Frankly, it would be easy to dismiss some of her message, to be cynical or guarded, but I tried not to be, and I found a lot of wisdom and love in what she was saying.

The scope is epic, but the drama has the sort of exquisite fragility that only comes from brilliant writing about the most ordinary of souls. Maybe a predictable storyline, but something that works in Tempest’s favour as it feels normal, the expected outcome for people like this. The main story running through the poem, telling the story of a group of young people growing up in modern times, one the product of an affair, one unloved by his father, getting in trouble, their lives spiralling out of control and becoming more violent is brilliantly executed. One thing I noticed it that some of the wording on the audio differs from the printed version, and in most cases the words used on the audio are better. A modified version of this poem, with actors but also the poet performing an abridged/revised version of the poem, is available in an almost 12 minute film in YouTube.Our blog is written by many different voices and, although everything we share is in line with our values, some of the views expressed are personal and do not necessarily reflect the wider views of GWL. It’s the kind of story that deserves to be read all in one go, preferably with tea, and lose yourself into the world of these characters whose lives intersect in ways that are recognisable to the reader. She deftly weaves together two generations of modern families, telling stories of love, betrayal, anger and revenge with a minimum of verbiage. I could have done without the first four pages ("The myths in this city have always said the same thing - /about how all we need is a place to belong", etc. Winner of the Ted Hughes Prize for innovation in poetry, Kae Tempest’s Brand New Ancients plays with mythology to tell the story of young people in modern times as their lives spiral out of control.

Purtroppo la resa italiana non rende la musicalità dell'originale che, a mio modesto parere, costituisce un altro aspetto geniale del modo di raccontare la storia di Kate Tempest. Kate Tempest is also skilled at evoking complete scenes from rather minimalist descriptions and at creating vivid imagery. The one thing Tempest did not manage to achieve quite so successfully, in my opinion, was the ‘plot’ of her poem and especially its links to ancient heroism. Their debut novel, "The Bricks That Built The Houses", sold in a highly competitive auction to Bloomsbury and was published in territories including the UK, US, France, Holland and Brazil in Spring 2015. They received Mercury Music Prize nominations for both of the albums Everybody Down and Let Them Eat Chaos , and two Ivor Novello nominations for their song-writing on The Book of Traps and Lessons .Most impressive though is how it tells a story, draws you in and makes you forget that you are reading a poem. I don't particularly want to discourage others from reading, just don't expect what I expected based on the other works I mentioned.

Un'umanità, quella di Tempest, primordiale e barbara che ha forti legami con l'arcaico e con l'antichità. I'm well impressed with this one, reminds me at times of Ginsberg's Howl, the short lines, long lines and repetition give you a feeling of constantly changing direction.

I have bought her play "Wasted" which is also brilliant and I'm waiting for the new album which I have already heard so much of on Radio 6. We can recognise the events which lead to these outcomes, and this could give us the tools and the insight to change the narrative to make the best of what could be a bad situation. Brand New Ancients is a narrative poem about two neighboring families and their intertwined experiences.

Kate Tempest is indeed a skilled wordsmith, and Brand New Ancients showcases the full range of her lyrical talent, stylistic repertoire, and linguistic creativity. I do not generally seek out poetry as a genre but if this is what I have been missing, I need to find more. Leggerlo in inglese dà un valore aggiunto, permette di carpire tutta la musicalità del testo originale; bella la storia delle persone comuni come noi, che ricordano le antiche divinità. I can’t really say that I’m that fond of the plot, it’s not bad in any way but after the appraisal that it was given by friends I was expecting more. It took a bit of adjusting to Kate's voice, but its a helluva story - really poignant in places, and a bit upsetting at the climax.

Brand New Ancients", their self-performed epic poem to a live score, won the Ted Hughes Award 2012 and the Herald Angel at Edinburgh Fringe. Tempest’s gods and heroes are the everyday characters, the little people who keep getting up and keep carrying on despite all odds. It tells the story of normal people the reader could easily identify with, their stories contrasted against the idea that they have the importance of Gods and are more than the roles they’ve been given by society. I was drawn to this narrative poem by the cover – Ancient Greeks toting briefcases and smart phones. I really wanted to like this idea but couldn’t help being a bit disappointed in the end because I felt that the two sides of it – the ancient myths and the variations of modern-day heroism – were only loosely connected.