Dr John Cooper Clarke

John Cooper Clarke returns to the mic on 28 October 2026 at Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Liverpool. Born in Salford and cut from the late‑70s punk cloth, he forged a spoken word that’s quick, dry and to the point, more said than sung. On stage his flow snaps into tight rhythms, laced with black humour and social bite, delivered a cappella or over lean, post‑punk textures. It’s performance poetry with the timing of stand‑up and the nerve of a street reporter.

Across albums from Where Is the House of Cheese? to Snap, Crackle & Bop and Zip Style Method, his texts have travelled far, and so has their echo: I Wanna Be Yours found a second life via Arctic Monkeys. In Liverpool, expect a run through cult pieces like Beasley Street or Evidently Chickentown alongside newer work and recent collaborations, with the between-poem patter that sets the tone: deadpan asides, quickfire anecdotes, and that unmistakable Mancunian cadence. A night anchored in rhythm and language, straight from the source.