Attila the Stockbroker: 40 Years in Rhyme - The Riverfront

Attila the stockbroker

Thanks/Diolch Night Out/Nosan Allan for support

Punk poet, latterly dub poet, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Attila the Stockbroker exploded into public consciousness in 1982-3 via two John Peel sessions and a Melody Maker front cover and he is now celebrating forty years earning a living doing what he loves. So far: 4000 gigs in 24 countries, some 20 CD/s LPs, eight books of poems, his autobiography ‘Arguments Yard’ (Cherry Red Books , 2015) and his collected works ‘Heart on my Sleeve’ (2021) His latest album, just out, is a dub poetry collection ’40 Years In Rhyme’ with rhythms from Kingsley Salmon and What’s Left Dub, and his previous one, 2018’s ‘Restoration Tragedy’ combines early music and punk - a lifelong ambition - with tales of the English Revolution of 1649. An output best described as eclectic. (Reviews at the bottom of the page.)

Attila’s current performance comprises spoken word, dub poetry, acoustic songs, a bit of early music on ancient instruments...and, in Wales, a smidgeon of Welsh. He’s just written his first poem in it, ‘Cerddi David’, a tribute to his late friend Dave Datblygu. Thereby hangs a tale.

In the mid Eighties Attila met up with, gigged with and befriended Welsh language punk pioneers Anhrefn and Datblygu and organised their first ever gigs in England. He has had links with the scene ever since, has done countless gigs all over Wales, and as a keen linguist he has for years nowacquired bits of Welsh from road and shop signs and the brilliant lyrics of his friend David R Edwards, poet and leader of Datblygu. David sadly died during lockdown, and as a tribute to him Attila has decided to start a project called Dim Google Translate. During his gigs in Waleshe’s going to try and pick up as much of the language as possible without recourse to the aforementioned app.