Guest post: Poetry, pints and open mics

For Andy Macdonald, Sundays just wouldn’t be Sundays in Stone without two events – Ben Owen’s open mic at The Star and the once-a-month Poems and Pints at The Swan. Here, Andy explains why you should give them a go…

As a regular contributor to both events, I thought I’d provide a general overview of Ben Owen’s weekly open mic at the Star (“It’s getting better all the time!”) and the monthly Poems and Pints Sunday afternoon slot at the Swan (next one 18th Nov).

You can’t help but warm to affable young musician Ben Owen. With his trademark zany barnet and cheery demeanour, he has his faithful fan base at his weekly open mic at the Star (Wednesdays from 9pm) eating out of his hand.

Ben already boasts an impressive music CV (he’s played the Cavern Club, don’t you know! Quite an accolade to have bestowed on him at such a young age!) and makes the effortless transition from poignant ballads with a heartfelt tender vocal, such as his take on Wonderful World, to full on screamy “rawk” classics!

He regularly teams up with his mate Matt Ellis and together they perform some impressive collaborations. As soon as they start picking out the opening bars to the instantly recognisable Sweet Child o’ Mine, you know you’re in for something special, and Ben certainly doesn’t disappoint. He’ll do himself a mischief with those throaty vocals one day though!

While it’s not karaoke, everyone is welcome and encouraged to step into the spotlight. Other performers include Charlotte, Katie and Carl, demonstrating versatile vocals and nifty fretwork respectively. Ben showcases his vocal dexterity even further on his own YouTube channel jamminowen (see what he did there!) enthusiastically strumming away on his guitar and ukulele to bring us stunning modern covers – his version of Sinking Friendships with Helena Raby is hauntingly beautiful. Not forgetting the theme tune to Arthur, ode to Neville Longbottom and the classic Bacon Song! Ben’s like the Immelda Marcos of hats too!

Indeed, Ben’s own songwriting is coming on in leaps and bounds – his cracking single Famous is available to download via iTunes, with all proceeds to the Donna Louise Trust, and his first EP This Is My Life is also widely available, featuring the gorgeous ballad All My Life and the epic Coldplay-esque Love Is A Battlefield. You can keep your Ed Sheerans! He has some new tunes in the pipeline too, and will no doubt be promoting them over the coming weeks.

In short, Ben Owen rocks and is a “super nice” guy to boot! He definitely deserves to be Famous! With the right material and attitude, he could be around for years, and I, for one, sincerely hope that he is.

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The Swan’s once monthly (every 3rd Sunday from 3.30pm, except for December so as not to clash with the Christmas auction) Poems & Pints afternoon has also brought some impressive talent to the fore. Hosted by Doc P, the verse and vocals jam boasts an eclectic array of styles.

John Mills offers his unique take on a plethora of subjects, from the trauma of turning 60 to hilarious poetic versions of the old “am I a polar bear?” and “tv aerial gets married” gags, while wife Liz breathes exuberance into her selection of recitals from the likes of Michael Rosen, such as the chocolate cake poem.

June Palmer’s humorous, thoughtful and occasionally caustic rants contrast nicely against bar manager Barrie’s whimsical wordplay filled pieces – his Pot Noodle poem is a classic!

Stoke’s Richard Faulkner provides a chucklesome musical interlude, with clap your hands, stamp your feet, singalong treats such as Rather Have A Bowl o’ Lobby, Have You Tried An Oatcake Yet, and a rather rude recital, gleaned from a news story, about, erm….sperm donors!

A number of guests also perform regularly at Doc’s other open mic sessions held at the Leopard in Burslem. Kenny Robot Experience(!) aka Frank’s ditties are most entertaining (You Can’t See Me is a great tune!) and there are folk tinged collaborations from Doc and Wench Small.

While the event is restricted to a 6pm finish due to the music licensing laws, we always go out on a high. Doc dishes out various percussion instruments to encourage audience participation, with raucous renditions of either No, Nay, Never or Don’t Step On A Wollygong (I dunno, some Australian shark thing!)

While it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, and space is limited, Poems and Pints provides a refreshing change to the normally rock oriented output throughout the rest of the week, and is a pleasant way to round off the weekend. Again, anyone is welcome to step up to the mic and is given a chance to shine.

So for a couple of hours top notch completely free entertainment, get yourselves down nice and early to either or both of these popular events, and give your ears a treat!

Any events in Stone that you think people should know about? Email news@alittlebitofstone.com if you’d like to write a guest post :)