RHYTHM & POETRY

When beats, bars and voices collide

Rhythm and Poetry brings Middle & Thumb to the Chapels of Rest at Stroud Cemetery for an hour of musicians, spoken-word artists and sonic experimenters working in the same room. The festival describes a meeting of beats, bars, riffs, lyric and voices, with the artists making the set together.

The collective features Chaka Tomalin-Hayles, Mercedes White, SollE, Lenzo, TSantana and Joshua O'Cathasaigh. There is a useful spread of approaches here: SollE works across poetry, lyric and music production, Lenzo moves between poetry, storytelling, visual design and music, while TSantana links spoken word and rap with personal stories about inequality and injustice.

That makes this a live performance for listeners who like their poetry with a pulse and their music with words to wrestle with. It takes place in the historic, listed Chapels of Rest, so expect a distinctive setting rather than a conventional arts room.

Ticketed. Book through the organiser.

Friday 16 October 2026 · Chapels of Rest, Stroud Cemetery, Bisley Rd, Stroud GL5 1HJ · Starts 16:00