Review Score – 4 stars
Category -Theatre
I have to admit as an introduction to this review that I am a huge Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds fan, whom I have seen perform spoken word, acoustic and generic sets. I appreciate not many of my fellow students reading this are fans or have even heard of the band but if you like your music thick with emotion and lyrics almost poetic in nature then NCATBS are for you. It was with this love of all things Nick Cave that I felt I just had to attend and review this show in which Camille O’Sullivan, who I confess shamefully to having never heard of before, performs an hour or so of Nick Cave songs in tribute.
I have to say I was caught off guard. This wasn’t just a musical tribute but an exploration of the shades of Nick Cave through a very atmospheric and exceptionally gifted performance by Camille. The performance is deeply immersive as Camille dips into a back catalogue of incredibly diverse content that allows real contrast of imaginative recitals both through her vocal interpretation and her characterisation of each song.
I feel quite conflicted as I leave, as I enjoyed this performance more than the last two Bad Seeds gigs I attended, with Camille’s performance of ‘Into My Arms’ in particular etched into my mind as being vastly superior to the Cave version, much the same way Johnny Cash’s version of Hurt is so much more engaging than the original artist’s. The irony then being when I checked out Camille on Spotify after the first draft of this review she also had performed a version of ‘Hurt’ and again, it was formidable.
Camille O’Sullivan Sings cave, a truly brilliant show. I appreciate the price is quite steep for students but I feel if you visit the Fringe you should go see some free shows during the day, take a risk or two seeing something leftfield to your usual taste then treat yourself to one show if you can. This was my treat to myself and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Details of this show are listed below;
Venue: Pleasance Courtyard
Dates: Aug 8-11, 13-18, 20-25
Time: 21:15 (1hr15mins)
Ticket prices: £17.50 (£15.50 student discount)
Fringe box office: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/camille-o-sullivan-sings-cave
Warnings and additional info: Venue Age Restriction: 14+
