HOLLIE MCNISH

This is Hollie McNish. I went to see her live last night and she is effing amazing.

James' brother Dan runs a night at our local venue every couple of months called Word Up! It's a platform for spoken word artists to showcase their work, and there is always a slam where local poets get up, do their piece then the crowd votes for a winner. Ashamedly, we've only been twice (usually because we couldn't get a babysitter) but it's such a good night. I admire anyone who can get up in front of a room full of people and perform something which has come direct from their heart, it's like allowing people a little glimpse deep into your soul and there is no bloody way I would ever have the confidence to do it. 

As well as the slammers, there is usually a musician. Last night was a guy called George Gianluca who was a singer/songwriter and guitar player & he was very good, then there was also a fooking fantastic rapper/spoken word artist called Inja and then there is the headliner, usually a well known poet/spoken word artist. So last night Hollie McNish was the headliner. I had seen her stuff posted around the internet a few times and instantly liked her so I was super excited when I found out that Dan had booked her for Word Up! (The exclamation mark is actually a part of the Word Up! name, I'm not just being a grammar over-user). When we were waiting to go in, I got talking to a lady outside, who it turned out had come all the way from Melbourne, Australia, pretty much just to see Hollie at The Forum, Tunbridge Wells. She had to come over here for part of her uni course but she timed her trip around last night's gig, and was telling me how her 16 year old daughter loves Hollie too and was going to be so jealous that her mum got to see her live. How cool is that?

So, Hollie performed a few pieces and I loved and laughed at every one. You could describe her as a feminist, she has that edge to her, but I think really she's just saying what a lot of us are thinking. She clearly a very intelligent girl, and as a fellow mum to a toddler (which she writes a lot about) I feel some kind of empathy/connection to her. Anyway, here are a few of my favourite pieces of hers that I could find on YouTube, but I highly recommend buying her two albums as they are full of great material too.

Enjoy :o)

There is also a great one called Megatron but blogger won't find it for me for some reason. You can go find that one on Youtube.

And if you ever have the chance to see Hollie live, take it. She is the most charming, down to earth, funny girl I have heard speak in a very long time.

until next time xo