RALLY & BROAD
‘Guess who was Kirsty and who was Shane?’
After four years, Edinburgh’s literary-fl avoured cabaret of spoken word and music is coming to an end. Rebecca Monks
caught up with Rally & Broad hosts Rachel McCrum and
Jenny Lindsay to fi nd out why it’s shutting up shop
With Rally and Broad coming to an end, what projects are you both moving on to? Jenny: I’m really delighted to announce that I’ve set up a spoken word production company called Flint & Pitch Productions, and have been busy setting up events for the autumn with a few different partners. I’m [also] going to be working with the team at the Lyceum to programme the spoken word and music for the new Lyceum Variety Nights, under David Greig’s directorship. Rachel: I’m taking a step back from promoting events for in Scotland has been my life and blood for the past i ve years, and part of my joy is having a look round and seeing what could be the next stages for poets, for events and for audiences, and how I can help create platforms and development for artists to explore this. The other thingy for my own writing and performing is a bit terrifying – I’ll be working on my i rst collection proper, to be published (hopefully) in summer 2017. the moment. Spoken word
What goals did you have in mind when you set Rally & Broad up, and do you feel that they’ve been accomplished? JL: Gender-balanced bills. Yep. A showcase, late-night event for longer spoken-word sets. Yep. A braw night of all things lyrical, where total newcomers sit easily on a bill with established names from the lit world, alongside excellent music. Yep. Artists actually getting paid. Yep. I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve accomplished. RM: I’m particularly proud that the audiences have grown so much, not just for R&B but for
spoken word in general, over the past four years. Partly because there are a lot more organisations, institutions and festivals curious about spoken word and including it in their programming, bringing it to new audiences. What are you fondest R&B memories? RM: Singing (terribly) ‘Fairytale of New York’ on our season two Christmas show ( guess who was Kirsty and who was Shane?). The Heroes + Superheroes ‘make your own supercreature out of plasticine’ game. Wearing jammies on stage, particularly for the Hangover Specials. Hearing new voices that suddenly stop you in their tracks. Laughing till I cried at Ross Sutherland, Aidan Moffat, Salena Godden (and often just crying). Some of our more ridiculous rafl es. JL: My favourite ‘theme’ has been our seasonal Hangover Special shows, my favourite of which was Jan 2016, where we did two simultaneous shows over two levels in the Bongo Club, with a rotating audience. It was mad, and awesome, and it sold out too. Our very i rst show in October 2012 with a queue all the way out the Counting House; a road trip to Dumfries with Chrissy Barnacle in 2014; hosting Kate Tempest’s book launch with the Scottish Poetry Library . . . and Don Paterson saying on stage, the i rst time we booked him, ‘what is this? It’s a live poetry event I’m actually enjoying!’
from outside Scotland could visit. We wanted to bring in an awareness of gender balance billing, of proper fees for artists, and to look at a bit of professionalising around spoken word. The grassroots scene is absolutely life-and-blood essential for any spoken word community to grow and the Scottish one is a beautiful thing. We wanted to see what the next steps were, how to create a little more awareness and a little more stability for spoken word in Scotland. JL: I think that R&B has been an integral part of building the new enthusiasm for spoken word in Scotland, and while our scene here is pretty precarious in terms of funding and infrastructure, I hope those audiences continue to seek out spoken word events. Certainly, it’s been a great vehicle to get acts from elsewhere in the UK recognising how great the scene is up here. If you could sum up the last four years in one sentence, what would it be? RM: I look forward to sitting on a bench together in the Meadows when we’re 65, wearing enormous hats and swearing at pigeons together and feeling immensely proud of all this. JL: The best project I’ve ever been part of, with the best woman I’ve ever worked with; at times nail-bitingly stressful; at times bursting with joy; overall, it’s the thing I’m proudest of in my spoken word life to date.
What do you feel R&B’s legacy will be? RM: We started Rally & Broad with very clear ideas. We wanted to see a bigger platform for spoken word, a glitzier night that would bring in new audiences, and be somewhere that artists Rally & Broad’s i nal nights are at Bongo Club, Edinburgh, Fri 17 Jun; Stereo, Glasgow, Sun 19 Jun. See list.co.uk for more of this Q&A.
2 Jun–1 Sep 2016 THE LIST 41