Soho Theatre, London until 29 September 2019
Review by Lisa Harlow
4****
Not to give too much away here about my age, but the timeline contained in this glorious show allowed me to revel in the most perfect 90s indie soundscape. Launching into PJ Harvey’s ‘New Dress’ very early on already had me sold.
Cora Bissett, a game girl from Glenrothes with horses and ambitions in her heart, was raking through her parents’ attic one day, when she discovered a mystery box which took her back to a time she’d parked in her mind a long time ago. Inside the box was every variety of faded newspaper clipping about her when she had been in a band that had been signed by a major record label and handed a five album deal. All secretly stored by her dad.
Thereafter I literally caroused in every insight and memory of backstage life with bands such as Blur and Radiohead, as if I had been there myself. The storytelling was peppered throughout with short performances of Cora and her band, represented by Emma Smith, Simon Donaldson and Harry Ward. Some of these were original band tracks, whereas others were covers of tracks by her contemporaries. Cora’s voice both mesmerised and soothed. She has a velvet tone which can soar through the room and later come back to stroke your hair. Her cover of Tori Amos was sublime.
The range of character voices given by the supporting band travelled the length and breadth of Great Britain. The entertaining impressions allowed the audience to meet a whole cadre of band and family members, A&R men and dodgy managers, as if they had teleported onto stage.
In Cora’s words, this show speaks largely in “Fife-isms”, yet its content emotionally resonates with a whole generation touched by the 90s wave of indie euphoria and inspired by the raw voices of female singers such as Patti Smith. Its themes of family, loss, failure and children connects with an even greater audience. The deeply grooved nostalgia in this performance does not stop with the music memories. The audience comes to love Cora’s parents as much as herself by the end, as we behold their beauty through her eyes. Sadly, the severity of life’s disappointments did not overlook Cora, and these balanced out the giddy excitement of her teens later in her life.
Musing how she might answer her daughter’s question of ‘what are girls made of?’, we are left with those most raw and empowering song in response.
A truly joy of a show, Cora, bravo. Those wild horses of yours still have quite a journey left to ride.