Stand Up & Slam!

Which is better: poetry or comedy? If you already have a strong view, Stand Up & Slam! probably isn't for you. Amiable hosts and “Team Captains”—comedian Rob Carter and poet Dan Simpson—try to create a sense of vicious genre rivalry, but the point here is really to enjoy both. Indeed, their faux gangsta attempts at antagonistic banter fall rather flat, as does hyping up the prospect of the loser “renouncing their art form now and forever”. Over a series of rounds—some freestlyle, some themed—practitioners from each side compete for audience approval, but the evening is at its strongest when each side visibly cheers the other's virtuosity.

The quality is inevitably varied. Highlights tonight include some sharp one-liners from the immaculately camp Steven Bailey and a beautifully bittersweet poem by New Zealander Penny Ashton, detailing vows made with her partner to love each other in old age, drool and varicose veins into the bargain. While some sets aren't as strong, the tight five-minute cap on each performer keeps things moving along apace.

There are more attempts at trash talk to maintain the spirit of the thing, though most are pretty gentle. Both sides are trading in different forms of wordplay, and those shifting dynamics make a refreshing contrast from other more testosterone-fuelled late-night mixed bills.

Ultimately, it's a pleasant night, with jokers and poets coming left and right. They never really justify their need to fight, but all are buoyed by simple word's delight.