The Tiger Lillies: Living Hell – Contact Theatre, Manchester

Reviewer: Clare Boswell

The Public Reviews Rating:

The bastard love-child of Kurt Weill and Tom Waits, The Tiger Lillies are as riotous as one would imagine. Perhaps less expected is the haunting poetry that also bleeds out from the stage. When founder Martyn Jacques opens his mouth it’s as though a dove has flown out of his throat. A mangled, bloody dove but still, there’s a purity to Martyn Jacques’ vocal which belies the seediness of his lyrics.

Adrian Huge and Adrian Stout join Jacques on stage and the three-strong musical ensemble have an effortless charm and presence which only years of touring together can produce. There is also a wonderful apathy to the Tiger Lillies’ interactions with their audience. Inane banter in-between songs is unnecessary when material is this strong and the intermittent silences only serve to add to the tangible beauty of their performance.

Martyn Jacques has obviously been inspired by his many years spent living above a Soho brothel. Songs are littered with references to the seedier aspects of life and The Tiger Lillies take us on a frank and brutal journey through London’s crack alleys and whore houses. Despite the filthiness of the lyrics, the Tiger Lillies are so much more than a raucous cabaret act. Songs are deliciously constructed and Martyn Jacques stunning vocal range with a hugely impressive falsetto is so remarkable as to evoke involuntary gasps from the sold out auditorium.

What is also wonderful about this Brechtian inspired band is the fact that no theatrical dressing is necessary. The music stands for itself and it is this mesmerising simplicity that makes the evening such an overriding success. Despite obvious influences ranging from The Threepenny Opera to Leonard Cohen, The Tiger Lillies’ macabre style feels fabulously fresh and one can’t help but be appalled and endeared in equal measure by the sinful confessions of this twisted trio.