I’m The One Your Mother Warned You About

A northern poet in a jazzy shirt addresses the room like it owes him money. He reads poems about childhood, fatherhood and a future in which the nation finally admits it has made a terrible mistake. There are memories, grievances, domestic scenes and an ongoing, mostly imaginary rivalry with Simon Armitage for the role of Poet Laureate. Until that is resolved, he teaches poetry and waits. Bleak, deadpan and strangely tender, the show skirts between kitchen-sink confession and prophecy. Spoken word for people who enjoy laughter, discomfort and the sound of ambition quietly grinding its teeth.