Antony Szmierek

Antony Szmierek brings his split-world writing to Chalk, Brighton and Hove on 14 October 2026. The Manchester musician and writer moves between spoken word, indie pop and pared-back electronica, with a near-rap cadence and a clear taste for storytelling. First heard in poetry rooms and local nights, his tracks grew online through everyday scenes, urban detours and close-up portraits. His 2023 EP Poems To Dance To set the frame: talk-sung verses, melodic refrains and house or slow hip-hop pulses that leave space for the words.

On stage, Szmierek plays with proximity, sometimes with a band, sometimes stripped to essentials. Beats build patiently, choruses open just enough, and the narrative stays front and centre. He’s drawn to signs and small markers; a heron on the Mersey he kept visiting became a way to name that in-between he inhabits, between water and land, private life and public attention. That tension runs through the show, between page and dancefloor, where rhythm carries the story and the story grounds the room. A set built on detail, movement and a voice that speaks as much as it sings.