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A unique evening of poetry and music in the historic surroundings of the Leeds Library, featuring the band LYR. LYR comprises Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage, singer-songwriter Richard Walters and multi-instrumentalist and producer Patrick Pearson. The performance will feature poems read by Simon Armitage accompanied by music from Walters and Pearson. LYR has released two critically acclaimed albums Call in the Crash Team (2020) and The Ultraviolet Age (2023). They have appeared at many major festivals, including Green Man and Blu Dot, and have sold-out venues across the UK.
Simon’s new collection of lyrics, Never Good with Horses, demonstrates the rich range of his repertoire and celebrates his ear for the music of language. LYR’s blend of soaring vocal melodies and ambient instrumentation creates an evocative and enchanting soundscape for the poetic spoken passages.
About LYR: formed in 2018, LYR are now firmly established in the contemporary music scene following the release of two critically acclaimed albums Call in the Crash Team (2020) and latest release The Ultraviolet Age (2023). They have appeared at many major festivals, including Green Man and Blu Dot, and have sold-out venues across the UK. https://www.lyrband.com/
About Simon Armitage: Poet Laureate Simon Armitage was born and grew up in West Yorkshire. He is the recipient of numerous prizes and awards, including the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry and the PEN Prize for Translation. He has published over a dozen poetry collections, including Magnetic Field: the Marsden Poems and acclaimed medieval translations of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Owl and the Nightingale. He also writes, records and performs with the band LYR and has received an Ivor Novello Award for his song writing. His recent collection Never Good with Horses features his song lyrics. He is also the author of two novels and three non-fiction bestsellers: All Points North, Walking Home and Walking Away. A regular broadcaster, Armitage presents the popular BBC Radio 4 series The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed. An award-winning dramatist, his play Hansel and Gretel: A Nightmare in Eight Scenes is in performance at Shakespeare’s Globe this winter. Armitage is Professor of Poetry at the University of Leeds. www.simonarmitage.com
Image: Katie Silvester
