Dr John Cooper Clarke

Dr John Cooper Clarke brings his fast-talking, razor-edged performance poetry to The Blackpool Opera House in Blackpool on 18 November 2026. A figure of the late-70s punk circuit, the Salford-born writer honed a spoken style built on breathless cadence, deadpan humour and social bite. On stage, his verses hit with precise rhythm, often delivered a cappella, sometimes brushed by post‑punk and new wave textures learned across years of recordings and tours.

Clarke’s text lives as much in the ear as on the page. Pieces swing from streetwise snapshots to sharp satire, stitched with wordplay and a timing that borders on musical. His work has moved through generations, resurfacing in the indie world when Arctic Monkeys adapted I Wanna Be Yours, and in collaborations like his 2016 album with Hugh Cornwell. Expect a set that digs into a long catalogue while staying nimble, with that clipped delivery and dry wit that made him a staple of British performance poetry. In Blackpool, he lines up decades of writing and road-tested material for an evening where the meter leads and the punchlines land.