Derby Poetry Festival: The Noise We Make with John Tams

Described by MOJO as “One of the ultimate British songwriters”, Derby Poetry Festival are thrilled to welcome John Tams and guests (to be announced) to The Wardwick at Derby Museum and Art Gallery, supported by Derby Folk Weekend.

The noise we make is woven into the landscape around us. From varied dialects, to the sounds of theatre, film and music. From the noise of industry and urban society, to the valleys, woods and depths of the rivers.  Our world is built on communication. A network of sounds that are constantly changing and evolving as time goes on.  Expect questions about language, anecdotes, poetry and of course, song.

John Tams’ work has spanned 6 decades in every performance medium. He is a recognised authority on vernacular music – a seven times winner at the BBC Folk Awards. Theatre includes work at the Old Vic, the RSC, The Globe, Sheffield Crucible, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Birmingham Rep, Joint Stock, Chichester Festival Theatre and 7:84. At the National Theatre, he has worked as actor and musical director/composer on over 30 productions including; The Mysteries, Lark Rise to Candleford, Glengarry Glen Ross, many of which transferred to the West End or toured. He played Daniel Hagman in the TV series Sharpe, for which he was script associate, co-writing the score. For radio, he was executive music director of the Radio Ballads winning Gold at the Sony Radio Academy Awards. As an original member of the creative team that brought War Horse to the stage, he has since toured the world as a production executive. His performance of “Only Remembered” before the late Queen Elizabeth at The Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall was watched, globally by over 70 million viewers. He worked with Steven Spielberg on the movie and his adaptation of the book toured as a ‘concert’ reading with author Sir Michael Morpurgo inspired by a BBC Radio 2 version which he directed featuring Timothy Spall, Brenda Blethyn and Bob Hoskins.   Last year with his friend the artist and illustrator Andy Mayers they published ‘The Bear Went Over The Mountain’ a children’s book aimed at encouraging freestyle storytelling with QR coded music. He has made over 60 albums and continues to tour festival and concert stages. He holds Honorary Doctorates from Sheffield Hallam and Derby universities.

About Derby Poetry Festival

Often referred to as DPF, Derby Poetry Festival is a four-day poetry and literature festival held in the centre of Derby in the autumn. We are dedicated to developing new writing talent in Derby and bring excellent work to the city.

Previous headliners include: Linton Quasi Johnson, recent T S Elliott winner Joelle Taylor and Shivanee Ramlochan.​

We host a range of performances, workshops, slams and panel discussions for all ages in partnership with many venues in the city including: Quad, Derby Museums, Derby Theatre and Derby Libraries. Supported by Arts Council England and Derby City Council.

Ticketing Information 

At Derby Poetry Festival, we aim to make our events and workshops as accessible as possible, so everyone can take part. Which is why we have 3 ticket options available. ‘Event Ticket – Supported’ is a discounted rate ticket for those on a lower income to still be able to access the event. Our standard ticket is the normal rate of the event, and goes towards paying our artists, accessability coordinators and associated fees with holding the festival. Our Pay It Forward ticket option is for those who wish to contribute towards the supported tickets, as well as attending the event. This helps us provide more supported tickets and host bigger and better events that everyone can access. Each ticket option allows you the same access to the event.

Accessibility at Derby Museums

Suitable for adults, booking essential

(image courtesy of Andy Mayers)