Behind the Scene |4| The Monday Echo
I went to The Monday Echo’s second comeback show on the 9th June at MVP and I nearly cried because there was a familiar cosiness that radiated from the packed room. I had missed it. There were these beautiful, lullaby-like tunes played by all the featured musicians that left a mark on me and the poetry performed, by some of Dublin’s finest poets, was finger-clicking good.
[pullquote] The Monday Echo is a gift really [/pullquote] The Monday Echo was where my belonging began, so I’m really glad that it’s back, even though it’s only for 9 weeks (well, 7 weeks now). It’s amazing to see so many people support it. The Monday Echo supports art and a great community of spoken word performers and musicians. There’s a suggested donation of €2 which I think is reasonable for the sheer amount of work that Aidan does. Bless him. The Monday Echo is a gift really.
I first performed slam poetry at The Echo on the 13th January of last year and it was nerve-wracking. But I wasn’t laughed at or booed and there were no bad vibes sent towards me. I entered into an immediately welcoming and respectful space with about 70 or so people who value art. I think that’s partly why the Dublin spoken word scene has grown so much – because people keep coming back to these hot poetry events, in these spaces, where they matter as people and not just artists. It makes performing even more intimate, intense and electric. It’s also easy to make friends, because when you go up there and perform a poem, regardless of if it’s about heartbreak or how much you don’t like honey because you’re vegan and you prefer maple syrup (as bees weren’t killed in the making of it), the audience GETS you. I’ve made friends for life over how sad we all are. That’s real friendship.
I was actually inspired by Paul Curran, a fellow poet and friend, to start slam poetry because of his rapport with the audience (I’m sure he and everyone else are sick of hearing this by now, but anyWAYS!). He made them Feel Things (in the heart, not literally) and I wanted to do that too. Some other poets in the scene that have inspired me are Lewis Kenny, Alicia Bryne Keane, Stephen Clare, Adrian Cooper, Ailish Kerr, BeRn and so many more. I see them perform and I’m always in awe because they’re all so confident and the charisma oozing out of their delivery of words and their belief in what they’re saying is *sizzle* amazing. And they know how to write poems that hit you right in the feels. You could say I’m a bit of a fan of all of them.
Aidan also runs Slam Sunday with Edel, which is filled with very warm and fuzzy feels and so hot in there you nearly feel like you’re being burned alive. Everyone is welcome to compete in the 12 slots (6 poets in each round) and there is some NICE prize money up for grabs. But the real winner is performing, obviously.
The Monday Echo is on every Monday for the next 9 weeks at MVP, Clanbrassil Street. Doors open at 7pm so get there early for a seat and maybe even a hot potato.
