Teatro de la Laboral

After four editions with outstanding highlights provided by Alessandro Baricco and Leonor Watling, Julian Cope or Blixa Bargeld, among others, the International Spoken Word Festival is now one of the most solid events of its kind in Europe. This fifth edition, the second to be held at Teatro de la Laboral in Gijón, goes one step further, following the guidelines of its philosophy, in which the pioneers of this hybrid genre, seminal artists in cutting-edge experimentation and cult writers who have visited Spain on few occasions, are blended together in a cocktail that produces another way of understanding literature, music, video art and performing arts.

This year’s “review” of the history of the spoken word comes from the grand dame of the genre, Diamanda Galàs, who is bringing a show based on the spoken word though not overlooking her songs of terror and passion The literary spotlight goes to Irvine Welsh, a seminal author of literature with pop and countercultural overtures in recent times. The visit from the author of Trainspotting coincides with the publication of his book of short stories If You Liked School,
You’ll Like Work. And the list of legends in experimentation with music and literature is further engrossed with the member of Einstürzende Neubauten Alexander Hacke and Danielle de
Picciotto, with their show Ship of Fools, based on the work by the 15th century author Sebastian Brant. These three are the first confirmations in a festival that has showcased mythical artists, many visiting Spain for the first time, of the stature of Jello Biafra, Henry Rollins, John Sinclair and Richard Hell, not forgetting Lydia Lunch, John Cooper Clarke, Julian Cope, Lee Ranaldo, David J with Roberto Mendoza, Jarboe, Blixa Bargeld or Nick Hornby with the US group Marah. But this festival has also centred on its own productions like those by Barry Gifford with Strand, Baricco with
Marlango and John Giorno with Nacho Vegas.
This year the local note from Asturias is represented by the
production “Performance lírica-recital trifásico” directed by the poet
Carlos Barral Álvarez (poetry and recital), in collaboration with the
musician Sergio Rodríguez (sounds) and the VJ Rob Loren (visuals).