Reviews & features: Music, Issue 665

Henry Rollins

Fast-paced spoken word from the punk-rock raconteur

Henry Rollins hates inactivity. His opening salvo – and this is surely the only term to use, as his stream-of-consciousness rants hit home like artillery-fire – concerns his need to exercise earlier in the day, despite it being his scheduled day off…

The 2010 Festival in Numbers

Here are some statistics about this year's Festivals

We've very carefully and scientifically gathered some stunning numbers and statistics about this year's festivals.

Helen Arney

Sweet songs with a tender heart

For Helen Arney, love is a many tentacled thing. Two centuries ago, there was ‘less choice, more farming accidents’ while now we’re never too sure whether the grass will turn out to be greener on the other side. For her own part, she seems to have a…

The Low Anthem, Mountain Man and Avi Buffalo set for Edinburgh date

Americana, borrowing from jazz, gospel and folk

With a relaxed, mellow sound steeped in the traditions of American folk and blues, the Low Anthem are a group of Ivy League music graduates from Providence, Rhode Island, currently touring Europe with their unique fusion of instruments, ranging from…

Opera Bohemia

Talented new company's Fringe debut

As the name may suggest, Opera Bohemia’s title was inspired by the aspiring artist characters in Puccini’s La Bohéme. Founded by two former RSAMD students, Alistair Digges and Douglas Nairne, this new opera company is a wealth of extraordinary fresh…

James Sherwood

Sporadically hilarious piano-led laughs

There are a number of truly inspired, laugh out loud moments in James Sherwood’s set. Unfortunately, that number is four, and it’s just not enough to sustain an audience for an hour. The songs produce titters rather than guffaws, and there’s an…

Italia ’n’ Caledonia

Unpretentious tales of the family history behind Valvona and Crolla

Two amiable old boys (Mike Maran and Philip Contini) sing and gag their way through the history of the families that formed Edinburgh culinary institution Valvona and Crolla. Along the way we hear of their struggling starts as entrepreneurial emigrants…

Barockestra: Rocking the Classics

Enthusiastic rock take on well-known classical pieces

Rock interpretations of well-known classical pieces from Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky and the like featuring a full rock band, opera singer and ballerinas to give a foot-tapping tour of the greats. Overlaid with a cheesy humour that you could only…

Frances Ruffelle: Beneath the Dress

Cheeky, sexy and surprising cabaret-esque show

Given Ruffelle’s showbiz background – she’s the daughter of London theatre school founder Sylvia Young and a Tony Award-winning star of West End and Broadway musicals such as Les Misérables and Chicago – it’s unsurprising that her cabaret-esque Fringe…

Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.

Electric Circus, Edinburgh, Fri 13 Aug 2010

Whilst the fast-expanding crowd assemble for the arrival of Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, we are treated to energetic three-piece The Xcerts, a melodramatic rock/pop outfit from Scotland. With the charismatic bassist being an irregular pitchfork, this band…

Feels Good To Be Live

Glee-ful young rock kids break out of Mumbai

This fresh-faced young seven-piece from Mumbai (who call themselves Something Relevant and have named their show after the title of their debut album) look and sound like they graduated from an Indian version of Glee. There’s an unmistakable air of…

Delilah Dix and Her Bag of Tricks

Queen Latifah's lovemaking secrets revealed

Desperate, 'never-was starlet' Delilah Dix is a riot. And not just because of the white-trash celebrity anecdotes (which are hilarious) or the songs (gutsy and catchy yet teetering rather thrillingly on the edge of vocal disaster). No, it's character…

David Shrigley's top ten tips

Kevin Eldon COMEDY ‘My wife and I saw him last week in the Edinburgh Festival. He’s very funny. It’s sort of character-driven comedy, and then he goes off on these weird rants. It gets quite otherworldly, and a bit surreal. It’s very verbose, and…

