Barfly

Known by many as 'The bard of Salford', John Cooper Clarke has been delivering rapid fire punk poetry since the late 70s. Expect a mix of hilarious anecdotes of life in a Northern town interspersed with machine-gun fast delivery of some of his best poems.  If you think poetry is dull and boring, or posh and erudite - you haven't seen JCC! In a vain attempt at bourgeois credibility, Manchester's sharp-dressed, sharp-delivering punk poet Lenny, changed his name to John Cooper Clarke and embarked on a polysyllabic excursion though Thrillsville in the 70s. Clad in the slum chic of the hipster, he issued the slang anthems of the zip age in the desperate esperanto of bop.  With the onset of punk, Clarke found himself encountering more lively audiences when he shared a bill with the Buzzcocks.. After touring with Be-Bop DeLuxe, he was signed to Epic Records who produced his debut album – Walking Back to Happiness. The single Gimmix became a UK Top 40 hit in 1979.  After touring this and his second album Snap, Crackle and Bop, Clarke went into semi-retirement in the 80s, forming a domestic partnership with ex-Velvet Underground singer Nico.  In the following two decades Clarke became active again on the pub and club circuit and was engaged in various film (including Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten and Ian Curtis biopic Control) and book projects, as well as numerous TV appearances like his 1982 documentary Ten Years In An Open Necked Shirt. He has appeared live with bands including The Fall, Joe Strummer And The Mescaleros and Reverend And The Makers.