Had a wonderful time at Jim‘s new open mike at McChuill‘s pub in Glasgow – the classic mod venue was very welcoming of the hippy-rocker invasion, and the tolerance extended from the musos to spoken word. Emboldened by some stunning hip-hop from Justin-Philmore Brown, I decided to take my poetry to the mike, and was rewarded with a lovely appreciative crowd, many of whom came up afterwards to say nice things! After a quiet start, this second of the monthly nights was hoaching with people, and there was a real beat feel to the evening, with the venue’s low brick arches, the beautiful people, and the mix of music, spoken word and pool balls clicking. Stand-out performances included Lavinia Blackwell from Trembling Bells in a heart-stopping a cappella number, and some gorgeous fingerpicking and soulful song from the 78‘s Mike Hastings. Minds were indeed opened, and I recommend wordsmiths and songwriters alike get down there and read, perform or play on this exciting new night.