Bridget Hart

I have been doing sets at punk shows for years, it’s where I feel most comfortable, being part of my community, having friends around and maybe helping to spread some views to some new people. I might look like a scruffy, common-tongued mess of a woman sometimes, but I am a professional.

By professional I mean that I have been doing this for nearly ten years, I have performed to audiences as big as 300 and as small as 2. I have been on stages, tables, chairs, squats, houses, venues, theatres, libraries, galleries and gardens. I have been published in various anthologies and have a chapbook of poetry out with Burning Eye Books.

So why am I still at the bottom of your bill, not getting paid?

Great question Bridget, I’m glad you asked.

Here’s how to book poets for shows, and how to treat them:

1. CHECK. OUT. THEIR. WORK. – The number of times I get booked for gigs where the promotor is just looking to fill the spot and hasn’t researched my stuff. Thanks for making us feel like you care.
2. WE’RE NOT YOUR FUCKING OPENER – After you’ve checked out their work, social media pages etc, and maybe actually seen them perform before, make an informed decision about where to put them on the bill. It’s insulting being the opener of a band that’s been around for 5 minutes whilst the poet has been around longer, and has more achievements under their belt.
3. PAY US – Just because we’re a solo artist without equipment (and often your damn opener) it doesn’t mean you get to avoid paying us anything for our time. Even if there’s no money, a bit of food or some drinks would go along way to making us feel valued.
4. WE’RE NOT YOUR IN-BETWEEN-BANDS ENTERTAINMENT – at most shows, it’s entirely impractical to put a poet on in between bands, not only because bands are switching over and there’s loads going on and equipment everywhere which makes it really distracting and often awkward, but most people tend to leave the room when this is happening so no one’s there to listen anyway. We’re not a filler act, ok?
5. PROTECT THE POET – Don’t expect the poet on stage to control the noise level in the room, you booked them, you make the space suitable for people to be able to hear them. At one gig, a man yelled SEXIST BITCH in my face for the entire set and no one stopped him, if you’re a promoter and you’ve vowed to deal with harassment at shows, this comes under that.

Ok so there aren’t that many poets doing things at punk shows, but maybe more will start popping up, and I hope that they get treated with the same respect as their fellow bill-mates.

BRIDGET OUT.