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PUSSY RIOT: RIOT DAYS The revolution will not be performed ●●●●●
Between gig and theatre show, but satisfying as neither, Pussy Riot's performance sets their origin story to a rough soundtrack of pulsing electronics, tribal drumming and saxophone. With an audience happy to cheer quotations from Castro but flinching at water flicked from the stage, this event documents a revolution without provoking a reaction. The story is gripping, interspersing the detail of the group's celebrated subversion of an Orthodox ritual between fragments of a manifesto that contests Putin's manufacture of consent. Told in urgent Russian, it has the force of authentic rage and an attention to the vicious subordination of protest, while the music circles menacingly.
The interaction between audience and performers is inevitably the most fascinating part of the gig: a plea for them to behave ‘punk’ is inevitably greeted by a security guard asking an old man to step down from standing on a seat, and the reverence for Pussy Riot’s achievements – and suffering – ensures a respect for the band that cannot translate into parallel activism. The gig itself slips between brilliant storytelling and agit-prop provocation, but the ability of performance not to embody protest but tame it into a commodity is sadly too obvious. (Gareth K Vile) ■ Summerhall, until 19 Aug, 7pm, £17.50.
MODERN MAORI QUARTET: TWO WORLDS Heart and soul in every song ●●●●● AN EVENING WITH AMANDA F*CKING PALMER A show for die-hard fans ●●●●●
Imagine a Maori Rat Pack and you're half way there. Much like Sinatra and co., the Modern Maori Quartet are about more than just music. There's charisma, comedy and charm alongside slick interpretations of classic tunes mixed with traditional music. However, this isn't a straight concert; there are also elements of cabaret, theatre and dance woven into their show. It starts with sunny summer vibes but there's a story running through Two Worlds that adds another layer to the performance. There are themes of unfulfilled potential, hidden truths and the erosion of indigenous culture. In places it's genuinely funny, in others it's surprisingly poignant, as Koro, Big Bro, Uncle and Bub (aka James Tito, Matariki Whatarau, Francis Kora and Tainui Kuru) step forward to take their turn in the spotlight. The plot acts as a clever framework in which to drop covers of Elvis, Queen, Carpenters and more – all given a unique spin by the MMQ.
Unsurprisingly this group are already stars in their
native New Zealand. Whilst they are fabulous singers offering some truly lovely vocal harmonies, what really wins the audience over is the heart and soul put into every song. (Henry Northmore) ■ Assembly George Square Studios, until 27 Aug, 2.25pm, £12–£14 (£11–£13).
If you were expecting to come to Amanda Palmer’s new show and enjoy a punk rock party — then you will leave disappointed. This time Palmer insists that she’s putting on a sad show. So much so that when she previewed it earlier in the year, audience members said they left because it was just too upsetting.
Palmer presents a stripped-back set using nothing but piano, vocals and ukulele, interspersed with anecdotes about her life. Fan favourites like ‘Ampersand’, ‘Oasis’, and ‘Map of Tasmania’, are accompanied by explanations of the inspiration behind them. She also packs in plenty of material inspired by her new experiences as a mother and wife — as well as the many controversies that have overshadowed her.
Her warm demeanour and ‘one of you’ attitude has made her a cult favourite. However, long speeches about the problematic situations she’s been in (Kickstarter, not paying her band), mixed with the fact she keeps stressing it's a ‘sad’ show, makes it feel like she’s trying to make us feel sorry for her.
Ultimately, this show is for die-hard fans, not anyone looking for her to be held accountable for her dubious practices. (Katharine Gemmell) ■ Queen's Hall, 10, 17 & 18 Aug, 7pm, £26.50.
P R E V I E W S T A R G A Z E Orchestral reimagining of Boards of Canada's Hi Scores EP
Contemporary Dutch collective s t a r g a z e are grounded in contemporary classical but readily expand to absorb myriad genres. They have worked with Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth), Matthew Herbert, These New Puritans, Pantha du Prince, Bryce Dessner (The National) and many more over the years. For this year's EIF they are reinterpreting Boards of Canada's early EP Hi Scores. s t a r g a z e's guitarist, arranger and composer Aart Strootman tells us about the project: 'I've always been interested in everything released on the
Warp label. I'm a huge fan of Aphex Twin and Squarepusher and via them found Boards of Canada. I think everybody has albums they keep going back to and for me Boards of Canada might be number one. It has an orchestral quality even though it's produced by synthesisers.
'There will be 12 musicians in total [for this Edinburgh
performance]. One side is strings with bass and the other is a woodwind section. For this particular programme we added electric guitar and because it's so groove-orientated, percussion and drums. ‘[Hi Scores] is built on computers but as soon as you have
to translate that to drums or percussion there are endless possibilities, but you are also limited because some of the synthesised sounds cannot be remodelled with analogue instruments. So on one side there's the question of how do we recreate it with our instruments? And the other question is where are we limited?
'You want to stay loyal to the original but actually by combining certain instruments or creating synergy between woodwind and strings, you can get quite close to the synthesised quality.' (As told to Henry Northmore) ■ Leith Theatre, 25 Aug, 5pm, £20.
15–27 Aug 2018 THE LIST FESTIVAL 77