A Quick Chat With Flash Poetry
Flash Poetry arrives with Reality, Now, a genre bending debut album out now that blends hip hop, roots, psych rock, reggae and jazz into a clear eyed reckoning with modern life. Across twelve tracks, Nico Lim cuts through overstimulation and cultural noise with warm grooves, live band energy and incisive lyricism that questions the myths we live by. It is reflective, gritty, playful and deeply human, shifting between spoken word, rap and melody as it explores meaning in an age that makes meaning hard to hold. We caught up with Flash Poetry to talk about the album, its themes and more.
Can you tell us what this album means to you and what you want people to take away from it?
Reality, Now is the antidote to reality TV. My mission was to record a genre-bending album that fuses hip-hop, spoken word and an eclectic mix of alt/psych-rock instrumentation. Colliding the hyper-modern with the ancient, the album seeks to tell the story of modern humans in a time of great transformation and upheaval.
Who were some of your influences coming into this album and why?
I love the idea of mixing philosophy and poetry with live band rap. Kae Tempest. Milo. John O’Donahue. Alan Watts. Deca. The common theme with these artists is that they are all poets and philosophers.
What's the creative process for you, from writing through to recording?
It often begins with an idea, something philosophically striking—how to tell the human story from Big Bang to Big Mac in four minutes; a dystopian future where the current trends of corporate sponsorship, social media addiction and the industrial entertainment complex are taken to their furthest extent. It usually begins as pages of writing, which I then whittle down into some verses and then create the music for.
What are some of the key things to consider when improvising rap and spoken word?
The art of improvisation for me is mainly a way of connecting with the audience and myself in the moment. It is a process of navigating self-judgement, fear and ultimately winning over the inner critic. If you can do that, magic ensues.
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?
Kae Tempest, hands down. They have been a north star for me ever since I discovered them and they were the one that really put the genre of storytelling spoken word/rap on the map. Pure lyrical prowess with none of the braggadocio.
When not working on music, what other creative outlet/s do you have?
First and foremost I am writer and a poet, but apart from writing I have been experimenting with hosting events and my own monthly open mic (Holy Fools @ Trainscendence), I love the idea of holding and moving a crowd with no music, the great stand up comedians are very inspiring.
Who are some local bands we should check out?
Indi the Giant. Kudos. Felix Leunig and the Looming Feelings.
Winter or summer and why?
Winter, no question. The season of poets and introverts. Nothing worse than trying to write a poem in the seething heat, with the sun screaming at you to go to the beach or do something else typically fun.
Now we are at the end of 2025, do you have anything planned for 2026 yet?
I’ll continue hosting my Holy Fools Open Mic and will be gigging around the place. I have had an idea to do more gigs with a live band that are intimate and completely improvised. The last few of these have been pretty special and I think creating an intimate space where I can let loose a bit with some great musos is at the top of the list.