14 British Spoken Word Poets You Must Watch

Because there's more than just Kate Tempest and that teacher who battled his student.

1. Tom Gill - '4 Minute Fix'

Tom Gill / Via youtube.com

Witty, wild and jam packed with clever wordplay, Tom Gill's poetry is infectiously energetic. 'Four Minute Fix' finds him lamenting over new trends of modern communication.

2. Jenny Browne - 'Written On A Theme'

Faro Productions / Via youtube.com

Delicate and sensual, Jenny Browne's verse is a thing of measured beauty. Wonderfully demonstrated here in 'Written On A Theme'.

3. Big Charlie Poet - 'It's The Grit That Makes The Pearl

youtube.com / Via Evidently Salford

Big Charlie Poet's work is a delight, both earthy and honest. 'It's The Grit That Makes The Pearl' finds the poet telling a visceral yet moving account of bullying.

4. Sophie Fenella - 'Waiting'

youtube.com / Via BARPoetry

Intense in both detail and emotion, Fenella's work is intimate and vital. Her poem here 'Waiting', charts a journey between the past and the present through recollections of a father.

5. Antosh Wojcik - 'Catching Hand'

Ian Roberts / Via youtube.com

2013 Roundhouse Poetry Slam winner Antosh Wojcik is a truly wondrous stage presence. 'Catching Hand' finds him reminiscing on childhood folly in a way both delicate and intriguingly complex.

6. Deanna Rodger - 'Being British'

Tilt Spokenword / Via youtube.com

Billed as her 'anti BNP poem', 'Being British' finds the enlightening Deanna Rodger battling stereotypes in an effortless stage dominance.

7. Louise Fazackerley - 'Stuck Unsaid'

Richard Davis / Via youtube.com

Warm & engaging, Fazackerley's work often explores the everyday with a shimmering intensity. Here within 'Stuck Unsaid', she rues past memories of holding her tongue.

8. Tom Kwei - 'I Want You To Be My Ex'

Freeflow Productions / Via youtube.com

Revelling in dense wordplay and witty rhythms, Tom Kwei is also, me. Here I perform a piece about how I always seem to get on better with my girlfriends when we've split up, 'I Want You To Be My Ex'.

9. Miles Hadfield - 'Another One Won't Hurt'

Evidently Salford / Via youtube.com

Lean and funny in a very clever way, Hatfield delivers his work with a consummate ease. Here in 'Another One Won't Hurt' he ponders the constant, and perhaps lethal, appeal of bubblewrap.

10. Joy France - 'Running'

Mersey Poetry Scene / Via youtube.com

Joy France blends the conversational and the beautiful with aplomb. Her work here, 'Running', is a deftly told tale of a doomed existence.

11. Kieren King - 'Not Every Childhood Story Is A Fairytale'

Mark Callum / Via youtube.com

Part Vonnegut, part John Cooper Clarke, Kieren King's verse is probing and moving. 'Not Every Childhood Story Is A Fairytale' finds him lamenting that very truth in an endearing fashion.

12. Martin Visceral - 'Space To Breathe'

Evidently Salford / Via youtube.com

Taking heed from hip-hop, Martin Visceral's work is quick witted and rhythmically compelling. His work 'Space To Breathe' featuring a terrific blast of smart puns.

13. Dominic Berry - 'Playing Mortal Kombat Guarantees Your Inner Calm!'

Manchester Poets / Via youtube.com

One of the more acclaimed poets on the list having had several showings at the Fringe, Dominic Berry's poetry is forceful, playful and always surprising. Within 'Playing Mortal Kombat Guarantees Your Inner Calm' his clever writing shines through.

14. Rosie Garland - 'I Want To Be A Teenager In Devon'

Literature Northwest / Via youtube.com

Recollecting childhood memories with a wry knowing eye, Rosie Garland's 'I Want To Be A Teenager In Devon' is both thoughtful and intelligent.