Mike Garry: Handwritten Miracles – Album Review

Mike Garry: Handwritten Miracles

 Vinyl | DL

Available now here

CheersTa Publications

Mancunian poet, librarian and educationalist Dr Mike Garry, best known for his live performances and books, has released a collection of his work – Handwritten Miracles – on vinyl, accompanied by The Cassia String Quartet. Unlike any other album you’re likely to buy this year, this album is Garry’s first release since the number one hit single St Anthony – An Ode to Anthony H Wilson in 2015 – a poem about the former Factory Records boss (you can check out the video here)

Described by Louder Than War’s very own John Robb as ‘the poet laureate of the north’, Garry reflects his deep love for literature, music, and the working-class spirit of the North of England through his work. His poetry is marked by a rhythmic, almost musical cadence and so works beautifully with a musical accompaniment which adds to the emotion and depth of his writing. This album is unique in the sense that it is the first time an award-winning poet has collaborated with a classically trained string quartet on an album. Consisting of 11 tracks the album perfectly showcases Garry’s lyrical genius alongside the musical talents of Manchester’s Cassia String Quartet who formed in 2009.

The album begins with Screams, and the amazing beginning and ending line that hits you right between the eyes “Life’s too short and death goes on way too long”. Garry has said that “Screams is about the ability to keep going when all else is shitting on you and its about your ability to fight, your desire and your love for life and how much you want to keep living it and you’ll do anything. It’s also playing with the concept of the cross over from child to adult which really interests me in terms of at what point do we become grown up – where is the line, where is the cut-off point, and that whole concept of when we’re young we want to be old, want to be old, want to be old, at what point do we get to whereby where we say no hold on, I want to be young, want to be young, want to be young. That crossover really interests me”. It’s a really powerful opener to the album.

Tonight is next, and is a beautiful poem of love and longing and perhaps my favourite on the album, I especially love the lines “I wanna hold you up so high/You’re gonna need a spacesuit”. Garry speaks of love across a divide, which is up to the listener to interpret whether that is physical or emotional. Garry’s voice almost becomes another instrument on this piece and it blends seamlessly with the strings – it has a real musical quality throughout – it’s just stunning.

Blink Game is another stand out piece for me and is illustrative of the way Garry can make you think he is talking about one thing and then you all of a sudden realise that he’s talking about something else altogether – in this case the use of the blink game for getting to “see the person that you fell in love with/But what they’re like right now”. Garry so cleverly captures the emotions that come with both the highs and lows of romantic relationships. His language is simple yet so powerful, allowing the reader to feel the weight of each word and the emotions behind them. This poem doesn’t shy away from the challenges and imperfections that often accompany love, but rather embraces them and forces you to look at them head on. Genius.

Signify is another stand out piece on this album for me – written about and dedicated to Garry’s primary teacher Miss McCoombe. It instantly transports you back to the warmth and safety of the classroom and that one teacher that everyone has that made a real stand out difference to their lives – the one you never forget no matter how long ago you left school.  Garry has said of the poem “Its really important to me on lots of different levels because its my dharma, my whole function in life is to get people reading. I fundamentally believe that world would be a better place when we read”. A lot of Garry’s time is spent in schools, prisons and young offenders units, opening up the world of reading and poetry to people for whom otherwise this would pass them by. Essentially in his work with these young and disadvantaged people, Garry is ‘paying it forward’ – doing for them what Miss McCoombe did for him.

Many of Garry’s poems also often give a voice to those who often go unheard – Flying Bikes Over Merseybank is one example of this. A powerful and thought-provoking commentary on social inequality. It tells the story of a young boy called Charlie who is forced into a life of petty crime in order to survive. This poem vividly portrays the harsh realities faced by so many in deprived urban environments, where poverty and sheer necessity often push children into situations that no child should find themselves in. Garry’s language in this is compassionate and yet raw at the same time and provides an insight into Charlie’s world, the bleakness of his circumstances and the reasons for his actions which heartbreakingly almost feel inevitable, as if he has no other choice. The flow of this poem and the tempo of the strings also mimic the tension of Charlie’s life. Garry has an amazing ability to evoke empathy for Charlie whilst also not condemning or romanticizing his actions – instead highlighting the tragic consequences of a system which fails so many individuals.

Having seen Garry perform on stage I can say first hand how he has the extraordinary power to make you cry laughing one minute and sob the next. His performances almost hold a mirror up to your soul and reflect thoughts and feelings that you’ve perhaps had your whole life but thought you were the only one to have them. It’s this connection, this almost becoming one with his audience that makes him such a special performer. This album has the exact same power, full of moments where you stop and think wow yes, I remember that. His work also proves that inspiration is all around us – in the everyday seemingly mundane there is beauty and power. Garry is passionate about bringing poetry to a wider audience – to reach people who wouldn’t normally listen to it and this album is another example of him doing just that. The lyrical mastery of this album is second to none – you uncover more depth and meaning the more you listen to it. You don’t have to consider yourself a fan of poetry to be truly moved and woken up by this album and in fact I would highly encourage anyone who doesn’t consider themselves a poetry fan to give it a listen.

Mike Garry can be found at his website where you can also buy his album.

Words by Natalie Royle, you can find her author profile here.