Antony Smierek

For Antony Szmierek, sincerity is everything. “I’m not being ironic, using a persona or wearing a mask, my music is just me expressing myself honestly,” he says. “There’s nowt to hide behind. It’s sincerity on overdrive–a space where people can connect with each other.

”The past few years have been a wild ride for the Manchester-based poet, writer and producer. Cutting his teeth on the Manchester spoken word scene and gaining notoriety for his seamless flow skewering everything from the hardships of contemporary British life to finding the unexpected beauty in the everyday, it was the 2023 release of his single “The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Fallacy” that kicked off his meteoric ascent.Set against thebackdrop of a pounding kick drum and club-ready synths, Szmierek lets loose a stream ofconsciousness that lays out his vision of musical vulnerability and communal escapism,saying on the track: “Everything’s ironic now, post-post-punk. Take me away.”