Britain’s best loved and most important performance poet, John Cooper Clarke is as vital now as he was in the '70s. His biting, satirical, political and very funny verse, delivered in a unique rapid-fire performance style, resonated with the punk movement. JCC toured with all the seminal bands; The Sex Pistols, The Clash and Buzzcocks, and in the USA with Elvis Costello. He began to draw large crowds in his own right. Joy Division were proud to frequently support JCC and New Order later opened for him on their first Australian tour.

Fast forward to 2013, and JCC remains a key orator of British society during this time, and his mark is indelibly seen in today’s pop culture. Aside from his fashion style spawning copy-cats all over the country, his effect on modern music has been huge. His influence needs only to be heard in the satirical and keen social observations of the songs of the Arctic Monkeys. Alex Turner cites JCC as a huge inspiration and this was recently demonstrated by Turner as the band covered JCC’s I Wanna Be Yours on their critically acclaimed fifth studio album AM. In addition, UK rapper and film maker Plan B asked John to appear in his directorial film debut Ill Manors. Their duet Pity The Poor Fellow appears in the movie and on the soundtrack.

'If you think poetry is dull and boring, or posh and erudite - you haven't seen JCC!'

'... funnier than the throwaway gags of almost any stand-up' (The Guardian)

'A cult hero. Up there with Jonathan Richman and Simon Armitage as one of the great poets of our time' (Mark Kermode)

'Single-handedly invented an art form' (Bill Bailey).

See more info at johncooperclarke.com