Charlotte reviews Antony Szmierek at Ledbury Poetry Festival 2024

Fresh off his three Glastonbury performances the week prior, Antony Szmierek must have felt a kind of whiplash as he faced the audience at Ledbury’s Burgage Hall on Thursday night. Although the hall was packed, it was worlds away from a festival crowd. However, this did not deter the spoken word artist, whose versatility on stage allowed him to create the “intimate and poem-y” atmosphere he hoped to share with the audience. A favourite at BBC Radio 6, who named him one of their Music Artists of the Year in 2023, Szmierek performed a combination of the spoken word and hip-hop fusion music which precipitated his rise, alongside poetry readings without music.

Having been a teacher for many years – a career he only recently gave up fully to pursue his music and poetry full-time – it is little surprise that Szmierek is so comfortable in front of a crowd. His confident, approachable demeanour onstage, paired with the conversational tone he uses to address the audience, produce the effect of us all being crowded round his table in a thrumming pub – a vision perhaps assisted by the Guinness he brought onstage. He confesses that he still writes poems every day; much of what he reads to us was written recently, though he admits it’s been a long time since he has read his poetry in public. In doing so, Szmierek proves his strength of lyricism, able to speak for itself; his poetry is immersive and thought-provoking, even without his dreamy dance beats behind them.

Szmierek’s poems exhibit his capacity to draw great comedy from day-to-day experiences. In ‘The Hidden Politics of Lane Swimming’, he describes “the slow lane, which is like this kinda floating Benidorm to my right.” Thinking he’s made a connection with a man at the swimming pool, the speaker then accidentally touches his foot as he swims by, “the accidental intimacy rendering us both strangers forever.” In ‘Yoga Teacher’, Szmierek recalls having to confront a difficult question: does he, a straight man, fancy his yoga teacher, or does he want him to be his dad? He laments that “even here, [...] I’m still obsessed with being chosen.”

Finally, Szmierek performs ‘The Words to Auld Lang Syne’, a song that he admits changed his life. He describes the concept behind it: “every day can be New Year’s Eve, and every day can be New Year’s Day. You can have a fresh start all the time.” To illustrate this point, Szmierek then has us turn to the people around us, whether loved ones or strangers, and wish them “Happy New Year!” on the count of three.

The highlight of the event, this song had Szmierek walking down the aisle between seats, putting himself amongst his audience, even taking a seat at the end of a row. The chorus is full of longing; “And let me hold you for a second / If only just your gaze / Tomorrow’s never promised / But neither was today.” Halfway through the song, Szmierek deviates from the usual lyrics: “I really think we can do this, Ledbury. I think we’ve really got it this time. And you have all voted, haven’t you?”

Even as Szmierek leaves the stage – after multiple rounds of applause – the audience’s energy does not dissipate. He achieved his goal and more; the event was not just intimate, but electrifying. On his way out, the man seated to my right turns to me and, in the vein of Szmierek’s last performance, says, “I hope it’s a good year for you!” This is the gift Szmierek gives his listeners: a breath of fresh air, an uplifting sense of community, and the encouragement to begin again.