Toast 1 & 2 NNF 2024

Tucked away in a discreet corner of Chapelfield gardens is a hidden gem of the festival, the Speakeasy venue, where a series of stand-up poetry sessions are being curated by TOAST poetry, with six guest poets invited to perform over three days. Hosted by Lewis Buxton, the afternoon sessions started with a brief warm up from Buxton, followed by a selection of work from the featured artist. The opening session kicked off with some amiable chat from Lewis, sharing his thoughts on the fate of the Rector of Stiffkey, which - spoiler alert – were from the lion's perspective.

Harry Baker then took to the stage with a set that managed to be both whimsical and heartfelt. He shared with us his wishes upon death, his easily achieved New Year's Resolutions, and - fittingly for the birthplace of this modern marvel - the wonder of postcodes. A quick break into song offer a hilarious rap about Schofferhofer, a German grapefruit based wheat-beer. It’s hard to imagine anything that sounds more disgusting, yet the song itself was both catchy and ridiculous, and had the crowd waving their imaginary bottles in unison. What followed was an ode to the wellies - not willies he somewhat unnecessarily added - after which Harry started to open up, sharing with us the mental issues he has recently had to deal with. A lightness of touch was still there, but when sharing things he learned while travelling, or that which delivered comfort and joy, or how he has become unashamed, the importance of small pleasures to his mental wellbeing - the importance to us all, for that matter - was handled deftly and discreetly. His winning philosophy spread through his poems like a benign virus.

For the second session of the day, Lewis professed his life-long friendship for Dave, a bewildered member of the audience, before analysing his dad's friendship with Alistair Campbell. Some tattoo advice followed from Liz in the audience, typifying the inclusive warmth of the afternoon, as we huddled together in the handsomely dressed Speakeasy. The headline act for this second session was preceded by Daisy Henwood, who shared with us her ruminations on Whales, Monsters and Brandon Flowers's feather Jacket, before Dean Atta took over, explaining how to be a poet.

This proved to be a whimsical start to an altogether more personal set derived from a challenging history as a mixed race child. Contrasting pen portraits of his Mum and Dad revealed the angry young man he was when writing the latter. Now grown up and comfortable in his skin, he is happy to be a Black Flamingo, rejoicing in the difference, rather than hiding from it. Section 28 came in for a hammering, but then so did peer pressure to come out before you’re ready. Do what is right for you, was his abiding message before, rather sweetly, finishing on a naughty poem that wasn’t that naughty at all.

The following (groundhog) day, Lewis Buxton warmed up the audience in much the same way as before. Buxton is a charismatic fellow with a confident stage presence, but can’t have accounted for the idea that anyone would wish to attend more than one session. The familiar faces I noticed meant I wasn’t the only one that kept coming back for more. This self- deprecating assumption meant we were offered a repeat performance of his poems, and much of the shtick that went with it, while Dave was usurped by Geoff, who was then usurped by Alex, as his new best friend. It was such a pity that, born out of this modest assumption, we didn’t get to hear a wider selection of his work. His partner Daisy made no such mistake in her support roll, offering up a largely different set in each session. Ground covered this time included chicken execution, questionable bulls, fat bears and a selection of found poetry, culled from comments and lists. The understated charm of her eccentric observations proved to be an effective contrast, and a welcome sorbet between Buxton's robustly humorous yet deceptively emotive work and the headliner that followed.

The first of those headliners, Kate Fox, has a reputation for Dr Who themed poetry - who knew that could even be a thing? While we did touch on the Rose era, and she did name check The Silence in the Library, those keen to hear what rhymes with Tardis were destined to be disappointed. The Whoniverse was really just the springboard for her exploration of neurodiversity, be that a unique shade of joy, attention tunnels or simple empathy. Not that her poems are all earnest exposition - on the contrary, Mick Jagger's yurt, or yogurt as John Humphries reportedly imagined, the power of words to liberate the body, and the freedom to unlearn were all impishly explored. My only regret is that she didn’t wait until the end of her set before breaking the news of the next election. I'd have focused a lot more clearly on the last five minutes were it not for that bombshell. The final session of the day saw Luke Kennard showcasing his intricate puzzle poems that reimagined sonnets in anagram form, posited an alternative timeline for Cain (as in Abel, not Harry) and what must have Lewis's favourite, zombies at the Hay festival. An extended poem about Jonah didn't seem to land, something he seemed to quietly acknowledge, although the audience still applauded, as they did throughout, resolutely ignoring his modest request that they refrain from doing so.

There's still, at the time of writing, a final two sessions to go, as well as an open mike on the Saturday and a profanity free zone for the kids next week. A valuable addition to the Festival program, it is to be hoped the Speakeasy tent becomes a regular feature. On the evidence so far presented, it certainly deserves it.