LIST.CO.UK/FESTIVAL PREVIEWS & REVIEWS FESTIVAL MUSIC
LA CLIQUE ROYALE A night out with the bawdy and the beautiful ●●●●● ALI MCGREGOR’S ALCHEMY Opera-trained cabaret diva does trashy 80s hits ●●●●●
Meet the cast of freaks and uniques who gather nightly inside the wooden walls of the Spiegeltent, bathed in red lamplight, for a cabaret show with a couple of dark twists. There’s Agent Lynch – doing a sort of ‘Heidi does Carry On’ turn involving tiny cow- bells, the tune of ‘Edelweiss’ and a pint of milk. And a fairly unexpected punchline to her ditsy routine. Then there’s Mark Windmill (pictured), a bulked-up Marc Jacobs lookalike with his birds of paradise boylesque feather striptease. Mikelangelo, the self-dubbed ‘Balkan Elvis’, adds jaded weariness to his rude crooning, and Didj Wentworth writhes about gracefully on aerial straps, bare-torsoed and showered with rain (a toned-down version of the bath routine he used to perform as part of Soap! The Show).
TV magician Paul Zenon acts as a sort of comedy ringleader, compering the acts and adding tricks with everyday props including a bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale and a bowling ball. A Queen Elizabeth doppel- ganger tops and tails the show, putting the blue into blue rinse with her bawdy gags. (Claire Sawers) ■ The Famous Spiegeltent, 0844 693 3008, until 26 Aug, 9.30pm, £20 (£17).
Ali McGregor has the world’s most glittery shoes. The Australian chanteuse is keen to point them out, hoisting her leg up to show the sparkle. McGregor’s 2012 Fringe show Alchemy holds parallels with her golden choice of footwear, marrying exquisite caba- ret with dazzling ‘trash’, mostly in the form of 80s pop songs. A truly divine singer, a luscious version of ‘Tainted Love’ precedes an introduction to the three-strong band, who play the intricate melody to jazz classic ‘Making Whoopee’ while McGregor sings the lyrics to Aqua’s ‘Barbie Girl’. Her stage talk is equally good: we’re regaled with informal tales of her operatic training, discovering boys and love of Madonna.
Throughout McGregor brings fresh life to popu- lar songs: robotic warbling unleashed in a Blur cover; darkly atmospheric rendering of Fine Young Cannibals’ ‘Jonny Come on Home’ and sensual version of Madonna’s ‘Spanish Lullaby’ all spun out from her musical back catalogue. From rockier roots is ‘the sexiest song ever written’, KISS’ ‘I Was Made for Loving You’ and the evening’s most unex- pected addition, a Prodigy medley which transforms ‘Firestarter’ into the ‘boogie woogie blues’. A ‘trash’ appropriate cover of Britney’s ‘Oops I did it Again’ ends a joyous and entertaining hour. (Jo Bell) ■ Assembly George Square, 623 3030, until Sun 26 Aug, 9.10pm, £14 (£13).
NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA OF IRAQ A visit from Iraqi oud and piano players, plus Julian Lloyd Webber on cello
One of the most remarkable groups performing in Edinburgh this summer is the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq. Born of the vision of young Iraqi pianist Zuhal Sultan to bring musicians of differ- ent ethnic backgrounds together in the aftermath of war, the orchestra’s visit is supported by the Scottish Government and the British Council.
Under their tireless musical director, Paul MacAlindin – who discovered the orchestra when he read
of their need for a conductor in The Herald four years ago – the young players’ programme includes Julian Lloyd Webber as cello soloist and Iraqi Khyam Allami in a new concerto for oud by Gordon McPherson. The Scottish connection is deepened through involvement with Edinburgh Youth Orchestra, who
lend support with tutors and additional players. The orchestra has little access to instruments or les- sons in Iraq, yet their determination to play together demonstrates triumph over adversity in bucket- fuls. As MacAlindin says, ‘The orchestra is supported by goodwill from all over the world, but most of all by the amazing drive of its players, who need to play in spite of, and because of, the difficulties they’ve faced. Watching them turn trauma into growth and survival into flourishing is why I’m devot- ed to them.’ (Carol Main) ■ Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Sat 25 Aug, 0141 332 5057, 7.30pm £12 (£8); Greyfriars Kirk, 26 Aug, 226 0000, 7.30pm, £12 (£8).
OUT OF THE BLUE All-male a cappella group radiate charm with formidable vocals and infectious stage presence ●●●●●
Before a 500-strong, sold-out Saturday house, 15 young men shimmy onto a lights-down, mist- shrouded stage, to be greeted thunderously from what seems to be most of the visiting female popu- lation of Edinburgh. Out of the Blue is back. In their eleventh year and ninth run at the Fringe,
the pop-socking class of 2012 shone once again with resonant vocals, both in solos and thrilling harmonies, and choreography so unprofessional it’s inspired – particularly in the Phil Collins’ rich ‘2.0 Human Drum Kit sketch’. The students romp through a number of masterfully self-arranged pop renditions, from the Beach Boys’ ‘California Girls’ and Queen’s ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’, to chart-toppers more in the span of their (short) life-times such as ‘Something in the Water’ and the Spice Girls’ ‘Stop’. Bang-on-the-money harmonies, boundless charisma and classic choreography make for an infectious and uplifting 50 minutes of gold entertainment, but the truly hair-raising moments come in quieter songs like ‘Amazing Grace’, showing that, with their voices alone, the boys can reduce a vast auditorium to awed silence. (Phoebe Cooke) ■ George Square Theatre, 226 0000, until 27 Aug (not 15), 2pm, £9.50–£10.50 (£8.50–£9.50)
23 Aug–20 Sep 2012 THE LIST 127