Switchblade Society is dead.
We ran a monthly open mic for the best part of 6 years; through a pandemic and moving home. We built our city’s premiere home for raw, honest, and electrifying poetry performances from scratch. We got our beautiful Missy, we got engaged. We fell in love with Manchester and we fell out of love with the poetry scene for a while.
We’ve hosted incredible headline performances from the likes of Antony Szmeriek and Nasima Bee to Broccan Tyzack Carlin and Griot Gabriel. We’ve platformed local legends like Tonkabell, Steve Jaffa Brown and Steve Mingle.
For 6 years, we have been dedicated to authentic, raw voices: that isn’t changing. What is changing is our scope. We’re ready to work with more artists, in more settings, across more creative disciplines. We’ll continue hosting regular events at The Peer Hat, including our signature poem swap, but with expanded offerings.
Switched Up Poetry represents our decision to shake up the live poetry scene. It’s a name that allows us to reach beyond what we’ve done before and collaborate with musicians, visual artists, and performers to push the boundaries of spoken word and accessible art. We’ve always been more than a poetry night: we’re a movement, a platform, a space for creative expression in all its forms. Though the name has changed, our ethos remains the same. If you’ve shared your voice, listened, or supported us, you’re still part of this journey. We can’t wait to show you what’s next.
Stay switched up. See you at the mic. 🎤✨
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