Out of the Blue |
Published on Thursday, 28 June 2012 | |||||
If you’ve spent any time in Edinburgh, you probably know all about Out Of The Blue: the gaggle of sharp-suited students are back for an eighth consecutive year, peddling their a cappella melodies in a prestigious new home at Assembly George Square. The line-up of singers may change from season to season, but their enthusiasm for their music never fades, with their unaccompanied versions of popular favourites earning them a rightful place as a fixture of the Fringe. The emphasis is on fun with this show: bank on quirky choreography, a few bursts of showmanship and an unexpected musical twist or two. The award-winning all-male singers, named after the dark-blue regalia of their alma mater Oxford, have won a loyal following for their musical mastery and charismatic charm. And the critics love them too; even our own Lee Zhao, never the easiest man to please, declared them "head and shoulders above most of the musical offerings in Edinburgh” a couple of years ago. The quality of the music’s important, of course, but for us it’s a simpler equation than that: time after time, their joyful harmonies and youthful antics have broken through mid-Fringe weariness, sending us away with a renewed smile on our face. If there's one criticism we'd make, it's that the show's rather short – at 10 minutes under an hour, we always leave feeling that we want a little more. And if you think you recognise the name, yes, they were on Britain’s Got Talent. But we’ve forgiven them for that. |
<< The Big Bite-Size Breakfa... | Mervyn Stutter's Pick of ... >> |
---|
FROM OUR ARCHIVES
These are archived reviews of shows from Edinburgh 2012. We keep our archives online as a courtesy to performers, and for readers who'd like to research previous years' reviews.