Watch!-Nostalgia- A visual poem, that truly highlights the beauty of the spoken word. Writen by: Jo

The art of poetry is overlooked nowadays. Either considered a snooty exercise for the uber-cool or a cringey thing you wrote to that person you fancied when you were 14. There doesn’t seem much poetry can add to a world already overfilled with rap mix tapes and 140 character rants.

However, the video Nostalgia truly highlights the beauty of the spoken word, whilst remaining cool, unpretentious and authentic. It’s a super atmospheric 2 minutes directed by Judith Veenendaal, beautifully choreographed to transient music, a deep colour pallet and a even deeper words.

The poem is wrote by spoken word artist Johnny B.A.N.G. Reilly. He’s an MMA fighter, caked in face tattoos and has gritty London accent. Maybe not the typical picture of a poet. Definitely reckon he could have Keats.

Nostalgia is the most polished of Johnny Reilly’s work. He’s an enigmatic and intriguing guy. The 50 year old uses the name B.A.N.G, which stands for Born. Alive. I make Noise. Then i’m Gone. Along with fighting drug addiction and homelessness throughout his life, he is now a poet, filmmaker, music producer and, as mentioned, a MMA fighter. He was also featured on a documentary for VICE’s FightLand. His own biography on his website captures what he’s really about, though, check out his image bio below

write up by: Tom Hale