Edinburgh Fringe 2013
Shirley Gnome
Heartichoke Arts
Genre: Musical Theatre
Venue: Underbelly, Belly Laugh
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
"Singing her special brand of crass and absurd c*untry music, Shirley Gnome belts out original tunes about the embarrassing, hilarious, and titillating adventures of bodies colliding. Her songs are smothered in explicit language and racy humour, but sung with the voice of an angel dry-humping a cloud. Sometimes tongue-in-cheek, other times insightful and honest, Shirley weaves a live show that has people in hysterics – often in spite of themselves. Winner of The People’s Champ of Comedy 2012, Canada’s largest cash prize ($20,000) comedy competition."
Review
I was warned this was a show full of sexual themes, so , not wanting to come too early I slipped in the back door dressed for business .
I was worried that I wouldn’t last an hour once Shirley’s vocal caresses, fingerstyle and strumming started but she eased us in gently with her ‘Penis Hand’ , a song about not washing after having sex!
After that it was easy to settle into the rhythm of her performance – Shirley’s banter making the audience warm to her infectiously.
The darkest point of the evening was probably the beautifully written ‘I’m really getting into porn’ – I’ve heard many songs about sexual perversions but this one really pissed all over them.
The climax of the show for me was ‘ring of fire’ a sweet romantic number about losing one’s anal virginity. We now understand how she hits those high notes and where those vocal gymnastics were born.
What better way to end a performance like this than with a sing-a-long called ‘Men like to come on my face’, I think even the Shirley herself was surprised by the gusto and verve shown by the male members of the audience who rose up to meet the challenge.
If you’re offended by any of the words I’ve just deleted for fear of offending you then this is not the show for you – definitely do NOT bring the kids!
If you fancy a wild evening of sexually fuelled country rock then get yourself along to see Shirley Gnome who seems very happy here in Edinburgh – a Gnome-coming if ever there was one!
