Attila The
Stockbroker
Who the hell is
Attila The
Stockbroker?
punk sensibility has never left him and
hopefully it won’t).
I first came across the name in a music
paper about 30 years ago. It’s a name
you’re not likely to forget. At the time I’d no
idea who or what he was. Now I know -
he’s a poet. Although I’d seen him briefly at
a Labour Party rally and heard him read a
very moving poem about his mother on
Radio 4’s “Poetry Please” his appearance
at No 39 Hopstar Brewery Tap (24th Nov)
was the first full gig that I’d seen.
His passport might say he’s a performance
poet but he is also a musician, a fanatical
Brighton & Hove Albion supporter and a left
leaning socialist (OK, a very left leaning
socialist) and these qualities sum up the
man.
It was a thoroughly entertaining night – one
of those nights when you come away
feeling exhilarated and inspired – as we did
after the Brighton Conference when you
feel that a fairer society lies just around the
corner.
True, there is sadness and compassion in
his poetry – he’s human – he writes about
life as it is- but there’s also much humour
and no little anger as he targets anyone or
any organisation standing in the way of
equality. They know who they are!! (The
For me, a good entertainer (he may object
to the epithet but that’s what he is) has to
be spontaneous and able to react with an
audience – he has this ability in spades
and I suspect he could respond equally
well with a non-partisan audience.
The following week his column in the
Morning Star (2/12/17) covered the recent
gigs and the match at Old Trafford (which
Brighton narrowly lost). He obviously
enjoyed the Darwen gig as much as we did
and I was reminded of a little contretemps
with a mate’s boa constrictor a little earlier
which constricted his glasses and left him
struggling to read his poems.
This was remedied by a kind lady from the
audience who lent him hers. Ah... the spirit
of socialism ... in Darwen! ... augurs well
for a not too distant election...
If you get a chance to see Attila I would
urge you to do so. He travels all over the
country where his gigs are often
synchronised with Brighton’s fixtures. But
failing that he’s on YouTube; his web site
has a wealth of available merchandise and
a gig list which I suspect is about to be
updated.
Tony Jenkinson
-8-