Summer With Monika

Fifty years ago in 1967, Roger McGough published Summer with Monika - a magical, iconic tale of love. Taking its title from Ingmar Bergman's classic 1953 film, the suite of interlinked poems paints an honest and touching portrait of a romantic love affair from the delicious intimacy of the honeymoon, with the milk bottles turning to cheese on the doorstep, through the stage of quarrels, jealousy, recriminations and boredom, to the point where love is as nice as a cup of tea in bed.

In 1978 McGough (often dubbed Liverpool's own Poet Laurete) and his long-time accompianist / guitarist Andy Roberts arranged the poems into a suite of songs. Roberts (Liverpool Scene, Plainsong, Roy Harper's Trigger & Pink Floyd) assembled a cast of some of the finest British rock musicians - including Zoot Money, Pat Donaldson, Timi Donald and John Megginson; with arrangements by Robert Kirby and under the production of John Leckie, the resulting album was released on the legendary Island label.

During the Liverpool '50 Summers of Love' Festival Roger McGough and Andy Roberts together with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra's new music group, Ensemble 10/10, will perform Robert's original arrangements as McGough reads his epic poem.