Les Clöchards: Dirty But Nice

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Imagine if The Libertines, Les Negresses Vertes and The Wurzels exploded and their various body parts and were reanimated into five people, complete with random hat wear, and you have a mental image of boho band The Les Clöchards.

Legend—or at least their PR material—has it that these buskers played their way from an island off Corsica to the mainland. Their subsequent renown rests on energetic reworkings of classic (mainly 80s) rock and pop hits. Of the various pleasing examples in their canon is a raunchy version of Roxette's already raunchy 'You've Got The Look', but if you doubt they have range then try their flamenco twist to Dirty Dancing anthem '(I've Had) The Time Of My Life,' or their initially coy ballad version of Madonna's 'Like A Virgin', which increases in tempo with a little help from a refrain of Michael Jackson's 'Earth Song'.

There's a dash of Sinatra, both Frank and Nancy, in the mix as well as the Renato Carsone jazz standard ‘Tu Vuò Fà L'Americano’. It's great fun and ultimately irresistible. The clowning from the band might well be limited to gurning, posturing and some brief patter (for example, how everyone at the Fringe seems to have five stars), but it's their musical dexterity that brings a smile to your face. A cabaret act and not a comedy one for sure, but no less enjoyable for that, The Les Clöchards make for a refreshing and somewhat nostalgic Fringe diversion.