In a stylish basement bar in the New Town, Pauline Vallance is serving up an afternoon treat we never knew we needed. She’s a brilliant musician, her mid-life moment coming when she attended a clàrsach (Celtic harp) workshop and promptly went out and bought one. She’s now an accomplished composer and song-writer but in this show she’s playing covers – and there’s a twist.
Inspired by the long-running Radio Four show I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, she’s singing the lyrics of one song while playing the tune of another. The effect is enthralling and vastly amusing. Before you know it you’re laughing, clapping along, even singing along and calling out guesses as to the endlessly inventive song combinations. It’s possible that Pauline’s show is both the most bonkers and musically competent in Edinburgh right now. Only the great Bill Bailey has an edge on this hidden gem, part of the PBH Free Fringe.
Pauline tells us she started pairing unlikely lyrics and tunes as a tribute to Tim Brooke-Taylor, longest-serving panellist on I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, who died early in the pandemic. During lockdown she discovered she had a knack for creating crazy combinations and spent the time rehearsing over 170 of them.
It would be wrong to spill the beans on too many songs included in this, the fifth iteration of her song swap. Suffice to say that once you’ve heard Common People by Pulp sung and played to the tune of Scotland the Brave, you’ll never want to go back.
In a more serious reflection, Pauline points out how some lyrics are exposed more fully when sung to a different tune. This is certainly true. Some of the words in her heavy metal medley, normally drowned out by loud instruments, are surprisingly tender. By contrast, the words of a certain love song are revealed as rather sinister. The inclusion of punk and new wave numbers, whether sung or played with genteel care on the harp, makes this experience all the more special. One combination in particular is a masterpiece but to name it would be to spoil the surprise.
Runs until 19 August (not 16) | Image: Adrian Ross
