The Liverpool Poets are a number of influential 1960s poets from Liverpool, influenced by 1950’s Beat poetry. They were involved in the 1960s Liverpool scene that gave rise to The Beatles. The poets most commonly associated with this label are Adrian Henri, Roger McGough and Brian Patten. They were featured in a 1967 book The Liverpool Scene edited by Edward Lucie-Smith, with a blurb by Ginsberg and published by Donald Carroll. The anthology The Mersey Sound was published by Penguin in 1967, containing the poems of Adrian Henri, Roger McGough and Brian Patten, and has remained in print ever since, selling in excess of 500,000 copies. It brought the three poets to “considerable acclaim and critical fame”,[1] and has been widely influential. In 2002 they were given the Freedom of the City of Liverpool.
Their work is characterised by its directness of expression, simplicity of language, suitability for live performance and concern for contemporary subjects and references. There is often humour, but the full range of human experience and emotion is addressed. ‘The kids didn’t see this poetry with a capital p, they understood it as modern entertainment, as part of the pop-movement.’ (Roger McGough).
In 1963, Adrian Henri was one of the founding members (with McGough, John Gorman and Mike McCartney) of the musical group that became the Scaffold, which went on to record many singles, several of which were hits. In 1967 he founded the poetry/rock group Liverpool Scene, and in 1973 he was a founding member of the Grimms, which presented a mixture of poetry and songs, and recorded several albums.
The Liverpool Scene was a poetry band, which included Adrian Henri, Andy Roberts, Mike Evans, Mike Hart, Percy Jones and Brian Dodson. It grew out of the success of The Incredible New Liverpool Scene, a CBS LP featuring Henri and McGough reading their work, with accompaniment by the guitarist Roberts. Liverpool DJ John Peel, who was then working on the pirate radio station Radio London, picked up on the LP and featured it on his influential late-night Perfumed Garden show. After Radio London closed down, Peel visited Liverpool and met the band; as a consequence, they were featured in session on his BBC Top Gear and Night Ride shows, and in 1968 he produced their first LP. Four LPs were issued with Henri’s poetry heavily featured.
Despite Peel’s support the albums achieved little success, although the band did become popular on the UK university and college circuit. Their public performances included a 1969 tour when they opened for Led Zeppelin. I saw them at the Bath Festival that same year. They also toured the US but did not attract much acclaim from US critics and audiences. Henri was described in performance as “bouncing thunderously and at risk to audience and fellow performers, the stage vibrating out of rhythm beneath him.”
