Poetry, song and art - an evening with Gabriel Moreno and ‘Gibraltar’

I started this note as a record, as much for myself as for those who might have been interested, of Gabriel Moreno’s evening of poetry and song at El Kasah in Gibraltar on the very last day of February, a month characterised this year by dark skies, torrential rain, storms, and a world that is spiralling into conflict and chaos. But it turns out that, as I reflect on the evening (yes, on a Monday morning, because at my age, more than a couple of beers and a late Saturday night means a day lost on Sunday!) I got a lot more out of the event than entertainment, as did, I think, most people there.

Gabriel, with his publisher, Rafael Peñas Cruz of Goat Star Books, are on tour to introduce the world to their new publication, “Gibraltar”, a collection of poetry offered in three languages: English, Spanish and Llanito. The evening of song and wine and poetry, music, the meeting of friends and the making of new ones followed the ‘official’ launch the previous day at BOOKgem. This cold and dismal Saturday night would be about setting the tour on fire, about passion and about the power of language to inform, to move and to awaken emotions.

The venue, El Kasbah, in Castle Steps in Gibraltar is small, cosy, a cave within a city on a mountain renowned for its caves. It used to be a bar called The Hole in the Wall. Some people still call it The Hole in the Wall, and it literally is, a hole carved into the old city wall. It is small and intimate, you cannot hide in there, you can’t help but meet and greet and socialise and suddenly find yourself among friends, because Gibraltarians, beuno, somos acojedores, friendly, exciteable, we were all there to celebrate one of Gibraltar’s best talents and, goodness me, do we love good food, good wine, and good music.

Gabriel Moreno at El Kasbah getting the audience warmed up

I arrived early and, although not early enough to get a seat at one of the few tables that fit in the place, I did get a chance to nose around the artworks on display around the walls. Aaron Soleci, the exhibiting artist was there, and we chatted as I delved into his art which delivers layer after layer of meaning on each canvas, a complexity that draws you in until you find yourself engaged in a world both alien and disturbingly familiar. I asked him about some of the repeated motifs and he shrugged and said, “I have no idea, much of my work comes from a stream of consciousness.” A bit like the poem I presented that evening, just before the interval, words which had just come to me and flowed from my pen in a matter of minutes, a poem I had set aside and never aired till that night because I thought that if it was that easy to write, it couldn’t have any real merit. Aaron knows otherwise, though, something that has taken me years to appreciate. “Sometimes, the art travels into the world through the artist.” he said. The canvases speak of his talent and the exhibition is worthy of regular visits.

As Gabriel finished prepping, we squeezed into gaps in the room. I found a stool near the front because I had no idea when Gabriel was going to call me up to take my turn. I was to read one of the poems from his book, The Underdog. What an apropos poem to choose; poets are often underdogs, often to be found lurking at the margins of life. It was a powerful piece and I hope I did it justice.

Sitting next to us was a very pleasant lady from England with her husband. It turned out this was Morag Butler, a fantastic singer and guitarist, who happened to be back from opening for The Libertines in Paris, and had joined Gabriel to support his book tour. She performed solo, and she performed with Gabriel and she was amazing. The audience was already relaxed and appreciative. They had listened to Gabriel reading his poems in English, and Rafael reading his Spanish translations of them, showcasing the talent of the translator, turning words in one language into poetry with its own rhythm and musicality in another, and to some of Gabriel’s popular songs. They warmed to Morag instantly. They joined in the chorus of Night of the Hunter with her and sang along with her version of version of England all over again, which is rapidly becoming a local anthem, a way of Gibraltar clearly showing disapprobation for England’s imposed Brexit chaos and hardships and suggesting a different course. Perhaps it takes Gibraltar to help create a new England, said Gabriel, perhaps in jest, but it often takes someone on the outside to help you see your way out of the fog that mires your inside.

I read my own poem, Song for Sanctuary, to Gabriel’s playing guitar softly as a backdrop, which I think helped the emotion of the story I was telling flow out to the audience. I was nervous to read it. I thought that because I penned it so quickly and never really edited it, that it was trite, facile, a little trivial. Given the news that morning of more conflict and war, and a feeling of ‘here we go again’ that I carried with me all day, I followed my impulse and chose it. It went down well and the best feedback of the evening I got was someone coming up to me to thank me for saying what I said in that poem, “it touched me, it sank into my heart and moved me.” There were tears in her eyes. I think if a poem does that, then as a poet you have done your job just right by bringing the poem into the world and sharing it. It also reminded me that sometimes you just have to take the plunge, risk it all and let others respond to your work.

It was a glorious evening of sheer celebration of poetry and of Gibraltar and of music, a sense of camaraderie and warmth that embraced us all, and as someone who tends to hold herself just on the outside of social circles, it was a wonderful experience. All I can say, is thank you to Gabriel and Rafael, not just for a great evening out, but for writing such a tremendous collection of poems, in our various languages, such an important feat in itself.

I leave you with a few words of tribute to For The Underdog, some images of the evening and me, doing my bit:

"This song is for the underdog

marginalised in the school patio,

shunned by the fashion roulette,

whose tail was caught in the future,

-never succumb to the pack. -”

(from For the Underdog, Gibraltar, 2026)

Rafael Peñas Cruz treating us to one of his Spanish translations of Gabriel’s poems

Morag Butler singing that We can Write England all Over Again (and yes we can!)

And below is me, Jackie Anderson, from an unflattering angle, doing my thing!