list.co.uk/festival

Bear in Heaven Putting a psychedelic spin on their brand of stoner rock, Brooklyn’s Bear in Heaven, who were responsible for this spring’s album Beast Rest Forth Mouth serenade the

Fringe with their proggy, poppy sound. HMV Picture House, 08444 999 990, 26 Aug, 7pm, £15. Part of The Edge Festival.

Festival Music

For everything you need to know about all the Festivals visit www.list.co.uk/festival KRONOS QUARTET So many strings to their bow

They’ve worked with David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails and Nelly Furtado, and had their music featured in movies such as Requiem for a Dream. The dance world adores them, leading to collaborations with Merce Cunningham; lest we forget the extraordinary band of composers in their little black book, the fruits of which we’ll hear at this year’s EIF. Suffice to say, Kronos are no ordinary string quartet. For violinist David Harrington it’s all in

a day’s work. ‘We’ve been doing this for 30 years,’ smiles Harrington. ‘We’ve invested time and love into what we do, and who we work with.’ Made up of two violinists, a viola player and cellist, they spend time selecting the pieces for each concert and never cease to be excited by mixing up genres and letting the composers’ stories speak for themselves. This month’s appearance will be no different as they bring three bold pieces to the stage: Steve Reich’s Different Trains, boasting a compositional method using speech recordings, . . hold me, neighbor, in this storm. . . inspired by folk and religious music from Aleksandra Vrebalov’s native Serbia, before finally rounding off with the fiercely electric Black Angels by George Crumb.

‘There’s a spirit of fearlessness to what we do, and a constant commitment to expanding the range of a string quartet,’ explains

CAMILLE O’SULLIVAN CHAMELEON More of a purr than a growl ●●●●● Harrington. ‘When people say we’ve surprised them with what we play, that’s exciting. It means we’ve achieved a relationship not just between them and us, but between them and the music.’ (Anna Millar) Usher Hall, 473 2000, Sat 21 Aug, 8pm, £8–£32.

whether rock, blues or ballads, Cave, Waits or Bowie, she can belt them out like the best of them. This year, it’s Camille, the Chameleon. Arriving on stage in red heels, a corset, sparkly leggings, and lacy floor-length hooded shawl, she slowly sheds her skins until a sparkling negligee and bare feet remain for the final number. This year’s setlist rids itself of some more popular numbers in favour of a lesser known collection, though she does treat us to a stunning return of Jacques Brel’s ‘Amsterdam’ and a Leonard Cohen finale her five-piece band, are as always, exceptional.

The Camille we know and love is certainly in residence, tearing down her hair with one hand, banging a kettle drum with the other, but disappointingly her interaction with the audience and journey from one song to the next feels scattered, stilted and incoherent at times. Not that her army of fans care, as she meows, giggles and glides of stage to the clapping of a jubilant crowd. (Anna Millar) Assembly @ George Street, 0131 623 3030, until 30 Aug (not 17, 24), 10.25pm, £18.50 (£16.50).

62 THE LIST 19–26 Aug 2010 There’s a sense of great expectation with Irish charmer Camille. The sexy chanteuse has long wooed us with her brand of sultry, ballsy theatrics and