Catching the Cascade

It's surprising that Paul Lyalls is only putting out his first collection of poetry now, having been a long-standing staple of the live poetry scene for over a decade. Well, at least it has now arrived. Exploring the motifs of childhood, love, consumerism, second hand cars and his native North, Lyalls paints a breathless montage of warm and atmospheric images to absorb.

From the scathing 'God's Coffee', which rails against the flimsiness of iconography to the poignant, short and moving 'First Winter Without My Father', there is a nice balance between humour and drama, between form and breathless punchiness. Lyalls' writing has benefitted from years of performance, and there isn't a word wasted as each road-tested poem presents a taught stronghold on the page. His influences, from film to punk to childhood are all explored with clarity and verve with his anti-consumerism reworking of the Lord's Prayer, 'The Label's Prayer' being Lyalls at his spikiest. Also being in a legion of quiffs alongside Stewart Lee, Mark Kermode and formerly Mark Lamarr, Lyalls presents an ode to hair-raising follicles in 'Quiff.'

It's a warm and welcoming collection of poems and one that should be read and reread, especially if you've seen Lyalls live. Hopefully collection 2 isn't too far away.