list.co.uk/festival PREVIEW ERIC BOGLE & JOHN MUNRO Bidding a Fond Farewell

In this Year of Homecoming, Scots- born singer and songwriter Eric Bogle is in the midst of a farewell to his homeland, having announced his intention to give up the touring game after this current excursion with fellow expat John Munro. Bogle emigrated to Australia almost

40 years ago, and admits that while he has a strong emotional tie with Scotland, down under is very much his home. He is best known for his anti-war songs such as ‘The Green Fields of France’ and ‘The Band Played Waltzing Matilda’, but is realistic about the purpose of such songs.

‘I write them as a personal thing to get it out of my system, and if it gives a voice to people who feel like I do, then well and good, but I don’t fool myself that anything I write will alter things one iota that would be self- delusion on a grand scale. At best, a song can be a flag to rally behind, but it won’t change anything, more’s the pity.’ (Kenny Mathieson) Queen’s Hall, 668 2019, 24 Aug, 7pm, £16 (£13).

REVIEW MOVIN’ MELVIN: ME, RAY CHARLES & SAMMY DAVIS JR Hitting the Road . . . with Melvin ●●●●●

The aptly-monikered Movin’ Melvin Brown is the complete entertainer, now deservedly acclaimed after many years in the world of showbusiness.

His flashy entrance by way of silver hot pants and braces, and a lengthy tap-dance routine sets the pace for a fantastic, eclectic, white-shoe-shuffle evening. Focusing on the late, great Ray

Charles for the first half of his 90-minute concert, the bold-but-bald Melvin’s tribute-like renditions go down a treat with a receptive audience. ‘I Got A Woman’, Can’t Stop Loving You’, ‘Georgia On My Mind’ and ‘Hit The Road Jack’ (augmented by a tight trio plus the beautiful Francesca on backing

Festival Music

REVIEW MIKELANGELO AND THE BLACK SEA GENTLEMEN Diabolically good comic gypsy cabaret ●●●●●

The gypsy cabaret troupe return to assault audiences with their riotous mix of songs, storytelling and sinful behaviour. This year, the Balkan-styled, Australia-based five-piece have pitched up to promote their new album, Dead Men Tell a Thousand Tales, a collection of typically blackly comic songs that swing between gallows humour and wanton lust and passion.

It’s on stage, however, that the band really comes alive. They’re a motley crew of finely realised characters fronted by louse lothario Mikelangelo (baritone vocals and guitar) and featuring ratty Rufino the Catalan Casanova (violin), the Sphinx-like Great Muldavio (clarinet), handsome homicidal maniac Ivan (double bass) and solemn, Golem-like Guido Libido (piano accordion). An incorrigible braggart, Mikelangelo dominates the show with his booming voice, hulking presence and penchant for leaping into the audience to satiate his much-advertised sexual desires. But the rest of the band members all get their individual moments in the spotlight, too, telling their variously tragic tales and singing their songs of woe.

The energy and humour that drives the performance is infectious and

amusing, but beyond that Mikeangelo and his black-clad gents are seriously superb musicians. Regularly switching vocal duties and instrumentation (one balmy tune is performed on recorder, pennywhistle and marching drum), they play ballads and barnstormers with fine finesse and great gusto as required and as exemplified during the opening number, ‘Dancing at the Devil’s Wedding’, and the closing one, ‘Sodomy is Not Just for Animals’. During the hour or so in between we’re treated to all kinds of odd diversions, both musical (the spaghetti western soundtrack ‘Ten Long Years in the Saddle (Waiting for Death to Come)’) and comic (Mikelangelo’s discourse on the use of hair pomade in different continents around the world). (Miles Fielder) Assembly Hall, 623 3030, until 20 Aug, 10.05pm, £15 (£13); Queen’s Hall, 668 2019, 23—30 Aug (not 29), times vary, £14 (£12).

vox), have never sounded better even by RC standards. With a monologue about the great

man, and told with his infectious laugh, the mighty Melvin Brown moves every mountain to give 100% and more. The second half finds him portraying

another American legend of the 50s and 60s, Sammy Davis Jr is slightly less electrifying but shows Brown is the consummate performer, whatever he’s tackling. (Martin C Strong) New Town Theatre, 0844 477 1000, until 30 Aug, 8.15pm, £12–13

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20–27 Aug 2009 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 53