Poejazzi returns to Southbank Centre and kicks off its Year of the Poet [詩人] season with a packed hour-long show featuring four magnificent acts, either emerging or established, from the worlds of poetry and music. Poetic duties will be attended to by Alex Gwyther, whose wit recalls that of the Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner, and Ventriloquist - a mix between Gil Scott-Heron and Jack Kerouac - who last year read regularly on BBC Radio One. There'll be music from Ed Sheeran, the superb singer-songwriter who though only 18 just supported Just Jack on his UK tour, and Heidi Vogel, whose Nina Simone-meets-bossa nova vocals have graced the Royal Albert Hall and other stages with the Cinematic Orchestra. Not to be missed, this special edition of Friday Tonic is a curtain-raiser for the Henry Rollins show in the RFH later the same evening.

Artist's Websites:

Alex Gwyther: http://www.myspace.com/thebestofthebiro
Ed Sheeran: http://www.myspace.com/edsheeran
Heidi Vogel: http://www.myspace.com/heidilevo
Ventriloquist: http://www.myspace.com/ventriloquistmusic

ABOUT "THE YEAR OF THE POET[詩人]":
In 2010, Poejazzi presents "The Year of the Poet [詩人]": a 12-month programme of events to highlight and celebrate the brilliance of the spoken word and music scene, during which Poejazzi will team up with several of the UK's foremost live entertainment venues. Confirmed venues - so far - include the Camden Crawl, the Ministry of Sound, the Southbank Centre, and The Roundhouse; where Benin City will launch their debut EP in March. (In other words, stay tuned!)

ABOUT "POEJAZZI":
"London's premier spoken word and music night" - Southbank Centre
"Consistently blinding: *****" - Edinburgh Fringe Festival (2007, 2008)
"No.1 Critics' Choice" - TimeOut

Poejazzi, one of the leading entertainment nights in the UK, brings artists supremely gifted with words and music to new audiences; previous performers have included Beardyman, Dockers MC, Jamie Woon, Natty and Scroobius Pip. This superb show, consistently sold-out through the three years of its life, provides a platform for the country's best emerging talent. Poejazzi is presented and promoted by three of the UK's finest performance poets, Joshua Idehen, Inua Ellams, and Musa Okwonga, whose work is both acapella and accompanied by music. They have been featured by BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, BBC6 Music, Xfm, Q Magazine Radio, The Times, The Sunday Times, The Scotsman, Channel4.com, Prospect and Attitude magazines; they have performed at the Royal Albert Hall and the 2008 EU Energy Summit; and they have been commended for their contribution to live literature to Her Majesty the Queen.