The Tiger Lillies

The Tiger Lillies are a musical trio from Britain, comprising the founder Martyn Jacques (vocals, accordion and piano), Mike Pickering (drums, percussion and backing vocals) and Adrian Stout (double bass, musical saw, theremin and backing vocals).

Their style is quite a mixture: obvious Brechtian influences, a dash of punk, the darker edge of old folk songs, a bit of Jacques Brel, and a nod to Parisian cabaret. All this creates a strange but compelling soundscape where the audience comes along on an eerie narrative journey.

There was an almost-overbearing theme of death and blood in the first set that they played, which was not helped by repetitive motifs and lyrics, particularly “Rendez-vous with Death”.  The occasional leavening of the mood came from dark humour, or a standard repertoire piece such as “No Regrets”, sung in falsetto, and yet interesting in its own way.

Mention must be made of the instrumental combinations which work very well for the repertoire. The musical saw duetted with the voice in “Goodbye My Love”.

The mood darkened as the songs progressed, moving to a set lit in blood-red for a song starting with the Victorian street seller’s call “Who’ll buy my flowers?” The lighting was no false promise: the song progressed to a description of the cruelties of Jack the Ripper

This is not your usual cabaret evening, but if you seek a musical melange with dark themes and showmanship, this is it.

Rachel McGrath-Kerr

Photo credit: Felix Groteloh