NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Entertainment

Urban poet coming to our neighbourhood

By Stephen Jewell
NZ Herald·
7 May, 2010 04:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Charlie Dark likes to put away the latest technology in favour of old-fashioned vinyl when he spins his favourite tunes. Photo / Supplied

Charlie Dark likes to put away the latest technology in favour of old-fashioned vinyl when he spins his favourite tunes. Photo / Supplied

It is hard to believe that the battered iPhone Charlie Dark places on the table between us when I meet him at a jazz cafe in London still works. But then the 39-year-old spoken word poet and musician maintains there is too much impersonal interactivity in today's high-tech world, dominated by texting, file sharing and social networking sites. He has even called his upcoming limited edition book Flying Beneath the Radar.

"There really is a kind of information overload nowadays," he says. "I get bombarded with MP3s and information about people all the time but I'm more interested in the people I find by accident or have had to search to discover. I've got to the point where I don't actually like the all-access nature of things like MySpace and Facebook."

Dark takes his cue from mysterious electronic producers like Burial, whose identity was a closely guarded secret until he was nominated for the 2008 Mercury Music Prize.

"I like the fact that they have a web presence but there isn't much information on there so you really have to strive to find out anything about them," he says. "In order to find out what I'm doing you've going to have to search a bit more."

Kiwis will be able to meet Dark in person when he participates in tonight's British Council NZ-sponsored People in Your Neighbourhood show plus the Auckland Writers and Readers Week in which he'll be taking part in panel discussions, workshops and musical performances. He will also be spinning his favourite reggae records although he won't be packing any CD-Rs or plugging in his iPod. "I'm going to be playing 7 inches, I'm playing vinyl," he declares.

Dark started DJing and penning poetry when he was 13 years old. "I've always been a musician and a writer. That's always been the career I've planned. Originally they were like two separate worlds but over the last five years, I've done more collaborative stuff."

He first set out to become a hip-hop MC but growing up in the South London suburb of East Dulwich, there were no local heroes he could emulate. "At the time, it was difficult to rap convincingly in an English accent," says Dark.

"So I figured that if I wanted to be involved in this movement I was so excited by, I would either have to do it from a musical or a lyrical point of view."

In 1991, he journeyed to New York, where he was introduced to the city's burgeoning spoken word scene and witnessed hip-hop pioneers like Mos Def and Talib Kweli in action. "I went to New York to find them. I came back to England, thinking that there was this really amazing thing happening."

He started his own night Urban Poetry Society at a Brixton art gallery, which featured performances by MCs, poets, DJs, musicians and other eclectic-minded artists. "It kind of snowballed from there," he recalls.

Dark was one half of hip-hop duo Attica Blues, who released two albums in the 1990s. Much has changed since then with the likes of Dizzee Rascal and Tine Tempah topping the charts not only in Britain but also around the world.

"It's really exciting what those guys are doing," says Dark. "I moved to East London in 1999 and I lived virtually underneath [popular pirate radio station] Rinse FM's transmitter so when Grime and UK Garage exploded, I was there. It was really interesting going to schools and seeing kids reciting MC lyrics and all the brothers writing in their bedrooms. As someone who is really into words and beats, it's really exciting to hear people writing stuff that I can relate to about areas I know and in a voice I really understand."

Dark is hoping to meet some potential future collaborators during his time in New Zealand. "I've always wanted to go there because I'm really interested in the culture. I'm really looking forward to it although I'm slightly apprehensive as I haven't been there before and don't know what to expect."

He is also considering making a more permanent move. "I think it's time for a change so I'm looking at whether I could actually live in New Zealand," he says. "I like the idea that you have countryside and cities. I'm 40 in October and I feel like I'm at the crossroads of the next phase."

PERFORMANCE

Who: Charlie Dark, British poet, writer and DJ in People in Your Neighbourhood live show

Where and when: Wintergarden, Civic Theatre, tonight from 9pm

And: At the Auckland Writers & Readers Festival

Where and when: Aotea Centre, Wednesday 10am, Sunday May 16, 4pm; Poetry Idol, Monte Cristo Room, 53 Nelson St, May 16, 7pm

Discover more

Entertainment

Arc of Ascent - <i>Circle of the Sun</i>

07 May 04:00 PM
Entertainment

Her dark materials

07 May 04:00 PM
Entertainment

Solo mum harnesses the power of one

07 May 04:00 PM
Entertainment

Lyrical craftsman mixes it up

01 Jun 10:30 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Entertainment

Entertainment

'I take all my dates there': Comedian Itay Dom's favourite spots in Auckland

17 May 05:00 PM
Premium
Entertainment

Auckland Writers Festival special: A sneak peek at Dervla McTiernan's gripping new novel

17 May 05:00 AM
Premium
Entertainment

Auckland Writers Festival special: Duncan Sarkies writes about democracy ... and alpacas

17 May 02:00 AM

Sponsored: How much is too much?

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Entertainment

'I take all my dates there': Comedian Itay Dom's favourite spots in Auckland

'I take all my dates there': Comedian Itay Dom's favourite spots in Auckland

17 May 05:00 PM

Every week we ask a well-known Aucklander for their favourite spots in the city.

Premium
Auckland Writers Festival special: A sneak peek at Dervla McTiernan's gripping new novel

Auckland Writers Festival special: A sneak peek at Dervla McTiernan's gripping new novel

17 May 05:00 AM
Premium
Auckland Writers Festival special: Duncan Sarkies writes about democracy ... and alpacas

Auckland Writers Festival special: Duncan Sarkies writes about democracy ... and alpacas

17 May 02:00 AM
Review: Bubbah shocks audiences by shaving her head at comedy show

Review: Bubbah shocks audiences by shaving her head at comedy show

17 May 01:36 AM
Sponsored: Cosy up to colour all year
sponsored

Sponsored: Cosy up to colour all year

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP