House of Figs is a collaboration between Beth Calverley (The Poetry Machine) and Beth Roberts (Hands of the Heron / Hedera / Tryani Collective). Beth Roberts conjures soundscapes with her voice and pedalboard, creating an otherworldly choir around Beth Calverley’s tenderly powerful poetry.
The duo draws listeners close through their emotional honesty, audience co-created improvisation, and collective singing. Their live set combines material from their gig theatre show, The Awkward Guide to Friendship, with adaptations of poems from Calverley’s collection Brave Faces & Other Smiles, which Benjamin Zephaniah described as “a great collection with an honest, real theme.” An ADHD powerhouse, they usually weave in some last minute fresh material that has excited them while trying to focus on rehearsing their setlist.
Beth and Beth hold parallel roles as Poet & Musician in Residence at University Hospitals Bristol & Weston NHS Foundation Trust. From hospitals to festivals, they aim to create a held space wherever they perform, illuminating the value of care for ourselves and others. They have headlined events at Lyra Bristol Poetry Festival and Komedia Bath, and performed at Shambala, HowTheLightGetsIn, Green Man, WOMAD, Good Grief and Bristol Harbour Festival.