Philip Elston started performing his poetry in a bar in Düsseldorf on a snowy February night in 1985. His spoken word was accompanied by a bass guitarist.

From this simple line-up a band gradually formed. Drums and keyboards were added to form the seminal eighties band, The Crippled Flower. Several years of gigs followed, many in unusual locations such as Heartbeat, the specialist record shop in downtown Düsseldorf. The small circle of bands associated with that shop later released the independently produced cassette, A Heartbeat Rendezvous. Philip's group also played in Cologne and Amsterdam. In 1986 they were chosen to support Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians ( Robyn Hitchcock's website ) at Düsseldorf's ZAKK concert hall.

Philip was a Kraftwerk ( Kraftwerk's website ) fan before moving to Düsseldorf and he became increasingly influenced by the band as he moved in the German electropop circles of the 1980s. The hub of the movement was at the infamous Ratinger Hof nightclub in the city's Altstadt. It was a place where Philip gleaned much of the inspiration for his poetry.

The Crippled Flower split in 1988, leaving the German element to eventually become To Rococo Rot ( To Rococo Rot's website ). Meanwhile, Philip returned to the UK to read German at university. He continued with The Crippled Flower Project using backing tapes and slides to accompany his performances.

In 1994 he teamed up with Attila The Stockbroker ( Attila's website ) on a tour of Europe, beginning with an anti-fascism benefit gig in Amsterdam. Later that year Philip moved to the Land's End peninsula where he contributed greatly to the festival and cabaret scene. As one half of the poetry duo Spare Parts he travelled to perform for Manchester Poets and the Dartington Literature Festival.

Now based in Hampshire, he continues to write and recently won a prize in the Cheltenham Personified Poetry Competition for the poem Vulpes vulpes. He has also performed at the National Vegan Festival in London.