An epic poem of everyday Gods

Kate Tempest is a 27 year old performance poet from Lewisham, London. As poetic as her name may sound, she remains unheard of to many. But all of this is changing, fast.

Tempest is the latest winner of the Ted Hughes Award for innovation in poetry, with her new piece_ Brand New Ancients,_ a poem-story-play combo currently touring some of the most prolific venues in London and the UK.

Standing on the candle-lit stage of St. Leonard’s Church in Shoreditch, before a quartet of musicians playing a score composed by the award-winning Neil Catchpole, she announces that this is a piece about “a world beyond the immediate, beyond trainers and nice clothes; about the forgotten. It is about empathy, love, and courage, which for humans are the most important, and should be cultivated in us all.”

Do not be misled, however. As emotional and tense as it is, Brand New Ancients is not a soppy affair. Even prior to the meanings of her words being fully realised, before her poetic majesty is registered and causes a pause for thought, Tempest’s presence is truly a storm, which eyes or thoughts cannot wander from.

She describes it herself as an epic narrative poem – a story that brings back the mythology of old tales in the form of the everyday people that get up and go to work. Indeed, her chorus repeatedly chimes of them as “The Gods” doing this or that in various guises.

Her story of two families with young children that fall apart, get together, find themselves and each other in a modern setting is not an unfamiliar one. The unique aspect is the celebration of the everyday, though an extreme version for those who may not be acquainted with the infamous violence of her hometown, which no doubt grounds the basis of her work.

The way in which the story unwinds is also evidently influenced by her play-writing. As she narrates, clear images of the events are formed in the mind with a backdrop of dramatic music, as visual as though watching a film.

Despite all this, the wittiest part was her silence, as the violin played as a manifestation of two young lovers kissing for the first time. Sweet. “I take great inspiration from something that makes me feel,” she explains. “If something speaks to you through the ages then that’s the most important thing in bringing us closer to each other and ourselves.” This also true of her own work; as was demonstrated by the standing ovation she received at the end of her performance.

Although nothing would come close to experiencing Kate Tempest other than watching her speak her poems before you, Brand New Ancients is available in book form for those who take enjoyment in perusing beautifully laid-out phrases for more than a fleeting moment.

Kate Tempest: Brand New Ancients is touring now until 20th April. See

bit.ly/1fyfaXZ for more information.