POET, theatre maker and award-winning artist Hannah Silva will play York's Say Owt night on May 15 on her Talk In A Bit album launch tour.

That night, Say Owt will be joining forces once more with the prominent British spoken-word organisation Apples and Snakes at The Basement, City Screen. "We’re bringing a wealth of talent to York, merging spoken word, music and technology in a well-crafted and breath-taking combination," says the co-organiser, York performance poet Henry Raby.

Talk In A Bit is Silva's debut record, made after Swiss producer Alan Alpenfelt saw her perform at the Edinburgh Book Festival. Inspired by her rhythmical energy and vocal skills, he invited her to be the flagship artist on his new label, Humankind, and the album was subsequently recorded in a week of free improvisation at the La Sauna Recording Studio on Lake Varese, Italy.

Alpenfelt introduced Silva to the acrobatic drumming of Swiss percussionist Julian Sartorius, the electronic virtuosity of Italian composer Luca Martegani and the noise distortions of Swiss cellist Zeno Gabaglio. The result is a "raw and powerful album, where drums, vocals, electronics and cello are treated as liberated objects smashing and weaving into each other with tremendous yet elegant force" as Silva’s words explore the female body, sexuality, power and pain.

“There was a moment before we started improvising when I thought it wasn’t going to work," says Silva. "I did some of my poetry, and Julian Sartorius – who Alan [Alpenfelt] had been so enthusiastic about me working with – said he just didn’t get it. He said he couldn’t hear the need for percussion. Fast forward a few hours and several improvisations later, Julian and I were standing outside having a break, I was messing around with articulations, he was tapping with his drum sticks, and he went ‘yeah, you use your voice like a drummer’.

"He was delighted. Working with Julian, Zeno and Luca pushed me to think like a musician. The actual language is not improvised, but I have composed with the sounds of the words, the sequencing and the pace. This experience enabled me to compose poetry out loud in dialogue with sounds and rhythms."

Silva will perform in York as part of a five-date tour that reunites the album's international musicians with Silva. As well as live versions of Talk In A Bit tracks, the evening will introduce a short new duet, Pluto, wherein Silva will team up with Japanese sound poet Tomomi Adachi, who has designed infra-red sensor jackets enabling the two vocal virtuosos to collide sounds and meanings through gesture.

Support will come from York poet David Jarman, who will test out new material from his upcoming solo show, produced by York company Common Ground Theatre and directed by Ruby Clarke. His show recounts his experience of walking the Pennies coast-to-coast walk and the people he met and places he visited along the way.

Admission to May 15's 7.30pm Say Owt show costs £7 on the door.