Are you cool? Then you’ll want Tori Scott to be your new drinking partner. The New Yorker is making her London debut at the endlessly chic The Crazy Coqs downstairs at Brasserie Zédel. If you have not been there yet, you will want to rectify that soon – their excellent cocktails, great staff and varied programme makes ‘Live at Zédel’ the place to be on a special night out. Tori Scott’s ‘Thirsty’ fits in perfectly: The show is a naughty take on singledom, drinking, online dating apps and big city life.
In her sell-out performances, she sings sweet songs of affection and romance. Often old-school and from classical movies, but their meanings are completely reinterpreted by the context she provides. Finding true love on the New York tube or on a night out? Think again – Tori’s anecdotes will be surprising and not as innocent as her nightingale voice might lure one into thinking. Songs by Aretha Franklin and Judy Garland do not only get updated within the stories that frame them, but are mixed and mashed with modern pop songs from the likes of Miley Cyrus. The cabaret artist is joined on stage by Jesse Kissel, her Musical Director, and three piece band.
Scott takes the audience on an incredibly, utterly shameless autobiographical journey. Even though mischievous, she often stays on relatively crowd-pleasing beaten paths – clearly she is very aware exactly who her audience is. However, her charm makes it easy to see why her ‘am I right?’ humour would have made it into Time Out New York’s list of Top 10 Cabarets. If anything, the experiences illustrated could have been more in-depth. Her flawless voice and choice of popular belters make more than up for this. Tori is thirsty in all senses of the word – and you’ll leave thirsty for more Tori.
Reviewed by Lisa Theresa Downey-Dent
Photo: Da Ping Luo
