Joelle Taylor began performing as a solo poet after her band lost interest in themselves half way through a song. Never one to be described as observant, Joelle continued speaking over a non-existent backing track – and her spoken word career was born. She was 17 at the time, and by the end of the gig had procured an anarchic manager who quickly set her up to support the Pogues on tour. It was 1986. Since then she has focussed on play writing and developing her performance novel, as well as becoming one of the better known haggard faces of the spoken word scene. She was a member of poetry super group Atomic Lip from 1997 onward (along with Steve Tasane, Patience Agbabi and the Speech Painter), and was proud to be a part of the AL Lit Pop celebrations at the 100 Club later that year – a festival that programmed literally every well known performance poet onto the stage over 3 days.
Joelle has been wildly fortunate to have shared a stage with many of her idols, those who spoke to her through the radio as a child or through books as an adult) such as Linton Kwesi Johnson, Benjamin Zephaniah, Carol Ann Duffy, Simon Armitage, Lemn Sissay, Jo Shapcott, Jackie Kay, Scroobius Pip, Dizraeli, John Agard, Kat Francois and Holly McNish.
She has performed at every high profile venue in the UK as well as at the back of bars, the back alleys and the back seats of buses. Notable gigs have taken place at Trafalgar Square, the Royal Court, the Royal Festival Hall, the Purcell Rooms, the Poetry Cafe, and the Barbican. She has worked with the Poetry Society, Apples and Snakes, Glastonbury Festival, Larmer Tree Festival, Creative Partnerships, Arvon and the Southbank Centre –as well as numerous small booking agents and venues. For performance enquiries please contact joelletaylorbookings@yahoo.com
joelletaylor 