Meredith Monk’s Songs of Ascension set for EIF

The multi-disciplinary american composer on her Edinburgh show

Meredith Monk’s Songs of Ascension is a characteristic multi-disciplinary work that combines music, film and movement to create an uplifting ritual. She tells Claire Prentice about her background and career – and why she’s so excited about visiting…

Nick Kent: The rock journo who became the story

Apathy for the Devil will have plenty to talk about at the Book Festival

‘When you get right down to it, the memory is a deceitful organ to have to rely on,’ reflects notorious rock scribe Nick Kent in the opening lines of his memoir, Apathy for the Devil. But even Kent’s near-fatal rock’n’roll lifestyle couldn’t wholly…

Lach

Minutely referential and full of pithy asides

This frenetic, guitar-wielding New Yorker laces together humorous vignettes and songs with long titles about growing up, including tributes to Kiss and meandering paeans to pot. Minutely referential and full of pithy asides, Lach’s particular skill is…

The Axis of Awesome: Songs in the Key of Awesome

Fringe favourites deliver winning brand of daft ditties

There’s no getting away from the likeness, Jack Black would be proud of this trio of pop-parody mongers. Delivering a set of well-oiled spoof songs, the Axis boys return with their winning brand of daft ditties to wow a growing fanbase. With some sharp…

Havers and Blethers brings new spoken-word show to Edinburgh

Daily show features writers, poets, actors and musicians

One of the great things about this time of year is the number of off-Fringe festivals that spring up, like this daily spoken-word-based show, hosted by Kirsty-Jacqueline Lingard and featuring writers, poets, actors and musicians performing short…

Tribute concert to Sir Charles Mackerras at EIF

Fantastic celebration of a wonderful man

One of the leading lights on the EIF, Sir Charles Mackerras has long been synonymous with the talent and the creativity at the heart of the Edinburgh International Festival. Fitting then, that they should celebrate his passing earlier this year with a…

Eels set for UK tour to promote new album Tomorrow Morning

Off kilter American indie-rockers back after 4 years

They’ve been on a break for four years, but the American indie-rockers are back, to complete the trilogy of albums they began with Hombre Lobo and this January’s End Times. Part three, Tomorrow Morning comes out next week, and Mark Oliver Everett and…

Alonzo King Lines Ballet

Modern classical dance with an Indian beat

It’s part of our make-up to search for the meaning in things. So it’s no surprise that when an audience sits down in front of a piece of modern dance, the big question in most people’s heads is ‘what’s it all about?’. Bringing two works to this…

Twonkey's Cottage sees polymath Paul Vickers hit stand-up

Dawn of the Replicants and The Leg collaborator get absurdist

He’s mad as a box of frogs, this one. Paul Vickers (the frontman of Dawn of the Replicants, a frequent collaborator with The Leg, a veteran of five John Peel Sessions and now a stand-up comedian) is bringing a deeply absurd comedy show to this year’s…

Mark Lanegan solo show at Edge Festival

Prolific collaborator plays Edinburgh

His third album with Isobel Campbell, the excellent Hawk, came out last week, proving the beauty and the beast coupling of grunge grump and indie lovely was one with plenty mileage in it. This is a solo show from the Queens of the Stone Age/ Gutter…

Beautifully heavy guitars of Sleepy Sun hit Edinburgh

Spaced out Californian folk-rockers set for Edge Festival show

Beautifully heavy guitars from California. The band’s name does a fairly good job of describing the langour and Laurel Canyon-inspired sound of their big, spaced out folk-rock. Supported by Frankie & The Heartstrings and Sky Larkin. Capital, 08444…

Bear in Heaven bring psychedelic rock to Edge Festival

Brooklyn's finest take Beast Rest Forth Mouth on the road

Putting a psychedelic spin on their brand of stoner rock, Brooklyn’s Bear in Heaven, who were responsible for this spring’s Beast Rest Forth Mouth serenade the Fringe with their proggy, poppy sound. HMV Picture House, 08444 999 990, Thu 26 Aug…