A London-based spoken word event is helping audiences re-engage with literature by hosting hybrid, immersive poetry nights.
Media consumption has been shifting towards short-form content for nearly a decade, and as consumers switch to social media and streaming services, people are less likely to read for pleasure.
Spit Nights is combatting this by hosting unconventional poetry nights that feature improv, live music and crowd collaboration.
The collective stages regular poetry nights in London, but is slowly expanding with shows in Brighton and a highly successful debut run at the Edinburgh Fringe 2026.
Their popularity – partly attributed to social media, with over 77 million views across Instagram, TikTok, and live event content bringing in attendees – has allowed them to play some of the UK’s most respected cultural venues, including The Jazz Cafe, Roundhouse, and Ministry of Sound.
This selection of traditional concert spaces is intentional, tying into their mission of making spoken word nights feel like gig nights.
Co-founder CeCe Kutevu explained: “We are trying to bring audiences in who wouldn’t ordinarily attend a poetry night.
“There’s a few different ways that we’ve been doing that, but the main thing is that we have this hybrid event, which is poetry with improvised jazz.
“We find that music is much more accessible to people, everybody wants to go out and listen to music.”
When poets take the stage, they give the band a general summary of the sound they want – for example, ‘dark indie movie soundtrack’ – before they begin.
What unfolds is a dynamic experience for everyone in the room, with the instrumentation giving the lines new life and creating a completely unpredictable soundscape.
Kutevu said: “No two shows are the same – even if you’re seeing the same act again – because of the element of improvisation with the band.
“I think that’s why people keep coming back.”
While the band is a big draw, Spit Nights also hosts events of pure spoken word.
These maintain a similar level of success due to the charismatic MC: “The host will always really hammer down into the audience how vulnerable this is for the artists and encourage them to really be supportive.
“Everybody gets huge cheers, huge rounds of applause, and some people get up there and say it’s the first time that they’ve ever done this and then the audience will go wild.”
By turning traditional recitals into a high-energy communal experience, Spit Nights is redefining poetry for a new generation.
Kutevu said: “It’s a night out, it’s cathartic, it’s creative, it inspires people to go home and do something creative themselves.”
Featured image credit: Zahra Hanif
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