Spoken word troupe Loud Poets have taken to the road once more, with live band in tow, for this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In the informal setting of the Scottish Storytelling Centre's basement theatre, the Loud Poets offer an uplifting and energetic performance, which blends their poetry with music, video, gaming and even dance.
Catch their Fringe gig, or their regular slot in Glasgow – you just might learn something.
An PSA-style introductory video sets the tone, warning us of the spoken word revolution of which we are about to become a part, before the poets come on, band playing, to introduce their work. These people are sensational performers, engaging effortlessly with the crowd in a down-to-earth manner that puts everybody at their ease. It is for this reason, perhaps, that the more emotionally charged pieces presented are so hard-hitting: as the audience recovers from Kevin Mclean and Doug Gary's interactive long poem about infamously nerdy board game Dungeons and Dragons, they are confronted with Catherine Wilson's heartbreaking poem of loss about all the lives her sister didn't live after dying in the Dunblane massacre.
The Loud Poets belong in the Scottish Storytelling Centre – their act fits the ethos of the place, they are outspoken, humane, and skilful. This is an act not to be missed – it is easy to forget that the Fringe is a haven for spoken word as well as theatre and comedy, though it is often overlooked, and the Loud Poets are a wonderful reminder. Catch their Fringe gig, or their regular slot in Glasgow – you just might learn something.
