Camille – The Dark Angel (FringeTIX)
Camille O’Sullivan @ The Umbrella Revolution
7:00pm, Wed 20 Feb 2008
I walk into this show knowing nothing of Camille; it’s the quote “a cross between Sally Bowles, PJ Harvey and Patti Smith” that sells it to me. Two out of three is good enough – my interest piqued, I’m parking myself at the back of the Umbrella Revolution, where the central area has been morphed into a seated lounge area. Backing band of four in place, Camille O’Sullivan slinks into view like a prowling cat, mischievous looks from smoky eyes. When she opens her mouth to sing… it’s sweet, thick, powerful.
The problem is that the show gets predictable very quickly. The songs – a perfect fit for a cabaret show, along with selections from Radiohead, Bowie, and Waits – all fit the quiet start / gradual ascension in volume and intensity / break / further ascension / end mold. And that makes a hell of an impact for the first twenty minutes – but after the stunning rendition of Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide early on, there’s little that really grabbed me until the snippets of Pink Floyd inserted into the final song of the night.
But Camille is certainly a compelling performer; she carries a dark and mischievous air as she prowls through the floor crowd, though she constantly has microphone-less conversational asides with them that leave the rest of us in the dark. And when she cranks the volume up, you really feel it, deep in your gut. Sadly, the version of Nick Cave & The Bad Seed’s The Mercy Seat lacks the unstoppable and foreboding intensity of the original, but generally the band – piano, bass / violin, drums & guitar – are pretty tight, responding well to Camille’s lead and directions.
At $35, it’s a tough call – whilst the Bowie cover was superb, it’s not worth that much. Still, if you’re after a bit of cabaret/rock with a gorgeous lead and passionate female vox, you could do worse.