Some things I've been up to of late

1: I did a nice rap battle

 

Got asked to do this a few weeks back, what with the show, work and everything else I almost said no, but I rarely say no to anything, so I didn't say no, instead, I said, yes. 

Now, I'm a fan of battle rap, I've been watching it regularly since The Jump Off days of Professor Green and Stig Of The Dump and have followed that evolution of it into Don't Flop and all of the other leagues that have sprung up around it. I'm no stranger to rapping but battling? Mate. I'd be lying if I said I haven't ever thought about it and when they told me I'd be facing Bru-C in a compliments battle, I was a bit nervous to be honest, he's really good and I' seen him battle many times, as well as hearing a lot of his music, which is decent by the way. However, by the time I stepped up onto the stage, I'd gone from being very nervous to just wanting to do it. And I did it. And I'm glad I did it. I messed up my last round (which thankfully insn't on there above video) which I was annoyed about it but overall I was pleased with how it went. I'd go as far as to say I loved it. The event was great. All the battes were brilliant. It was packed, the crowd were really into it and I really enjoyed being on that stage, it was a different experience for me and one that I'll remember, I didn't sleep much that night and was still buzzing about it the next day.

Super last minute gig at BoxedIn

 

'Tis was the Tuesday before the big show at Roundhouse, myself and Talia Randal were due to lead a workshop in Surbiton as part of the Kingston Roots project, but alas, Talia was struck down with illness! Panicking we were, until out of the shadows and fresh off his Until You Hear That Bell tour stepped Sean Mahoney, who did a fantastic job, saving the day. By chance, Sean's regular gig as co-host of well known peotry night, BoxedIn, happened to be the same evening, and alas, their mighty headliner, Simon Mole had also been struck down with illness! So Sean offered me the chance to step in and do a slot straight after the workshop, "yes" I said, "we shall do this!" Ran we did, to Surbiton train station, to Waterloo, then down into the underground for The Waterloo and City Line (which neither me or Sean had ever been on?!), riding it over to Bank, where we seemed to get stuck behind a gate trying to get to the circle line. Bursting out of Liverpool St we then ran to Boxpark for Sean to immediately take the mike, sweating out of breath. 5Five minutes later I was on stage, I did my little bit and low and behold, it was filmed by these wonderful people called BlaSphMe TV. I had a great night, Talia and Simon made a full recovery, Sean is still hosting BoxedIn and as for the rest of the world, they all lived happily ever after. The End.

PBH Free Fringe Fundraiser

 This was last Wednesday. Really good night. The Bedford is a proper gig venue, old school, it has a green room with loads of graffiti all of over the walls from various bands, wicked. The bill was a mixture of poets, singers and comedians. They were all of a very good standard. I think these sorts of mixed bills are my favourite gigs and all of these people on the bill all seem to be out there and doing really well as the merch stall was packed with products. Don't often see a merch stall at the usal gigs I do.  I'd never seen Attila The Stockbroker before, he was great and lived up to the name. Was really impressed with Chris T-T too. He was something else.

Back in the booth

 

Been a while since I did anything like this. Wrote the bars on the spot. Was good fun though. Round Conrad Murray's studio again. Think I got shown up by the younger guys! Track line up:  Boss Man Bob, me, Killer Plo and Nahum. Beatbox by Nahum, produced by Conrad Murray.

A Tale From The Bedsit / 3 Mile Radius @ Richmix

Fri 26th Sept: A Tale from the Bedsit + 3 Mile Radius @ Richmix

Hello and happy friday! So, I alluded to this a bit previously, but I'm now very pleased and excited to announce that on Friday 26th September at Richmix I'll be performing a newly staged version of A Tale From The Bedsit in a double bill alongside good friend and fellow word artist Talia Randall in her newly re-developed show 3 Mile Radius. This is all in preparation for us hopefully embarking on a national tour in 2015, you can get tickets for the whole evening for £10  HERE which includes an after party in the bar with good tunes, booze and maybe me and Talia jumping on the mic, have a butchers at all the info below, there's some links and that and hopefully we'll see you there, yea? sweet!

