DESPITE a change in style from the days of the Bard, poets of differing forms delivered an eclectic eulogy on the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, with a bill topped by John Cooper Clarke - the ‘punk poet’.

The 67-year-old delivered his collection of prose from limericks to borderline love ballads, ending on ‘I Wanna Be Yours’ which was included on Arctic Monkeys’ ‘AM’ album.

In reality though, Dr Clarke, as he commonly refers to himself as, is two parts poet and one part comedian, although the latter does depend on a personal sense of humour.

He seamlessly intertwined his performance with his brand of absurdist and dark comedy, although he’d probably refer to it as ‘existential’.

In addition to the headliner, Welsh poet Claire Ferguson-Walker offered an insight into the inner workings of her mind, all expertly mastered from a female perspective.

The words of Mike Garry, a fellow north-west performer, beautifully transported the audience into important parts of his history, most of which were set against the backdrop of his youth in Manchester.

The Tramshed was packed to the rafters, and the three poets – topped off by the doctor – all so different in style but excellent in delivery, did not disappoint.