MPF2025: THE POETRY STAGE

Henry Raby, the scrawny punk poet and admin anarchist, is returning to run the poetry stage at MPF2025. The Poetry Stage has become an anti-mainstream mainstay of MPF. These days, Henry tries to write about anger and hope. A punk fest is the perfect place for anger, but there is also a deep sense of hope, too. It warms our little punk heart that familiar faces return each year and pack out the room to hear words and stories. Newcomers welcome! It’s the perfect place to chill between bands.

On Saturday, raconteur Rob Steventon will open the stage. Founder of the award-winning night Punk in Drublic Poetry, Rob’s laugh-out-loud funny spoken word has a swish style. TS Idiot is a self-taught, self-deprecating and occasionally self-adhesive punk poet. They write (and shout) about queerness, community, mental health and the rising price of Freddos. Key issues. Then it’s the return of the open mic, in the spirit of punk, all welcome from first-timers to old-handers.

On Sunday, spiky non-binary poet Tonks will try to rival their favourite gig ever: performed to two people and their dog outside Manchester’s Urbis building. Next is Zara Sehar, a Muslim British-Pakistani poet who writes about class and the intricacies of the British-Asian diaspora. Finally, to close off, self-made underachiever Jonny Fluffypunk is celebrating 25 years of performing. Fusing the wonderfully hilarious with bittersweet disillusionment has made Jonny a mainstay of gigs, festivals and housing benefit offices.

Make sure you pick up your MPF2025 ticket soon, just over 100 left.

You should also buy your warm-up gig ticket!