A Tale from the Bedsit + 3 Mile Radius + After Party! A double bill of two spoken word theatre shows featuring teenage MC lyrics, awkward kisses and old skool Drum and Bass raves. Plus an after party, and all for £10! Both shows have been re-developed to prepare for a national tour next year - 'A Tale from the Bedsit' has been restructured to suit bigger audiences and '3 Mile Radius' has added live visuals from international VJ collective Eyes on the Wall, direction from Rachel Blackman and set design from India Banks. Talia and I would love it if you could join us on September 26th at the Rich Mix. Book you tickets in advance here: http://www.richmix.org.uk/whats-on/event/double-bill-paul-crees-a-tale-from-the-bedsit-copy/

'A Tale from the Bedsit' Written and Performed by Paul Cree, directed by Stef O’Driscoll. Come in, kick back, take your shoes off, or keep them on, have a cuppa and make yourself comfy. Let’s go back to an era of eight carrot jewellery, high fades, Nike tn’s and drum & bass where it is important to remember, that when the chips are down, it’s the little things that count. This is an intimate and autobiographical coming of age tale by spoken word artist and writer Paul Cree, set in his bedsit amongst the books, tape packs and comics of his youth. Leaving the mundane monotony of his hometown for the bright lights of Brighton, a new job and his first love the world seems bigger somehow. A witty and honest tale that reminds us of our own journeys, mistakes and joys. A Roundhouse production, ‘A Tale from the Bedsit’ was first presented at the Roundhouse as part of ‘The Last Word Festival’ followed by a run at The Battersea Arts Centre "The kind of art you get lost in time in" – Poejazzi www.paulcreewrites.com @PaulCree  '3 Mile Radius' Written and performed by Talia Randall with Elian Gray, Jamie Payne featuring Eyes on the Wall. Directed by Rachel Blackman “My people learnt to fear what we don’t know, so we never left the postcode” '3 Mile Radius' is a journey through chicken shops, nightclubs and schoolrooms. Fusing spoken word, music and live visuals this is one girl’s realisation that her adolescent blunders lasted longer than she imagined. Launched at the Roundhouse in 2012, Talia Randall’s debut show from comes to the Rich Mix for a second time after a sell out performance last year. '3 Mile Radius' is also available as an EP via independent record label Emerging Species. "Talia walks the tightrope between nostalgia and what matters now like someone with an equal respect for craft and a need to play. And someone who is f***ing brilliant at walking tightropes" – Polarbear “Talia’s voice is strong and distinctive and her verses have many moments of wit, humour and humanity” – Poejazzi www.taliarandall.com @taliarandall

Gigs, Festivals and that

Bonjour

Been a bust last month for me, working on summer youth projects with both Battersea Arts Centre and The Albany, which has been a lot of fun and a big learning curve. Worked with some great young people, who all put on performances from work they generated during devising sessions. I'd go as far as saying I actually prefer watching youth theatre shows as opposed to fully developed professional ones, but anyway, that's for another day..

Shambala Festival

On Sunday at 7pm, I'm going to be in the Story Telling Yurt doing an exert from The Bedsit show, there's gonna be 11 other story tellers in there, all speaking on the theme of My First Time. Should be a laugh!

In The Woods Festival

Sat 30th, I'm doing a super extended 40 minute set, don't get that long very often so I'm looking foreword to it! Did this festival last year  and it's in a very nice setting, also, in the bit I'll be performing in, it's all done on them silent disco headphones, which is nuts, but works very well!

Bang Said The Gun

Sept 18th, not only is Bang back for their summer break but I'm back! It's been a while since I've done a gig there, always love Bang, easily one of the best nights in London, if not the world!

A Tale From The Bedsit / 3 Mile Radius @ Richmix

Speaking of the Bedsit show, I'm mad excited about this, it's gonna be a little different from the shows I've done before and it's also double bill with Talia Randall and her 3 Mile Radius show but more about this very shortly...

Talia Randall: Common Room video

Whilst in the middle of the run for her excellent Roundhouse Circus Fest show, Expectation (which is a collaboration with aerialist Maddie Mcgowan, which I saw last Friday and is banging, and the last night is TONIGHT!!!) Talia has gone and dropped this amazing video for Common Room, which is a piece off her début EP from last year Six Mile Radius. 

The whole project used 13 animators who all picked different parts of the piece. Have a butchers!

Common Room from Common Room Animation Project on Vimeo.

The Bedsit Is HERE!

...Technically it never went away, but I did, I moved away, into a flat and then about 8 years later I've made a show about living in that Bedsit and you can come and see that show, next month, at the Roundhouse, look, here's is a LINK where you can purchase a ticket! (can you tell I'm excited??!..and nervous!)

