Review by Figen Gungor of the "Telling Our Stories" event at the Donkey Pub, Leicester

The Donkey Pub

Telling Our Stories – Everybody’s Reading Event

Wednesday 30th September – 7:30pm

KGB Jazz, Harry Whitehead, Mellow Baku ft Marcus Joseph

Entering the pub at around 8:40pm, I walked in on KGB Jazz’s performance. A four man (well two being female) jazz band – their attitude lively and their music filled with even more life. The band members had great chemistry with one another and this was reflected through their music filled with mellow harmonies. The lead singer sported some rather joyous footwork.


Next on stage was Dr Harry Whitehead, who was the main focus of the Everybody’s Reading event and the main reason for my trek down to the small but cosy The Donkey Pub. He announced that his short story may put a downer on the previous spectacle. His short story was a comedic-but-grim-at-times gripping tale about fatherhood and the idea of family with hilarious pop culture references. A Father that had abandoned his family left behind a mangled mess of confusion and hurt brewing within the mind of his son. A son still looking for validation from his Father who has given up on any sort of connection causes awkward and forced conversations and a feeling of humorous empathy within the audience.

To brighten the mood Mellow Baku entered the stage, a beautifully charming character with a beautiful voice sang songs entailing many controversial topics such as police brutality, racism and the idea of one being free. She called upon stage Marcus Joseph, a Jazz musician who she had collaborated with on his latest album. Together they were a wonderfully delightful duo to listen to.

Overall the night was spectacular.

About the reviewer
Figen Gungor is currently a first year undergraduate student studying English at the University of Leicester at the late age of 21. When she isn’t busy studying she enjoys drinking tea at cute local cafes with a not so cute horror novel. She is currently working on finishing a transgressive fiction novel.