theSpaceTriplex
Aug 8-13 (16:25)

The use of the microphone has given the art of A Capella a deeper ability to effect the listener, while the introduction of choreography has then turned this artform into a major spectacle. When done well its an absolute joy to behold, & so, to Aca-pocalypse, brought to Edinburgh by the fantastic University of Nottingham A Cappella Society. While most students are getting hammer’d & experimenting with mushrooms off the Dark Web, these guys have congregated into a juicy love-ball of smiles, movement & Gilbert & Sullivan light opera. Sopranos, Baritones, Mezzo-Sopranos, they were all there in an even mix of young man & woman.

They were completely excellent, a congruous whole of 17 individuals, each pinpoint tight as to their role & pitch, all of which were shepherded into the Elysian Fields by a bangin’ beatboxer called Jake. I also enjoyed the comedic interludes between each song, which served as introductions & entertainment at the same time. A lovely bunch of performers whose smiles seemed to have got stuck on their faces. Nobody can be that happy for an hour.

The song selection was eclectic – as were the singers to sing them – opening with Rome Wasn’t Built in A Day by Morcheeba was a wonderful start for me. A couple of years ago I remember singing along to it on my phone headphones wandering the hills over Burnley in the summer sunshine on my first visit to my family after lockdown restrictions had lifted. It was a euphoric moment then, which Aca-pocalypse immediately reconvoked.

Other tunes included Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars, Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy & the celestial canticle Prayer of Saint Francis, or Make Me a Channel of Your Peace, which was like, wow! The future of A Capella is looking bright, & its present is proper slick. I enjoyed that big time!

Damo