ODDies awards night to present something different with spoken word

Want a gig that contains spoken word, satire, political dissent…and wait for it – professional wrestling? The ODD support group has it all when they present their Inaugural ODDie Awards & ODD Ball next Saturday, the 29th at Revolt Artspace in Kensington.

ODD stands for Oppositional Disobedience Disorder and is a kind of joke ‘disorder’ as a way of highlighting political dissidents and critics. The organisers said, “The ODDies are, of course, a dig at awards ceremonies as well as a chance to acknowledge those who are struggling to create a better world. Many of those who suffer with Oppositional Disobedience Disorder die young or are incarcerated for much of their lives. Some have been murdered, while others, given support and access to creative forms of Direct Action and political franchise, have been able to live long productive lives.”

There’s a whole bunch of spoken word artists presenting, where they’ll perform some poems and present an award. And it’s MC’d by the editor MelbourneSpokenWord.com, as his alter-ego, Mr 99% Bolshi Ben Solah, with two-times Commonwealth games participant, Oddie Grrl.

Spoken word presenters include such as Angry Randall Stephens, Steve ‘Smarty’ Smart, Pope Fred, ReVerse Butcher, James ‘The Beast’ Jackson, and Matthew James. With some performers, including the MCs, Randall Stephens and James Jackson planning to heighten the night’s excitement by wrestling.

The night is sure to be odd in a good way and rumour has it that this mix of spoken word and wrestling could be a trial run for something bigger in the future.

So it’s at Revolt Artspace, 12 Elizabeth Street, Kensington from 6.30pm. There’s a Facebook event and to help fund the night, the ODD support group have set up a Pozible page with some cool rewards from hugs on the night to Poetical Ukelele Burlesque from George O’Hara.

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Annie Solah

Annie Solah is a writer, poet, spoken word artist, activist and the Director of Melbourne Spoken Word. She grew up in Western Sydney before calling Melbourne home in 2008, where she's performed since 2010 around Melbourne's regular spoken word and poetry nights including Passionate Tongues, The Dan Poets, Voices in the Attic and House of Bricks as well as the NGV and White Night. She's released a chapbook, broken bodies, and two spoken word albums, Duel Power with Santo Cazzati and The World Doesn't Make Sense EP.