I’m reading poems at a few literary festivals this year – including ones in Keswick, Guernsey, Wrexham, Tunbridge Wells, Dorchester-on-Thames, Filey and Leek. Here’s a pic which provides an efficient summary of such matters:
Next month’s show at Words on the Water has sold out, but tickets are on sale for the other festivals. More info on those, plus my autumn tour dates, can be found here … https://brianbilston.com/events/
I’m heading off on tour next year with a brand new solo show, in which I’ll be reading poems from my forthcoming book ‘How to Lay an Egg with a Horse Inside’.
The tour starts in September. Tickets have gone on sale at most venues today. You can find out more here: https://brianbilston.com/events/
Sounds Made by Humans – an album of my poetry put to music by the fabulous Catenary Wires – can now be listened to on Spotify, iTunes and those other streaming platforms.
“A contender for album of the year.” Backseat Mafia “An instant cult classic. 5/5” Louder Than War
And if you like what you hear, you can hear it played live this autumn when we’re heading off on a UK tour. There will be music, poems, mugs, tea towels, and somewhere to sit down (should you want to). We can be found in the following places …
12 Sep: RAMSGATE: Music Hall 30 Oct: BANBURY: Mill Arts Centre 1 Nov: LONDON: Bloomsbury Theatre 3 Nov: NORWICH: Norwich Arts Centre 4 Nov: STAMFORD: Corn Exchange 5 Nov: MILTON KEYNES: The Stables 6 Nov: BRIGHTON: Komedia 12 Nov: WORCESTER: Huntingdon Hall 13 Nov: NOTTINGHAM: Metronome 14 Nov: SWANSEA: Grand Theatre 15 Nov: BRISTOL: John Wesley’s Chapel 21 Nov: MANCHESTER: Halle St Peters 22 Nov: OTLEY: Courthouse 23 Nov: CHORLEY: Chorley Theatre 24 Nov: LIVERPOOL: Royal Philharmonic 25 Nov: SHEFFIELD: The Foundry 26 Nov: GLASGOW: Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) 27 Nov: NEWCASTLE: The Pilgrim 28 Nov: POCKLINGTON: Arts Centre 4 Dec: HERNE BAY: King’s Hall
One tour may have just finished but here’s news of another one coming soon …
I’m delighted to announce that this autumn I’ll be going on tour with The Catenary Wires, for some fun-filled evenings of music and poetry. We’ll be performing our album ‘Sounds Made by Humans’, and there’ll be poems from me and music from the band throughout the night.
Most of the gigs are in November, with a few either side. We’ll be coming to Banbury, Brighton, Bristol, Chorley, Glasgow, Herne Bay, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Norwich, Nottingham, Otley, Pocklington, Ramsgate, Sheffield, Stamford, Swansea, and Worcester.
Tickets have gone on sale this morning. For the full list of shows and links to tickets, you can find them all here:
I’m delighted to announce a plethora of new shows for May 2025 with the brilliant Henry Normal. We’re be coming to BIRMINGHAM, CAMBRIDGE, HARROGATE, LANCASTER, LIVERPOOL, LONDON, MANCHESTER, MELTON MOWBRAY, NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME, NORTHAMPTON, STOCKTON-ON-TEES and WHITLEY BAY. Tickets have gone on sale today.
As previously announced, we’ll also be reading poems in ASHFORD, BURNLEY, CARDIFF, HALIFAX, HASTINGS, READING, ST ALBANS, SHEFFIELD, SHREWSBURY, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON, TAUNTON and WORTHING.
After all that, I’ll be having a bit of a lie down, although you may also catch me at a few festivals throughout the year.
In the last few days, I’ve read poems in Ely, Birmingham, St Andrews, Edinburgh and Brighton; each event was lovely and special in its own way. A big thank you to everyone who came along to them, and indeed, to all the 15,000 people who have dragged themselves to my 59 shows this year.
In terms of 2024, a couple of new dates have been added: BARROW-in FURNESS (19 Feb – with Henry Normal): TICKETS HERE and a second evening of my solo show in SCARBOROUGH (22 March): TICKETS HERE
For my shows with Henry Normal, these ones are selling like hotcakes: BURY ST EDMUNDS, EXETER, LEEDS, LONDON, SALFORD and STROUD, so you might need to be quick if you fancy coming along.
Tickets for these ones are selling like warm buns: BATH, COVENTRY, MONMOUTH, NOTTINGHAM, OXFORD and SUNDERLAND, so I wouldn’t wait too long.
And these ones could do with some heating up: ABERDEEN, BEXHILL-ON-SEA, DUNDEE, EDINBURGH, GLASGOW, ILKLEY, NORWICH, STIRLING, WOLVERHAMPTON.
And just a reminder that I’ve got a few solo shows next year, too: BELFAST, CHESTER, DUBLIN, FALMOUTH, LAUNCESTON, LINCOLN, SCARBOROUGH, TOTNES.
Here’s one of those mildly boring updates about when and where I’ll be reading poems over the coming months.
First, a couple of new shows to announce for March 2024. Tickets have just gone on sale for CHESTER (Storyhouse) and LINCOLN (Theatre Royal). Earlier this week, tickets also went on sale for a couple of events next May in Cornwall (FALMOUTH and LAUNCESTON). I hope to announce some new shows for next year in Scotland soon.
For this year, most shows have now sold out. But there are a few tickets left for Lytham St Anne’s, Stamford, Caerphilly, Crickhowell, Frome and Bridport.
I’ll also be at the Morecambe Poetry Festival next month with the brilliant Henry Normal. Tickets are selling fast for that. There’s a stellar line-up of poets all week.
And on the subject of Henry, the two of us are on tour together next year when we’ll be coming to: Bexhill-on-Sea, Salford, Sunderland, Leeds, Bury St Edmonds, Stroud and Bath (in February); Monmouth, Exeter, Oxford, Coventry, Wolverhampton, London (in March); Ilkley and Nottingham (in April).
After all that, I’ll be going easy on events for a while, catching up on laundry etc, maybe even writing some poems.