Candy Royalle and the Sloppy Joe’s Frida People is getting off to a buoyant start without a live performer in sight. An audience that already feels like a community is filling the decadent surrounds of the Thornbury Theatre’s Velvet Room as DJ Lapkat warms things up with a fresh-sounding mix of French hip hop and calypso. So far, so good.
Candy Royalle is an effusively warm performer and it is clear that she is adored by her attendant audience. With a strong voice, strong words and a strong presence, she has much going for her as a natural talent. However, the performance on this night is let down somewhat by muddy sound and lack of performative polish in some key areas – though no doubt her rawness is part of her charm to many of her fans.
The performer obviously has talent and charisma to spare, which could be taken further by owning her stage entrances, allowing the levity which seems to be brimming just under the surface to bubble over, and taking the time to truly connect with her audience.
The inclusion of performance artist Betty Grumble adds grace and humour in equal measures, although the claim of ‘grotesque burlesque’ seems somewhat overstated. Maybe I’ve just been lucky enough to see some truly, mind bendingly, gross-yet-spectacular burlesque, because by comparison this is fairly tame. Smearing raspberry jam as fake blood on your boobs while semi-undressed as a common or garden variety ‘sleazy salesman’ just doesn’t quite cut it in the grotesque stakes these days. On the other hand, it’s entirely possible that I’ve become a cantankerous old cabaret snob. It’s certainly not every gig you go to that a performer covers her naked torso in breakfast condiments, so all things being relative, that’s still a thumbs up from me.
Candy’s musical partners, Sydney soul-funk trio Sloppy Joe (Michael Wheatley on keys, Steel O’Neil on drums and Serg on bass), with guest trumpeter Niveen Abdelatty ably range from Tom Waits-ian rock blues and straight-ahead funk grooves through to evocative soundscapes that create a sonic canvas for Candy to paint her words onto.
Candy’s blend of conscious soul-funk-spoken-word is in a similar vein to Michael Franti or later-era Ani DiFranco – perhaps too similar to feel like a truly original creative voice just yet, particularly as her work mainly covers areas such as tales of transgressive sexuality, self-fulfilment and condemnation of war and neoliberalism – by now, all pretty well-worn tropes for the spoken word set.
A bit more confidence to experiment with musical innovation and boldness in executing her creative concepts will go a long way to setting her apart from the crowd – even if she is in good company where she currently stands.
Overall, Frida People is a pretty fine slice of DIY performance art – not virtuosic but full of heart.
Rating: 3 ½ out of 5 stars
Frida People
With Candy Royalle, Sloppy Joe, Betty Grumble, Niveen Abdelatty, Fury and Michelle Alina Dabrowski
Thornbury Theatre, High St, Thornbury
www.thethornburytheatre.com
31 May
