Anne Clark

On 28 January 2027 Anne Clark will perform at TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht. The British poet and electronic musician brought spoken word into the new wave and synth-pop scene in the early 1980s. With The Sitting Room she set the tone: rhythmic sequencers, cool synths and a voice that speaks rather than sings. She was then followed by Joined Up Writing with David Harrow and Pressure Points with John Foxx, releases that sharpened her fusion of text, beats and dark melodies.

Live, Clark's focus is on the text and the pulse. She delivers her stories of urban alienation, technology, power and intimacy with a band or electronic setup that carries the words without drowning them out. Expect carefully constructed arcs of tension, minimalist hooks and space for silence. Material from her more atmospheric years rubs against older, more angular pieces, often in new, compact arrangements. With The Smallest Acts of Kindness she returned to a more melodic approach, which on stage can sit alongside her experimental side. Anne Clark moves between performance poetry, sound experimentation and tight pop structures; that tension is at the heart of her shows.