The Place Hotel
Aug 5-14 (22:30)

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Death Ray Cabaret is a real-life couple observing life through the medium of comedy songs. They are Canadian & they are also an intensely satisfying experience, especially after a beer or three before their 22.30 slot. They are to be found just beyond the extremely serendipitous terrace at the Place Hotel, an oasis of neo-modern calm worth experiencing in itself – it is only open to the public during August. Add to this the two performers you’d most want to find yourselves in a train carriage with at the start of a 12-hour journey, & a fine Fringe night is on the cards.

I have already told my band mate he needs to see this show – he is an excellent pianist – & this is pretty much what I told him. ‘O My God Roy, I saw the this duo from Canada singing some tunes, like, they were proper funny, & the keyboardist, swear down, her fingers were simply twinkling all over the shop – she was superb.’ This lady is called Jordan, whose electric blue eyes gazed into the distance as she sang the quirky, catchy, well-crafted tunes alongside the infinitely amenable Kevin Matviw. That they have the occasional soft marital nit-pick only adds to the warmth.

Canadians spend most of their time looking out the window at snow or listening to the howl of wild dogs chasing a deer under a stark, moonlit night. As a result, the mind wanders and Canadian humour can be pretty dark and absurd. My limited experience in the UK suggests that British audiences aren’t afraid of that stuff, but they appreciate the cleverness of a good one liner too.
Read the full interview here…

Its caramel comedy this, each tune is poetic & melodic, arrowheads fleck’d with the Flight of the Conchords as we hear lines along the way such as ‘the first escape room was the woman’s uterus’ & have a bangin’ rave down the library. The time, the location & the quality of the gig all invite a visitation this Fringe. Its free, so you’re not gambling your cash, but sitting down to experience such lucid comedy songcraft & performance after, & with, a beer is a fine antidote to the endless streams of comics & improv & wotsits paraphernaling all over Edinburgh. Its also difficult to negate the effects of Jordan’s beaming pearly smile at the end of the each song. She – & Kevin – clearly enjoy what they do, & so, almost certainly, so shall you.

Damo