Review: TORI SCOTT: THIRSTY, VAULT Festival

If you like powerful vocals, camp conversational exchanges and dry humour then this is the show for you.

In this intimate environment Tori Scott ensures that everyone is feeling at their most comfortable. Taking her time she connects with each audience member, sharing a specific individual moment with each of us. Her smile is welcoming and there's a definite buzz in the room for what's about to happen.

What unfolds is an hour-long intoxicating cabaret that is a great mix of the political and personal. Even at her most vulnerable, Scott radiates absolute strength as she recounts moments of her life that are of importance to her.

She's been to jail, partied with hundreds of gay men on Fire Island and been seduced by a toothless homeless man on the New York subway. Let's just say life has never been dull for her. It's given her a thirst for more escapades.

The creative team have taken well-known songs and subverted their meanings to relate them to these wild adventures, with Take Me to Church and Domino being just a few of the tracks that have been edited.

Through this medium we are told many stories, the most prominent one being the first time ever discovered her greatest love of all, vodka. It's her best friend, the most trusted ally, and the worst of foes. Vodka is responsible for the majority of the highs and lows in Scott's life; through it she has loved, lusted and lost.

The best thing about this piece is that everything seems so effortless. Comedy comes naturally to Scott and it acts as a perfect combination to her soulful voice. The overall dramaturgy is pretty spot on and the background band playing the guitar, drums and piano are equally as good.

Tori Scott: Thirsty at VAULT Festival until 18 March

Photo courtesy of Tori Scott

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