In Concert: John Cooper Clarke
Rail-thin like a scarecrow, sporting shades underneath a mop of black hair, legendary punk-poet John Cooper Clarke is as potent as ever.
Having opened for the likes of Joy Division and The Clash long ago, attendees at nearly sold-out Lee’s Palace have come to pay their respects to the Manchester native.
Photo by Myles Herod
With decades having passed since his last Canadian tour, he performs his works works including “Beasley Street” and “I’ve Fallen In Love With My Wife” while also throwing in newer pieces such as “Hired Car.”
Rail-thin like a scarecrow, sporting shades underneath a mop of black hair, legendary punk-poet John Cooper Clarke is as potent as ever.
Clarke’s wit and charm intertwines with tales of inner city poverty that eroded his hometown during Thatcher’s Britain. A master storyteller, Clarke incredibly combines razor-sharp social commentary with poetic humour at an amphetamine-fueled speed.
Photo by Myles Herod
Set against a minimalistic backdrop, only a stack of notebooks keeps Clarke company, from which he selects his poems – old or new- to deliver like a roadside preacher.
A master storyteller, Clarke incredibly combines razor-sharp social commentary with poetic humour at an amphetamine-fueled speed.
At 69, the incomparable wordsmith closes the final minutes of his set with “Evidently Chickentown,” a classic critique of his dysfunctional inner-city neighbourhood, famously used on The Sopranos.
Photo by Myles Herod
It is this concise simplicity that makes every line spring to life, creating an gripping atmosphere for everyone to behold.
Spitting words to the very end, Clarke has not lost any of his edge or humour all these years later.
