John Cooper Clarke

The “Punk Poet” and “Bard of Salford” found himself as one of the leading voices of punk and youth culture of the late 70s with his biting, satirical, political and very funny verse. He drew huge crowds in his own right after touring with most of punk’s seminal and ground breaking bands including Sex Pistols, The Clash, Buzzcocks, The Fall, Elvis Costello to name but a few.

The revival of the 70s punk phenomenon over the last few years has seen a whole new generation clamouring over John’s work and watched his star rocket once again. He continues to present shows on 6 Music and appeared as his younger self in the award-winning Ian Curtis biopic Control. He has made a multitude of recent UK and Irish festival appearances including Glastonbury, Latitude, The Green Man, Electric Picnic and many others.

He is studied by many A-level students and his poetry is prolific within UK and Irish University courses, all ensuring that he will be forever ingrained in the psyche of Britain’s new youth. One of Britain’s best loved and most important poets and performers, John is as vital now as he was then; he’s not going anywhere. Catch him live at Town Hall during this special tour for National Poetry Month.