Bang Said The Gun
Bang Said The Gun is a weekly poetry extravaganza that takes place every Thursday night at The Roebuck pub in Borough, south London.
Poets including Roger McGough, John Hegley, Sir Andrew Motion and Kate Tempest have all performed at Bang Said The Gun. We hang lots of painted cardboard from the walls, play Little Richard and The White Stripes really loud, give the audience glow sticks to wear and plastic milk bottles full of Chick Peas to shake. It's a good place to drink and watch and connect with people who are intent on having a good controlled wild time. The video to the right is a video.
A video of Bang.
Words that people have said about Bang Said The Gun
As with all quotes that are written, they are to be taken with a pinch of salt or anything else that you want to take a pinch of. Take a pinch of salt if you like. I have included them on here, not to make the night look good, but because sometimes it can be good to go into something with high expectations and then come away disappointed. You might come on a night that doesn't work. When the audience aren't up for it, or for some reason the energy isn't there. All the ingredients are in place for us to make a lovely cake together but sometimes people go into restaurants thinking they are going to have the best meal of their life because someone told them how good it is and come out hating the person that reccccommmmended it. The quotes below are from people who have been to the night and had a good time. We try to make it a beautiful night every week, but it depends who walks through the doors. The best thing to do is walk through the doors yourself and see what it is/can be like.
“Comprehensively the best poetry gig I have ever been to… the finest portrayal of how performance poetry should be…”
PopShot Magazine
“…an amazing night at The Roebuck. Like all the best things in life, it’s done with commitment, belief and passion. If you haven’t been, you get the joy of discovering it for yourself every Thursday.”
Phill Jupitus
“Bang Said the Gun is one of the best poetry nights in the country; the combination of excitement, enthusiasm and deep, deep concentration on the poems is a wonder to behold! Long may it continue!”
Ian McMillan
‘Bang Said the Gun is wonderful: a vortex of energy and enthusiasm’
Andrew Motion
“Let England Shake! Bang Said The Gun grabs poetry by its shoulders and shakes it until dirty, funny words fall out. Bang Said The Gun crosses poetry reading with stand up comedy to create a hilarious and rabid poetry mongrel. It’s a night as political as it is trivial, as serious as it is funny.”
Londonist
“It really is the best spoken word night in London, if not the Northern Hemisphere.”
Matt Harvey
“I had a great time at Bang Said The Gun. A unique mixture of outrageous fun and very impressive literary talent.”
Howard Marks
“One of the best performance poetry clubs I’ve performed at in the last 20 years…”
Attila The Stockbroker
“The best club gig I’ve been to in 12 years. Other promoters should be at Bang Said The Gun taking notes.”
Luke Wright
“The loudest, funnest, most inclusive poetry night I’ve been to. It’s a belter.”
Joe Dunthorne
”If all events were as good as BANG SAID THE GUN then poetry would be a bloody celebrated art form…’”
Nathan Filer
“Bang Said The Gun – The Death Of Poetry!”
Oxford University
“Bang Said The Gun – The Re-Birth of Poetry!”
Cambridge University