Sound at Central x Queer Up Duck

Sound at Central x Queer Up Duck!

a night of music, poetry and drag

Friday 25 October

Nottingham Central Library

7pm

We’re taking over the library and we ain’t talking about a night of books. Queer Up Duck! is collaborating for the October Sound at Central – a night of music, poetry and drag!

You heard that right. We’ve got a great lineup of artists to ruffle those bookmarks and to get the party started. Join our host and Nottingham legend Liv as she sets the scene for an evening of local and far flung night of artists who represent the LGBTQ+ spectrum.

We’ve got poetry from award-winning Laurie Bolger, music from Nottingham based bexx, the fabulous Liv hosting, music from Ro De Le Monja and poetry from Caetano Capurro.

So what are you waiting for? Get those tickets before we spend the night entertaining the books instead of the fine folk of Nottingham.

bexx

bexx is a seriously exciting new talent in the UK pop scene. Her euphoric, genre-blending sound is "unserious heartbreak pop" of the highest order, giving fans a joyfully cathartic soundtrack for life's hurdles. Fresh from releasing 2023's "most joyously fun EP of the year" (New Music Weekly) and with a string of pop bangers already under her belt, bexx has been tipped as "one to watch" by BBC Introducing in the East Midlands, headlined the Courtyard Stage at Splendour in 2023, and supported the likes of Fickle Friends and Deco on tour. Released independently in 2021, bexx's debut single Hard To Love achieved 2.5M+ TikTok views and more than 780,000 streams. Inspired by 80's synth-pop, with a punchy bassline and epic guitar solo, Hard To Love explores the lasting impacts of a toxic relationship. Subtle as a sledgehammer, with an euphoric quality that contrasts against its lyrics' underlying vulnerability, Hard To Love marked bexx as an artist worth paying attention to from the beginning.

Liv

Liv is Nottingham’s premiere nonbinary diva, queen of cabaret, broad of broad street and THE hairiest woman in showbusiness. Alongside serving pints and face at The Lord Roberts Pub they also work on the local drag scene – bringing national drag stars to the city at the Prohibition Cabaret and platforming emerging talents at the annual Nottingham Drag Pageant. They believe in the power of sequins, sparkles and lip-syncing to bring the LGBTQ+ community together in fabulous style.

Laurie Bolger

Laurie is an acclaimed English poet, stand-up and presenter based in London. She was shortlisted for Young Poet Laureate of London in 2014 and won the 2023 International Book & Pamphlet Competition judged by Hannah Lowe. Bolger tours her writing, including her debut pamphlet collection 'Makeover, Spin and Box Rooms', and has performed at prestigious venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Old Vic Theatre, and St Paul's Cathedral.

Caetano Capurro

Caetano Capurro is a Urugayan poet who uses his experience of growing up around the world to dissect his experience with race, immigration and mental health. Performer, facilitator and event organiser he has immersed himself in the world of poetry and taken the Nottingham scene by storm. Delving in to each topic and exploring how his experience is reflected in that of the people around him, weaving rhymes and wordplay he tells his story through deconstructing he sees the world.

Ro De La Monja

Ro De La Monja is a Mexican-born, non-binary performer based in Nottingham, dedicated to creating unique and heartfelt performances. After training at the New York Film Academy, Ro had the opportunity to perform in two Off-Broadway musicals and star in three musical short films, with one of them winning Best Musical Short Film at the Nova Film Festival in Manhattan. Their journey has taken them to Mexico, Spain, and the UK, where they’ve worked as a performer and creative. Ro has also had the privilege of producing for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and spent five years producing and performing as part of Chantry Dance Company As a trustee and Creative Producer with Niche Artefact, Ro is passionate about creating inclusive spaces for artists of all backgrounds to showcase their work. Through their performances and collaborations, Ro aims to bring people together and celebrate the power of diverse voices in the arts.