FESTIVAL MUSIC REVIEWS
FORK – ELECTRO VOCAL CIRCUS PVC-covered a cappella group covering Lady Gaga and Queen hits ●●●●●
The four-piece a cappella group from Finland return. Fork’s look and repertoire is much more glam rock than Glee, with one member being labelled as the ‘Legolas from hell’. They have an ever so slightly intimidating presence, but this only adds to their wacky performance.
Clad head to toe in black leather and PVC, the group make their way through a number of popular songs including hits by Lady Gaga, Queen and Muse; as well as a number from their homeland. Their live vocals are combined with loops and echoes, which means the lack of a band or backing track goes completely unmissed.
What was very noticeable was the audience’s
enjoyment, which needed barely any encouragement to get up on their feet and dance. The only aspect that could have been improved on was the song choices, as for every singalong hit there was another that did not work as well. However, the presence and energy that Fork bring to the stage cannot be doubted. (Sophie Stephenson) ■ Assembly George Square, 226 0000, until Sun 26 Aug, 10.25pm, £14–£15 (£11–£12).
LADY RIZO New York singer works Blondie, Dolly Parton and Edith Piaf into her hyper-feminine set ●●●●●
‘I was raised by hippies and rebelled with glamour,’ purrs Lady Rizo, a diva oozing old-school charisma. The New Yorker’s Fringe show is a riotous shindig, her Grammy winning pipes swirling around retro, soulful classics and original songs. Plus she’s funny, seducing the crowd with overblown humour. Expect some show-stopping singing: a bewitching
version of Gladys Knight’s ‘If I Were Your Woman’, psychedelic cover of Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Little Wing’ and dreamy rendition of Edith Piaf’s ‘No Regrets’. She honeys up to the audience and things get a little more bizarre – ‘rules’ for when to gasp and groan and the unwitting assistant who aids her costume change behind backlit screens. Donning a red carpet worthy gown the caliber of tunes corresponds to her new threads, with Dolly Parton’s ‘Coat of Many Colours’, Blondie’s ‘One Way or Another’ and Neil Gaiman’s wry ‘Google You’ all proof of superstar pedigree. As the chanteuse’s self-penned ‘Song of Freedom’ sees her clamber into the crowd asking the audience to fan out her costume, it makes a fittingly peppy finale. (Jo Bell) ■ Bosco Theatre, George Square, 623 30303, until 27 Aug, 6.45pm, £12 (£10).
VIRGINIA GAY: DIRTY, PRETTY SONGS Husky voiced soap star lacks plot but brings cabaret showtunes instead ●●●●●
As Virginia Gay’s cabaret commences it’s easy to get the jist: she prowls through the audience, belts out a shiny tune and ends up writhing atop her band’s grand piano. The Australian actress recounts a self-deprecating ‘back story’, referencing a fleeting role in
now axed soap All Saints and ITV2 show Winners and Losers, the latter, a story of four girls, was a bit like Sex and the City, she explains. The fickle nature of fame and a lack of awards is the show’s tenuously woven concept; in reality Dirty Pretty Songs is a mish-mash set of sassy covers, accompanied by a frisky five-piece band.
Sexing up popular songs, Gay’s gruff voice groans about being ‘too freaky’ prior to a rendition of ‘Poor Girl’ from Fringe bedfellow Flap! – heels kicked off, bondage collar adorned and curly, blonde hair flipped. A cover of Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ combines her husky tones with chiming xylophone before she retreats from the mic to deliver a striking version of Radiohead’s ‘High and Dry’.
Promising ‘a dirty song sung pretty’ an operatic/funky jazz mash up of Lady Gaga’s ‘Bad
Romance’ serves as the crowd pleasing encore, all executed in good humour and serving as great entertainment. (Jo Bell) ■ The Famous Spiegeltent, 0844 693 3008, until Sun 26 Aug, 8pm, £15 (£12).
THE LOST FINGERS: LOST IN THE 80S Skilful Balkan folk music and some inspired covers point to a Fringe hit ●●●●●
‘We’re kinda known for taking cheese and making it better,’ declares one of Québécoise gypsy-folk interpretation trio The Lost Fingers, although not everyone might go along with their definition of ‘cheese’. For example, they open this early evening set with a version of northern soul classic ‘Tainted Love’, which is enjoyable enough given Christian Roberge’s yelped-out lyrics, kind of a more genteel version of Gogol Bordello’s Eugene Hutz. As the selections get more diverse they become
more entertaining. Paula Abdul’s ‘Straight Up’ works well with Byron Mikaloff’s neat jazz guitar; there’s a smooth coffee shop jazz take on AC/DC’s ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ and an utterly unexpected intrusion from Samantha Fox’s ‘Touch Me’. Kool & the Gang’s ‘Fresh’ and a take on ‘Billie Jean’ with a great semi-acapella breakdown see outbreaks of dancing around the tent, and by the time they hit Technotronic’s ‘Pump Up the Jam’ they’ve passed the Fringe audition. (David Pollock) ■ The Famous Spiegeltent, 0844 693 3008, until Sun 26 Aug, 6.30pm, £14 (£13).
128 THE LIST 23 Aug–20 Sep 2012