Touch Me I'm Sick is a regular London poetry night which has been running for nearly two years now. That seems like a rather pathetic tally in the grand scheme of things - "But the Eiffel Tower has been around for longer!" I can hear you cry - but on the ever-changing poetry circuit that's actually quite significant. It does seem sometimes as if most nights collapse not long after their first birthdays, the hosts gradually growing tired of the work involved for minimum thanks or financial returns. Two years is normally a decent benchmark, and a sign that the evening will be around for awhile to come yet.

Changes do seem to be afoot with the occasion, however. Last night they managed to get a sixties garage and psychedelic DJ to play music in the run up to the night and also during the breaks, which obviously meets with my full approval. TMIS has had odd evenings in the past where enthusiasm and audience response has seemed somewhat low, and such high tempo, full-on, joyous clanging and rattling seems ideal to get people in the mood. It may be a sheer coincidence, but on this occasion I notice that the audience seem much more cheerful and enthusiastic.

There again, it's always worth cheering up when Richard Tyrone Jones has a full-length set. Richard has been on the circuit for long enough now that he's beginning to seem like a stalwart himself, and far from churning out the same material over and over, he often achieves the impressive feat of regularly keeping his set fresh amidst all the pressure of the continual live work. I must admit I prefer his shorter, snappier material, but the longer prose pieces he did last night managed the tricky balancing act between being crude, intelligent and surreal. "The Day the World's Arsehole Disappeared", for example, does exactly what it says on the tin topic-wise, but allows itself to speculate and meander around the subject in a fashion which is immediately fascinating. He has the imagination to actually think through all the absurd scenarios and possible statements which could be made out of the basest of beginnings, and to do so whilst hardly bothering to mention toilet matters, and for that should be applauded. There's no question that his raucous and full-on style may not be to everybody's taste, but it's certainly worth investigating.

This was arguably the best TMIS I've been to since the night began, and I can only hope that it manages to continue on this form for much longer.

(And yes, I will still carry on updating this LJ until I've got the other blog fully in place).