from the valleys and down from the coast and down from around the corner.

Moonshine on the Microphone
Thursday 2 July, 2026
NgAng’s Gallery, Collingwood
POT LUCK FEAST – 6.00pm
Open Mic – 7.00pm.
Koha

ACID ON THE MICROPHONE

ash, poem & song 2

It’s going to be on Wednesday this month. Acid on the Microphone is stoked to feature the soulful voice and late-night piano of Leigh Strange and the star-spangled poems of  Mark Raffills as our guests for July.

Their  one-hour show features new poems and songs that create moments of sadness and joy; moments of despair and redemption in a performance at the Mussel Inn, titled ‘ash, poem and song 2’

It was first crafted for this year’s Nelson Fringe Festival  back in March 2026 and continues the collaboration of local musician Leigh Strange and local poet Mark Raffills.

Their collaboration came about after an open mic session at the Mussel Inn a couple of years back where Leigh was singing Janis Joplin and Mark was telling his poems and thinking these voices might work well together.

“It took some time to get organised,” says Leigh, “but this is now our second edition of the show and having the courage to commit to definite performance dates has helped us turn our music and words into dance partners.”

The resultant show of mostly new, original songs and poems has a relaxed and intimate feel about it. Nothing rushed or too urgent. It’s bar-room setting has its own vibe that lets the music and words linger for as long as they need to.

‘Their voices fill the space where the lonely wander, where the moon filters through the dark shadows in thin rays of light; where a small coin is sufficient to buy back a soul grown cold.’

The regular open microphone session for poets and musicians will run from 7.30 to 8.30.  It’s a limited session so participants should be in quick to put their name on the performance list which will be open from 7.00pm on the night. Musician alanjahjah will kick the evening off from around 7.15 pm with some cruisey tunes. Here’s another opportunity to catch our own community in action,  so let’s make it a date!

ACID ON THE MICROPHONE 
Open Mic  from 7.30pm – 8.30 pm
Guests: Leigh Strange & Mark Raffills after 8.30 pm
Wednesday 22 JulyI 2026
$5 on the door.  Mussel Inn

Regional Poetry Slam

poetry slam coming up

GOLDEN BAY/NELSON REGIONAL POETRY SLAM GOING TO BE HAPPENING LIVE AT THE MUSSEL INN IN SEPTEMBER, GOD WILLING AND THE CREEK DON’T RISE!!

Nelson Live Poets people will be joining us too, so its gearing up to be a wonderful night of spoken word performances!! 

A POETRY SLAM is a spoken word event where poets ‘slam off’ against each for the honour of representing the Golden Bay/Nelson region at the National event in Auckland in November.

Competitors come armed with three original poems, each no more that three minutes long. No props are allowed – just your voice performing your poems by wrote.

The event is run over three rounds, with competitors dropping out until three are left in the final round. Each round is judged by random audience judges who mark each performance out of 10. After round one, the top scores go through to round two and from round two the top  scores go through to round three.

The winner will flown to Auckland to represent Golden Bay/Nelson in the National finals in November. So the winner must be prepared to travel to Auckland to represent the region.  Airfares will be provided by Golden Bay/Nelson Live Poets Societies from our Creative Communities grant money.

Sound like you?  Enter the Slam now by using the comments section below or by  emailing: mark@drycrust.com