Rachel Collis is an excellent pianist and has a powerful voice. Her playing and singer cover a variety of styles and Rachel has been compared to Tim Minchin, Regina Spektor, Blossom Dearie and Ben Folds. One can also hear hints of Bette Midler and Casey Chambers. This diversity of comparisons indicates that she is not to be pigeon holed. Her songs are funny and her self-deprecating banter introducing the songs adds to the evening’s enjoyment.
The venue for singer and songwriter Rachel Collis’ 2013 Sydney Fringe Festival show was the delightful Cafe Church Space Glebe. A mixture of lounges and tables and chairs, high ceilings, black drapes and quirky lamp shades create an enigmatic space to complement this very talented performer.
Rachel was accompanied by Hugh Fraser’s smooth and understated bass and Michael Quigley’s precise and subtle drumming. Rachel also gave us one song in which she played ukulele – a nice variation.
Her material covered diverse subjects such as her cooking spaghetti bolognese a little too often, an ode to Pablo her Brazilian waxer, and what it would be like if Germany had won the war (a few less books to read). Occasionally she let her powerful voice overwhelm the storytelling. It adds to the musicality of the show but some of the lyrics were difficult to follow.
Rachel Collis last show for the festival was Saturday 21st September. You can listen to a few songs and look for future performances on her website: http://www.rachelcollis.com/