CULTURE CLUB
Power to the poet One of the UK’s best-loved live poets, Luke Wright speaks with Edition ahead of his most confessional performance yet
of the show – one of them, SPAD , is a poem about the nefarious world of backroom politics that uses ‘a’ as the only type of vowel throughout. My cat, Sir John Betjeman, also makes an appearance. In the second half, we get down to the personal via the political, and again there are some wild experiments with form to try and excavate the story. And there’s gags. Lots of good gags. CE: Why Luke Wright’s Silver Jubilee ? LW: I’m commemorating my 25th anniversary as a gigging poet! I did my first gig aged 17 at Norwich Arts Centre, supporting my hero, John Cooper Clarke, and the 25th anniversary of that show will be on 20th June 2024 – the last day of this year-long tour. I’m pleased to say that I’m still gigging with John 25 years on. This landmark occasion seemed like a good moment to
take a deep dive into myself. I honestly think this is the best show I’ve made – it’s funny, honest, at times quite sad – and I’m delighted to be bringing it back to the Junction, a venue I first performed at 20 years ago!
Cambridge Edition: Tell us a bit about Luke Wright’s Silver Jubilee – how is it different from other shows you’ve done before? Luke Wright: In the same vein as my previous shows, like Poet Laureate , Luke Wright’s Silver Jubilee is a mixture of poetry and stand-up, unlike my verse plays Frankie Vah and The Remains of Logan Dankworth . It’s a lot more personal than anything I’ve done before – I talk a lot about my childhood and being adopted. It’s been fascinating to explore those topics more, but I also make sure that I keep the laughs coming. My last tour was so serious and sad, I really wanted to make people laugh this year. CE: What can viewers expect from the show? LW: There are some big, show-stopping performance pieces in the first half
Luke Wright’s Silver Jubilee hits Cambridge Junction on 11 November. For tickets, head over to junction.co.uk
A CLEAN BREAK Luke Wright is marking 25 years of performance with an introspective new show
CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK NOVEMBER 2023 11
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