Camille O’Sullivan is a half Irish/French singer and actress from Cork Ireland who used to be an architect. Camille interprets the songs and stories of Brel, Cave, Bowie, Radiohead, Dylan, Cohen and creates theatrical shows which have different characters
Camille has toured internationally performing at Sydney Opera House, Roundhouse, The Apollo and Later with Jools. Camille has also written music, performed and toured for the Royal Shakespeare Company with the one woman show “The Rape of Lucrece” was awarded a Herald Angel.
Camille O’Sullivan Sings Nick Cave is at Pleasance One 31st July – 25th August (not 7th, 12th, 19th)
Camille O’Sullivan Sings Nick Cave is coming to The Pleasance what can you tell us about it?
It’s a sort of LOVELETTER IN SONG to the music and stories of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. I’ve been such a fan of his music over the years and perhaps more personal to me than any of the shows I’ve done before. We’re looking at all the different aspects of their work over the years .
Having sung Cave many times over the years in all his guises and characters I decided to look at their back catalogue up to now and put a whole show together exploring the music in all it’s all different aspects – the profane, hymnal, the love song, dignified, violent and dark side exploring the light and the dark, the beautiful haunting bittersweet love songs and then the wild ferile side of the Bad seeds. Each song will be like its own story, a little vignette.
What inspired you to write the show?
I feel his ballads are very hymnal, scared and atmospheric and then his rock music explosive and fertile, it allows to display all their different aspects, which entails allows me to become something in each song, inhabit it and show different aspects which feel liberating as a woman to sing songs like mercy seat, stagger lee and then the complete stillness and gentleness of into my arms.
How did you research the subject?
I have been listening to all his back catalogue, books, seen his gigs, I am a big fan so just know the back catalogue backwards. then it was about trying to make themes and variety in the show, made recordings that link songs etc, added audio visual setting up a theatrical.
What’s the one thing about Camille O’Sullivan Sings Nick Cave that makes it different from all the rest?
Honing in on the best work of one of the most incredible narrative writer s of recent times. There’s brilliant descriptive power in his songs allowing you to be very spiritual or allowing you to transform into somebody else completely!
Sometimes it’s like acting out little stories: in the gentle bitter sweet love songs you don’t move an inch, the lyric is king. And emotion is what I’m looking for too, why I was so moved by the songs in the first place to cry, laugh or be almost possessed when you sing them! I don’t want the song to sound like his version I’ve got try make it my own, getting the words to stand out is a big thing, kindest audience response is you made it your own and I never really heard the lyrics like that…Nice to bring a vulnerability and fragility with female voice. But then great as a girl you can let it rip with a song like Stagger lee or Mercy Seat where you have to inhabit that man he has created whether you like them or not…
How does it feel to be at The Pleasance?
Lovely to be back, it’s my 14th year in Edinburgh we played the main space a few years ago and they were a lovely crew and great atmosphere on site. Caught some brilliant shows here too over the years, it always has a great atmosphere and I’m looking forward to performing in this new space it looks great!
Why should people come see Camille O’Sullivan Sings Nick Cave?
I love the music and we care about the people who come and see us, really want to put on great interesting show, provocative, dark, joyful! Luckily, we have established a really great following of lovely audiences over the years since 2004, people who love music and the artists I interpret and am obsessed by! A favourite phrase from dear Leonard Cohen “ There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light get’s in” and that is in way what these shows are about, there is a force and vulnerability to this music bringing people on an emotional journey, it has been likened to an emotional rollercoaster, sometimes vulnerable, spiritual then explosive and provoking. Have yourself a one or a whiskey and come and enjoy! A lot of people over the years have come to hear and request Cave’s Ship Song one of our favourites of theirs in the set
