Brian Bilston and Henry Normal’s sell-out shows in 2023 have led the poets to performing in larger venues. Tonight they come to Theatre Royal as part of Brighton Festival. in a show which one critic has described as ‘two people reading some poems’. Along the way, they will be drawing on their vast catalogue of crowd favourites – and throwing in new poems, to prevent becoming their own tribute bands.
Not ones to overpromise, Brian and Henry are prepared to commit to delivering the greatest poetry show in the history of the world or their names aren’t Brian Bilston and Henry Normal.
Henry and Brian first met at the Laugharne Festival and first performed together in Morecambe last October.
Brian Bilston has been described as the ‘Banksy of Poetry’, maintaining a mysterious anonymity. Twitter’s unofficial Poet Laureate; with over 400,000 followers on social media, Brian has become truly beloved by the online community.
It is reported that he conceals his identity, making his performances an ‘intriguing opportunity’ to hear his work live. However tonight Brian is fully exposed –no not like that!
He has published several collections of poetry, including You Took the Last Bus Home and ‘Alexa, what is there to know about love?’ described by one reviewer as “the funniest collection of humorous verse I have seen in a long time”. His novel Diary of a Somebody was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel award. He has also written poetry for children, including a collection of football poems, 50 Ways to Score a Goal, while his acclaimed poem Refugees was set to music by composer Mark-Anthony Turnage and turned into a picture book. Days Like These: An Alternative Guide to the Year in 366 Poems is his latest book and is out now in hardback – some of which he read tonight.
Bilston is heralded by a full rock anthem welcome. The first eyebrow raise from my companion who actually IS rock and roll and clearly suspicious as to what he’s about to experience!
BB’s half of the bill is on the whole a wry, dry and often side achingly commentary on social media, the internet pre-internet with politics and cats thrown in (no not literally) for excellent measure. His engagement with the audience is total right from the start. His chat about pendants was delightful and yes Brian I am a pedant about the use of apostrophes!
Book Group was an utter delight, being a discussion between books on the writer’s shelves, with their own insecurities and observations of their ‘owner’.
However The Caveman’s Lament and Refugees emotionally floored me and I have to admit … I’m in love with Brian Bilston.
Henry Normal has constantly toured with his evolving show since bowing out of a very successful career in TV and film production.
His ‘distinctive style’ wraps up fun, humour, and poignancy, along with a profound reflection on love, life and family, that is ‘as deeply moving as it is funny’.
The BAFTA award-winning writer has 15 poetry books in print.
Since retiring in April 2016, Henry has written and performed 10 x BBC Radio 4 shows combining comedy, poetry and stories about family. His 11th BBC Radio 4 show ‘A Normal Journey’ will be recorded this autumn. Born in St Anne’s, Nottingham in 1956, Henry now lives in Fairlight, Nr Hastings In April 2018, Two Roads publishers released his book of memoirs ‘A Normal Family’ which was written with his wife Angela Pell, drawing on his family experience. It immediately became a best seller on Amazon and has already been reprinted. Henry performs poetry at Literature Festivals around the UK. He was recently given an honorary doctorate of letters by Nottingham Trent University, another by Nottingham University and has a beer and a bus named after him in Nottingham!
Henry’s entrance music is the Thurderbirds’ theme which is a perfectly ‘on brand’ for all of us who remember life before the internet. There is a lot of side splitting humour in his work and commentary … I bet that everyone in that audience wants to meet his wife Ange and his son. We even had (We Want) Everything And More and Today’s A Good Day brought a lump to my throat reminding me to live in the present because, let’s face it, tomorrow never comes.
Alongside the humour we are also given love poems of exquisite beauty from across his half century career. Henry Normal has given us “a small corner of light blue sky” to launch us into the rest of our week and beyond.
My companion was still reeling hours later as it “wasn’t at all what I’d expected from a poetry evening” so Bilston and Normal your job here is done! Don’t tell him that I’m in love with Brian Bilston okay?
Come and see them both again at the Glastonwick music & beer festival at Coombes Farm between Lancing & Shoreham on Sunday 2nd June in the afternoon. Tickets are much cheaper as well. You know it makes sense.