Festival review: An audience with Tomas Ford (Free); Laughing Horse @ Jekyll & Hyde
This is the unspoken contract which develops between unsuspecting punters and Tomás Ford, an Australian singer and attention-seeker currently howling at the moon in the basement – sorry, crypt – of a gothic theme pub.
Ford is not afraid to be thoroughly ridiculous, even shameless in performance and there emerges a fond sense of ownership among onlookers as he croons theatrically over a dystopian electronic soundtrack teased from his flight case of hi-tech hardware. So much so that we are momentarily bereft when he forsakes our company mid-song to go walkabout in the pub and freak out the drinkers.
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Hide AdBut the incorrigible exhibitionist returns to those who are rapidly coming to love him – or at least go along with the absurd ride – and after some more valiant scaling of the fixtures and fittings, Ford’s rather random set ends with an almost cultish tactile huddle involving all his new converts.
Rating: * * *
Until 26 August. Today 11:50pm.