FESTIVAL MUSIC | Reviews
MARTIN CREED’S WORDS & MUSIC Turner Prize winner creates an engaging universe of his own ●●●●●
‘I made some notes,’ ponders Martin Creed after he’s taken to the stage, talking to himself as much as anyone else. ‘I thought it might help but I don’t know if it does. I wish I knew what was going to happen…’ Yet none of us do. Creed – who grew up in Glasgow, famously won the Turner Prize in 2001 for switching a lightbulb on and off, and is responsible for two Edinburgh landmarks in ‘The Scotsman Steps’ and ‘Everything is Going to Be Alright’ at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art – is here to talk to us about whatever comes into his head. Periodically during this late-night show, he also picks up
one of the guitars alongside him and plays something from his extensive repertoire of quirky indie tracks, or keys up occasional text-based interventions on the screen behind him. Tonight’s jumping-on theme is feelings, and how easy it is to betray yourself when your instinct to say ‘no’ is counteracted by the ease of saying ‘yes’. The words ‘NO’ and ‘YES’ flash alternately in monochrome on the screen, and Creed’s trying to find a way of merging them into some new word which sums up this sense of line-straddling uncertainty. The unscripted show makes use of pauses, not all of them dramatic, and meanders more than once. Yet the wild-haired Creed is a compelling character, and he regularly hammers home lines of glowing insight or humour (‘art galleries are like public toilets, they’re white and brightly lit and I’ve worked with dicks in a lot of them’ was a favourite) while displaying an effortless ability for pop structure and melody on songs like ‘Let’s Come to An Arrangement’ or the protest short ‘Let Them In’. He’s created a world of his own here, and those who love his work will relish the chance to step into it. (David Pollock) ■ The Studio, until 27 Aug (not 9, 15, 21), 10.30pm, £20.
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HANS: MEIN CAMP A generic evening of cabaret fun ●●●●●
ANYA ANASTASIA: ROGUE ROMANTIC Cabaret star's witty look at romance ●●●●● WILL PICKVANCE: PIANOLOGUES A deeply personal show from the Fringe’s favour- ite pianist ●●●●●
Hans pretends to be German, wears revealing outfits and sings camp versions of popular songs, sometimes changing the lyrics to give them a satirical edge. There are spectacular costume changes, cheeky exchanges with the audience and references to World War II. It’s a predictable mix of ideas previously seen in shows by Dusty Limits, Frank Sanazi and even Meow Meow. Cabaret as a genre is intimate, alluring and subversive. It relies on establishing a strong performer-punter rapport while provoking and pleasing in equal measure. Anya Anastasia takes this definition and amplifies it, with added physical theatre, witty songwriting and the occasional handstand over someone’s lap.
Despite the lack of imagination, Hans does have Rogue Romantic is a glorious romp through tales of
a few additional skills: the turn on the piano is a virtuosic display of thumping rock’n’roll, the accordion numbers are intimate and funny, and Hans keeps the party atmosphere going until the balloon heavy finale. Yet he doesn’t have a strong enough singing voice to stand out in an increasingly busy cabaret scene and the lack of bite in the humour is disappointingly predictable.
The video footage of Donald Trump is unnecessary – a trick to cover Hans’ costume changes, it’s little more than a YouTube hack – and Hans’ charm prevents the show descending into either crudeness or tedium. But until Hans discovers a voice – and trains it – this is merely a fun evening without much of an identity. (Gareth K Vile ) ■ Underbelly Med Quad, until 28 Aug, 10.15pm, £11–£13 (£10–£11).
80 THE LIST FESTIVAL 10–17 Aug 2017
love, sex and loneliness, where audience members are cast in Anastasia’s unhinged saga of romance. She teases and seduces, choosing many ‘one true loves’, before deciding she’s perfectly fine on her own. In the process, we join her in a calypso-infused apocalypse love party, a fiery flamenco inspired number and an emotional ballad of heartbreak. Backed by her all-female band, Anastasia’s
melismatic vocals deliver innuendo-filled original songs. Whether behind the piano or armed with her ukulele, her quirky take on the rollercoaster of emotions that come with being in and out of love is charming, if chaotic. She promises to make you fall in love with her and by the end, you can’t help but be swept up in the absurdity of it all. (Arusa Qureshi) ■ Assembly Checkpoint, until 27 Aug (not 14), 7.30pm, £11–£13.
Following on from his previous Fringe shows, Will Pickvance has claimed an annual space at this venue which might almost be described as a residency. It’s an ideal match of show and space, because the weary old pipes and peeling walls of Summerhall reflect perfectly the lived-in nostalgia of Pickvance’s show. He sits at a careworn piano under a vintage standard lamp and tells us stories that interweave perfectly with the continual stream of virtuoso music. For the early part of his performance, these
stories seem unrooted in any shared context, from Pickvance’s carnivalesque tale of his granddad fighting a boxing match, to his own rock’n’roll-styled story of playing backing for an Elvis impersonator, to drawing room reveries of drunken, late night sessions playing music with his father. These tales, and the show, take time to coalesce and at times they feel like almost frivolous sketches, music hall comedy tales told in an intimate piano bar manner. Yet an hour hearing Pickvance play is never wasted,
and his final, deeply personal reflection upon being a son and a father – to the sound of Schubert’s version of Goethe’s ‘Erlkönig’ (The Elf King), sung in German, no less – is worth holding on for. (David Pollock) ■ Summerhall, until 20 Aug, 7.40pm, £12 (£9).