November 9, 2026 |
We hear it constantly: young people aren’t going out anymore. Clubs are struggling to sell tickets, pubs midweek are dead, twentysomethings are picking up weights over pints.
While there’s a sliver of truth to all that, the capital’s youth are finding new ways to get together, even if it doesn’t involve alcopops and sticky dancefloors. Throughout London, there has been a boom in the literary scene, with reading nights popping up across the city. No two are the same. There are poetry slams, pickand-mix variety shows, trans healthcare fundraisers and basement shindigs where you can hear both smutty fanfics and queer theory over a couple of G&Ts. You never know, you might end up even copping off with a fellow words fan? What the following nights have in common is that you’re guaranteed to hear excellent pieces of writing from some of the capital’s most exciting scribes. Wise words all round.
from left: Alice Eyre and Kaz De Roiste
GAG ORDER
In the basement of a pub in Islington you’ll find Gag Order, a word-led night where “people get 10 minutes to do whatever they want”. Orchestrated by Alice Eyre and Kaz De Roiste, the regular get-together is a mismatch of poetry, storytelling, performance, talks and readings that make it a standout in the literary space.
Why did you start Gag Order?
We started it at the end of last year because we couldn’t find something we actually wanted to go to. A lot of nights feel a bit pretentious or like you’re just there to watch and leave. We wanted something more open. We build in proper breaks and like to emphasise that people [should] talk to strangers to meet each other and mingle. This isn’t a night for status seekers, it’s a night for performers to experiment and audiences to discuss what they’ve seen and felt with the performers and everyone else. You come back and start recognising people, which feels quite rare in London.
What inspired you when making Gag Order?
It was more about a feeling than a format. We knew what kind of room we liked being in: something relaxed, where people feel comfortable, and we built it around that. The fact that The Regent in Islington does two-for-one pints of Guinness helps… We didn’t want it to feel like a scene or something you had to navigate. It should feel easy to walk into. There’s space for all of us and we want to cater to people who might be daunted by a night of readings or performances. Our entire goal is to create a space for working-class creatives to flourish and build something.
What sort of stories will we hear on the night?
We’ve had people speak about their experiences with immigration, queer archiving and cultural identity, alongside funny pieces about mothers and the TV Licensing man, more emotional work about where they belong, and more experimental performances including vaping from a silicone tit. Some of it’s moving, some of it’s funny, some of it’s a bit unhinged. That’s kind of the point. Our aim is to sit right in the middle of absurdity and sincerity. That mix keeps it interesting and uniquely ours.
What sort of people are coming?
Honestly, the friendliest people in London. People come on their own and end up staying, talking, coming back. We get messages the next day saying how welcoming it felt and how it’s inspired them to stay up until some ungodly hour in the morning writing their own poetry – which is exactly what we want.
What’s been a memorable moment from previous Gag Order nights?
One that stayed with us was a speaker named Genny who talked about reconnecting with their culture in Montserrat. They talked about how it has the only St. Patrick’s Day bank holiday outside of Ireland, and how after a volcanic eruption the population is only around 4,300. There were loads of Irish people in the audience so it really resonated, but then someone from Montserrat who didn’t know the performer was actually there. It felt like one of those moments you couldn’t plan – genuine emotion and community building, not just the hollow words of these ideas!
Why should we come to the next one?
Because something always happens that you can never expect. You might hear something that stays with you, see someone try something for the first time or leave thinking you want to get up and do it yourself.
Photography by Lydia Garnett. Taken from 10 Men Issue 64 – FUTURE, LEGACY, HERITAGE – out NOW. Order your copy here.
