HENRY Raby’s punk-fuelled show explores the line between conformity and rebellion by focusing on the story of Vandal Raptor, a fictitious four-piece band whose members we find ten years after they were at the peak of their anarchy as we learn how they have since adapted (or not) to adult life.

I was pleasantly surprised at how York performance poet Raby managed to celebrate punk subculture while also acknowledging its flaws and of subcultures in general. His vivid use of description and ability to illustrate a scene meant that it felt like the four characters in the story were in the room with us and despite him taking on the role of them all, you could feel the differences in their personalities and their quirks.

Raby’s show, although often light-hearted and funny, does deliver a powerfully raw message about conformity, and without making his audience feel guilty, he acknowledges that people do what they can to survive. He encourages people to rebel where they can, even in the smallest of ways, and it’s this theme of acceptance that really makes the show a success.

Review by Rebecca Fraser