The Godfather of Punk Poetry, Dr John Cooper Clarke, performs live at The Pavilion Theatre as part of his Have It Tour 2026.
Dr John Cooper Clarke is playing The Pavilion Theatre on Tuesday 20 October, part of his Have It Tour 2026. He's a British cult hero known as the 'Godfather of Punk Poetry' and the original 'people's poet', and his work has left its mark on literature, music and fashion.
If you've come across him through the music, you've probably heard I Wanna Be Yours. It's cited as the world's most popular wedding poem and has passed a billion streams as an Arctic Monkeys hit, and Clarke wrote a 120k-selling memoir of the same name. The rest of his work is biting, satirical, political and very funny verse, delivered in a rapid-fire performance style that sat right with the punk movement; he toured with seminal bands like The Sex Pistols and The Clash before drawing large crowds in his own right. He's cited as a major influence by artists including Alex Turner, The Sleaford Mods and Plan B, and his number Evidently Chickentown plays out the penultimate episode of The Sopranos.
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It's a good night if you fancy poetry that doesn't take itself too seriously and hits hard. The show starts at 19:30 at The Pavilion Theatre, 121 Renfield Street, Glasgow City Centre G2 3AX, with tickets from £35.48 including the booking fee.
