Sheffield’s Lyric Festival is now in its second year, and the week-long festival celebrating the spoken and written word has brought a prize-winning array of writers to the truly atmospheric surroundings of St George’s lecture theatre. This year’s highlights included Jackie Kay, John Agard and astounding dub-poet Linton Kwesi Johnson.
2012’s Lyric Festival has also expanded to collaborate with the University’s Department of Music, resulting in the diverse range of vinyl record covers now on display in the Jessop West foyer. The theme of the ‘lyric’ runs through all of the works on display, from popular and classical music to musicals. This serves to highlight the variant yet complimenting aspects of each form: the beat lyricism of Bob Dylan’s ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ nestles beside the similarly sublime spoken word album ‘Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths’.
A informative hand-out also accompanies the exhibition, explaining the background and selection process behind each album, and includes Youtube links to tracks of note from individual albums. An innovative and original range of works, and a testimony to the inspirational nature of the Lyric festival.
7/10