OPEN MIC LIVE

MOONSHINE on the MICROPHONE

Winter nights in Collingwood have never been so good. In the cosy confines of the MAD Cafe, people are snuggled on the couches, nestled in the chairs, seated at the tables, sipping on beverages, consuming pizzas and taking joy in the performance of poems and songs.

The microphone stands alone in the corner, moonlight dancing off its polished chrome; courage from the shadow comes, stands behind the open mic and tells forth a poem, sings a song, plays a tune, then rests in wonder at what it has done.

Moonshine on the Microphone
this Thursday, 4 August 7.30 pm
koha

Golden Bay Live Poets, The Mussel Inn, Arts on Tour present

Mad Doggerel Poetry Cabaret

25 August 2022, 7.30 pm @ Mussel Inn 

with David Eggleton, Daren Kamali and Richard Wallis live at The Mussel Inn

Two poets and a musician combine to present a comic and lyric portrait of Aotearoa New Zealand and its place in the South Pacific today. Their Mad Doggerel Poetry Cabaret is full of cascading words, wild musicality and lightning humour.

David Eggleton, the current Poet Laureate of Aotearoa 2019 – 2022, has been described as a jazz-bop-beatnik poet ‘whose poems never cease to amaze and astound in their creativity…in performance he is no longer ‘just a poet’ but a ranter, a raver, a conjuror…his poetry spirals into today’s world from a Polynesian heritage’. David Eggleton, an acclaimed writer, has received just about every literary award for poetry it is possible to receive in New Zealand.

Daren Kamali was a founding member of the South Auckland Poets’ Collective in 2008 and a co-founder of Niu Navigations in 2013, an organisation aimed at encouraging young Pacific writers to tell their stories. An accomplished performance and slam poet, as well as a musician, Daren Kamali has travelled the world presenting poems based on Polynesian and Pasifika legends and his own life story.

Richard Wallis is a Dunedin-based classical guitarist. As a soundscape musician he has worked extensively with David Eggleton in producing music recordings.

A stunning show. Don’t miss out.
Tickets $10 at the door.
Also in Nelson at The Boathouse, 10th August.

mad doggerel cabaret – live

FROM REEFTON TO THE MUSSEL INN

This Thursday, 25 August

Get a glimpse of the joy, heart-felt irreverence and sheer beauty of the word that the Mad Doggerel Cabaret will bring to the Mussel Inn on Thursday by having a read over of this review from the Reefton show.

Review: Mad Doggerel Cabaret
Reefton Club
Thursday 11^th August

If you haven’t been to see many “Arts on Tour” shows here in Reefton then you may not be aware of the variety of high-quality styles of entertainment that these performers provide.

Apart from the different genres of music and great personalities that go with them that have been presented to us this way, there have been some that are really something else and every bit as worth experiencing.

Mad Doggerel Cabaret was one of these. They were two poets; Daren Kamali and David Eggleton the current New Zealand Poet Laureate, accompanied during many of their recitations by acoustic and electric guitarist, Richard Wallace. In his musical interpretations he gave their wonderful written work a further sense of rhythm and form to bring out that ‘rock star bursting to get out’ impression, particularly by David Eggleton as he gyrated and orated in time with the chimes and the rhymes

I do apologise for that and the ham that I am. Which brings me to Sam. Sam Hunt that is who David admits has been a big inspiration in his poetry and performance style.

First up in the evening though was Daren Kamali, who lives in Auckland but is native Fijian born and raised. His poetry was to me, beautiful and haunting and spoke of a migrants struggle through lamentations of cultural disturbance, family separation, becoming someone else but remembering with love and pride where he came from and the strength to be found there. He mixed his poems with English and Fijian prose that elevated the power and beauty that grew from them and connectedness we are finally embracing as part of a wider Pacific entity.  I was fascinated by his poems that gave meaning and understanding to such things as the ‘kava ceremony and his mention of “Burotukula” seen only when the time is right, a mystical island that we would know as “Hawaiki”

But Daren is also more than a poet. He works with the ‘rough sleepers’ in Auckland and has encouraged many to tell their stories through poetry, even publishing a book of their great work, a copy of which was given away as a prize to a member of the audience who could recite a remembered poem.

David Eggleton’s time as Poet Laureate is almost over and he is the 12^th to be honoured with that title. “The Pandemic Laureate” he calls himself. His work bores right into the ‘Kiwi vernacular and psyche’ with works entitled “Drift North”, “The Old Man Nor-Wester”, “Untold” about the tomb of the unknown miner in Cromwell, “Ode to the Five Cent Coin”, “The Bush Paddock”, “Wahine Toa”, “My Phone”, “Ode to Evil – Lust for Life”, “Sunburn” and “Identity Parade” Much of that was easily identifiable with great evocations like “farmers corrugated faces” and brought sniggers and enthusiastic “yeahs” from the audience.

One of his works really bagged Dunedin which paradoxically really made me feel homesick for the city I spent 15 years in. That was really clever in my opinion.

What he might compose about the West Coast I eagerly await.

Poetry may not be your thing but I do have a sneaking suspicion that a number who were there last night may have thought the same thing but gave it a shot anyway and were pleasantly surprised by what they experienced.

As David said “It is the job of the Poet Laureate to bring poetry to the people all over New Zealand”

The Reefton part of that mission was well achieved.

Keith Tonkin 12/8/22

Open Microphone

Dangerous Microphone @ Dangerous Kitchen

So good has it been that we have had to extend it to three hours long!

THE DANGEROUS MICROPHONE

Love to see you there with a poem or song or musical piece. Best to be early if you want to nab one of the 21 performance slots available. The programme will be open for you to book your slot from 5.00 pm. Each slot has a 7 minute limit to enable us to showcase as many performers as possible and to give every one a fair go. 
And if you are looking to be part of the wild audience for a wild night’s entertainment,  it might pay to book a table in advance to make sure you get a seat. So get organised and come on down, you won’t be disappointed! Enjoy a meal and a drink and polish up your social skills of interaction and conversation – the glue that holds our community together. All welcome.

Barrett Newton will anchor the music, Mark Raffills will anchor the words, The Kitchen will anchor the food and drinks and altogether we will be anchored in love on a cold winter’s night in the cosy surrounds of The Dangerous Kitchen.

The Dangerous Microphone will be plugged in every Wednesday throughout winter. The August dates are: 3 August, 10 August, 17 August, 24 August, 31 August. Kicks off 5.30pm. 

Tipping our hat to:

PEACE Co-Op Theatre Company

a gREAT rAW

The PEACE Co-Op Theatre Company presents a theatrical debate on war and all its greatness. Featuring Andy Dolling, Devon Darklin, Mark Raffills

The original theatre pieces of a gREAT rAW are written and performed by Andy Dolling. Devon Darklin provides the musical accompaniment and Mark Raffills performs ‘The Box’ by Kendrew Lascelles and ‘The War Prayer’ by Mark Twain.

The voices of the ancestors come together to question the greatness  of World War 1, to uncover the pain and suffering of a century ago in the hope we may not repeat the mistake today.

Inspired by the book “We will not cease” by NZ’s own ARCHIBALD BAXTER, conscientious objector, farmer & father of poet James K. Baxter, “a gREAT rAW” combines clown, buffoon, music, poetry & multiple masks to tell these tales and unmask the fraud of the WW1 narrative. R16.