Last week, inside the grand halls of the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, an unmistakably Manchester moment unfolded.
In front of a worldwide audience brought together by people development organisation Insights, Matt Concannon – known to many locally as The Thirsty Poet – performed a powerful tribute to community, collaboration, and the character of Manchester.
Spoken word artist Matt’s new piece, produced in collaboration with Insights, was performed in three parts across the organisation’s three-day leadership event attended by delegates from as far as the US and South Africa. This culminated in a full-length performance that wrapped up the conference.
Titled around the theme of “achieving together,” Matt’s new work blends the identity of Manchester with the values of Insights – a company that help individuals and teams grow through greater self-awareness, using its colour-based psychometric tool Insights Discovery.
For Matt the collaboration was a creative alignment.
“Insights found one of my videos about Manchester coming out of lockdown,” Matt recalls.
“They said they resonated with the story wanted to create something for their own organisation around achieving together, growing together. And of course, where better to do that than Manchester?”
Manchester: The Muse That Keeps on Giving
It’s no coincidence that Manchester’s energy runs through the heart of Matt’s poetry. Raised in Salford, he speaks with unmistakable pride about the region’s ever-evolving character – its rich industrial past and its people’s ability to shape new futures in old spaces.
“Manchester is constantly changing, and it’s the people who’ve made that change happen. You see it in the mills being turned into creative hubs.”
That belief in community and creativity runs throughout his work – from performing at The Lowry and The Refuge to working with Salford City FC and the National Football Museum. Whether it’s a school in Moss Side, an art gallery in Whitworth, or a pub in the Northern Quarter, Matt’s spoken words have found their place across Manchester.
Whether he’s writing about football, mental health, or the rituals of everyday life, he tells stories that are shaped by the streets he walks and the people he meets.
The Art of Collaboration
From sharing his own personal poetry in 2019, Matt has moved to collaborating with organisations like Insights to help them express their voice through spoken word. Far from a one-size-fits-all approach, he invests in deeply understanding the language, values, and culture of the businesses he partners with.
“I always start with a theme – in the case of Insights achieving together – and then I dive into the organisation’s world. I ask for the phrases, the stories, the language that reoccurs. What do their people say? What matters to them? From there, I build a narrative arc, so the piece feels like a journey that reflects their message.”
In the case of Insights, Matt was given the freedom to shape something heartfelt and original. Drawing inspiration from Manchester’s spirit of resilience and unity, he wove together themes of community, leadership and growth, all underpinned by the human connections that power great teams.
“Each client is different,” he explains.
“Sometimes the brief can be very specific, which can limit creative freedom. But Insights gave me a wave to ride. Their openness allowed me to do what I do best – tell a story that feels real and rooted.”
The result was a poetic trilogy that grew across the days of the conference. From local references that captured the city’s industrial heritage to universal reflections on working together across borders, Matt’s words left a lasting impact. On the final day, delegates were quoting lines from earlier in the week – a testament to how deeply the poetry had resonated.
Giving a Voice to the Everyday
Matt’s journey into spoken word began not in a classroom, but in a gym. As a trained actor, he always had a love for performance and rhythm, but it was while observing behaviours around body image and masculinity in his local gym that he first found his poetic voice.
“I struggled in school and didn’t feel I could express myself creatively. Poetry in particular felt like something I couldn’t relate to. But I think this was in the way it was taught from the same stained and dog-eared textbooks. Because poetry is music. Its lyrics. It’s rap. It’s asking questions about the world and seeing if others feel the same.”
That mission – to ask questions, open dialogue, and give people a voice – continues to drive him. Whether it’s with an organisation like Insights or a classroom full of teenagers, he believes everyone deserves to tell their story.
His alter ego, The Thirsty Poet, came to life during lockdown, when he transformed a camper van into a mobile coffee shop and bar, serving drinks and poetry along the Salford canal. It became a space for honest conversation, storytelling, and community – a concept he’s keen to return to one day.
Matt is already working on new collaborations, including a project with Two Pints Deep, a male mental health charity which will be celebrating its launch in Manchester. He’ll be using poetry to explore mental health themes and help launch conversations with their audience.
He’s also looking to produce more of his own live performances, rooted in personal experience and the stories of the Manchester communities he champions.
“I’m all about people and stories,” he says.
“If there’s a way to tie those together, that’s what I’m here for.”
And as long as Manchester keeps changing, challenging, and “achieving together,” there’s no doubt it will keep inspiring Matt Concannon.
