October 2015. Saturday night in Leeds. 12,000 music fans at 1Xtra Live have just watched Kid Ink tear down the stage. Into a single spotlight a man walks onstage and opens with the city’s catchphrase: “Leeds. L double e d s, wot wot?”
The audience weren’t expecting poetry on a Saturday night. But, even now, the roar from the crowd as he namechecks the distinctly Yorkshire-sounding Gipton, Seacroft and Chapel Town still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
This is Words First.
Over the last few years we’ve seen the UK underground spoken word scene grow and grow as young people increasingly turn to poetry and storytelling as a way of getting their voices heard.
BBC Radio 1Xtra has been in the mix with its support of George the Poet and a defining Deci4Life performance in Birmingham among other moments, but in 2015 we decided to take things up a level.
In May we launched Words First, the BBC’s first spoken word season in partnership with the Roundhouse, BBC Arts and support from Arts Council England, aiming to both reflect and enrich this exciting scene.
Tonight Words First culminates with a three hour celebration on 1Xtra, presented by DJ Target. To say it’s been a powerful year would be an understatement.
DJ Target presents the Words First Special on BBC Radio 1Xtra
From giving new writers the chance to perform in front of an audience for the very first time, to putting poetry front-and-centre stage at Radio 1’s Big Weekend - the station’s flagship event of the year - there have been tears, laughter and incredibly ambitious writing - covering football hooliganism, feminism, mental illness, racism, gay aliens, curry and everything in between.
We travelled the country running workshops in Leeds, London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Bristol and worked with around 100 poets. From each workshop, we took one poet on for six months of development, giving them writing and performance slots across the BBC, at festivals and gigs round the UK.
The Words First final six poets with DJ Target at The Roundhouse, London
The Words First final six poets are: Amina Jama, Asma Elbadawi, Isaiah Hull, Liam McCormick, Reuben Field and Solomon OB. Between them, they couldn’t have covered a wider range of styles or topics. Liam started writing because of the Scottish referendum, Amina wants to be the first poet midwife and Asma volunteered teaching basketball in Tanzania earlier this year and returned inspired to tell the stories of the girls she’d met.
In June, they all performed brand new work to 1000 people at the finale event in London alongside project ambassador Kate Tempest, George the Poet and one of 1Xtra’s Hot for 2016 artists Kojey Radical. When Sol performed his piece about growing up in foster care, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
Solomon OB performing at the Words First finale at The Roundhouse
They also got the chance to co-write a film. Alone Together is Radio 1’s first non-factual iPlayer film about a young boy spying on his neighbours as we learn more about their hopes and aspirations.
From thoughtful pieces about Armistice Day to rowdy rap battles, Words First has had a warm reception from both the scene and the rest of the BBC. Along the way we’ve collaborated with Radio 1, 2, 3, 5, BBC Wales and World Service to name a few.
Through Words First we’ve come across so many articulate, opinionated writers - it’s been brilliant to hear their voices resonating so loudly.
Emily Dicks is a producer for BBC Radio 1 & 1Xtra.
- Find out more about Spoken Word at the BBC.
- Listen to the Words First Special on BBC Radio 1Xtra, broadcast at 7pm on Thu 16 June.
- Watch highlights from the Words First finale at The Roundhouse on the BBC Radio 1 iPlayer.
