Review – Anthropoetry

Anthropometry is the measurement of the human form, which these days is more about ergonomics than phrenology. Ben Mellor takes a poetic approach to the discipline to work out what is in the measure of a person. With help from his body-double, Dan Steele, he crafts anatomical polemics which take inspiration from our insides.This is clever, constructed hip hop: my personal favourite piece is the respiration poetry. Ben starts with a loop of his own breathing, then layers on top his glottal stops, dental fricatives and plosive consonants into a backing track of reconstructed vocalisation. In other poems the spleen comes to represent our petty irritations, and the gastrointestinal system becomes a metaphor for the workings of government. The wordplay is smart, but it’s also a lot of fun.

Anthropoetry is getting some well-deserved positive press, but not enough people are checking it out to make the trip from the UK worthwhile for Ben and Dan. Go see this under-appreciated show while you can, they may not be back next year.