Approximately 2 years ago I'd written the first segment of the show, which I sent via some muggy audio clip to my mate and don of dons Talia Randal, later that summer I attended a workshop session at the Roundhouse where you could pitch an idea for a show, after speaking with Roundhouse legend Sylvia Harrison, she then put the wheels in motion and set up a meeting for me with another Roundhouse legend Lucy Aitkinson, who's been producing the show ever since. This time last year I was finishing the second part of the show and starting the third. (It was originally a trilogy of stories) I then joined forces with the mighty Stef O' Driscol  in January and almost a year later, several scratches, feedback sessions, meetings and god knows how many versions and script amendments later, here we are with one big hour long show, A Tale From The Bedsit. Completing what has now become a wicked little team, there is a banging sound design by Phil Davies, an amazing set design by India Banks and Lucy Mcgowan, and another Roundhouse legend Liz Counsell!

It's a site specific thing, all the shows (bar the final one on the Sunday which will be in the studio theater for a bigger audiance) will take place in the Camden Lock Hotel over the road. It will be small groups in with me, nice and intimate, just like it was back in the real bedsit!

Yep, that's me

The show forms part of a 2 week long festival the Roundhouse have curated called The Last Word and as far as I know, is the first spoken word festival, of sorts, in London and features work form the likes of Kate Tempest, John Berkavitch, Poejazzi, Talia Randal, Sean Mahoney, Katie Bonna, Lemm Sissay, Roundhouse Poetry Collective and MORE!
This is what it states on the website:

THE LAST WORD

"A Festival of Spoken Word, Storytelling and Live Performance

16 Nov - 1 Dec

London’s first ever spoken word festival, The Last Word is two weeks of words, live performances and storytelling.

The UK’s leading spoken word performers alongside an new generation of artists bring an unmissable line up of shows, installations, take-away poetry, opportunities to get involved with master classes and panel discussions."

Here's the You Tube trailer which I got my mug on outside a record shop in Soho (I wanted Blackmarket Records but the noise coming of it was too loud..) All of us in the video were asked to read a poem written especially by Jess Green...

 

If you're interested, I've put a link up where you can see a few other blogs I've put up over the last few months about the show, just click on the right where it says A Tale From The Bedsit. 

Then, COME AND SEE IT! It runs from Nov 26th to Dec 1st.

Hope to see you there!

Paul

Cirus Plans

Easy

So I've had a nice couple of months of late. I've been lucky enough to perform at some really enjoyable gigs, One Taste, Talia Randal's 3 Mile Radius EP Launch (which I will speak more about very soon!), Bang Said The Gun and Pigeon Poetry as well as playing the drums for rODIUM. It brings an end to what has been a pretty good year. As for next year, I'm currently working on 2 projects which will be, all going well, coming to fruition in the first half of next year, both of which I'm pretty excited about! More to follow...

On a quick note, I just wanted to give up some space on here, as I tend to talk about what I'm doing a bit too much, and shine some light on a guy who's doing some really exciting things at the moment. He goes by the name of Cirus and is a member of Roundhouse associate collective Elephant where I first met him. I'm not really one to try and intellectualize on what other people are doing with their own art, I don't tend too make any sence even when I do. All I know is that I like what Cirus is doing, with his voice, his words, his sounds and his pen. 
I first heard him doing spoken word, back last year at Meadowlands, I remember being taken aback by his voice and his presence. I've recently come across some of the music he's making and I'm able to pay a lot more attention to his content.
 I had a mad chat with him back in the summer at the Lounge On The Farm Festival and we both had similar interests music wise and hearing the stuff he's making hasn't disappointed, he's clearly doing on his own thing. It's inspiring.  

 

Talia Randall: 3 mile Radius EP Launch

Tuesday 20th at the Roundhouse is the launch of Talia Randall's debut EP 3 Mile Radius.

I've known Talia now for over 3 years and have worked with her many times from Roundhouse Poetry Collective through to Rubix and also many different shows and also a workshop program we devised together. She's hands down one of my favorite writers out there at the moment, in a league of her own and this summer at Camp Bestival blew me away with one of the best Spoken Word sets I've ever seen, mostly of which, I believe, is the material which will be appearing on the EP.

I know she has spent a long time crafting all the pieces for this EP and she is working with some don musicians in the form of Elian Grey, Jamie and Noemie Ducimetiere, all who are from the banging Emergeing Species record label who are putting the EP out, copies of which will be available on the night. 

Support on the night comes in the from of Sean Mahoney, Rob Auton, Kaite Bonna and myself, and I'll probably be drawing for some of my music related stuff, I'm looking foreword to it!

You can get you're self a ticket HERE  for a mere £5, I believe all the early bird £3 squid tickets are sold out. Reach if you can, it should be a banger!