House of Life
Venue: Underbelly Purple Cow, George Square
Date: Saturday 22 August
Rating: ★★★★ (4/5)
Reviewed by: Eileen Inglis
There’s a reason House of Life has become something of a Fringe cult hit. Starting out three years ago in a tiny Cowgate bar, it has now graduated to the considerably bigger Purple Cow at Underbelly George Square. RaveRend and his sidekick Trev have clearly found plenty of willing converts along the way.
From the moment you join the queue, RaveRend is already at work, dazzling in a flamboyant costume and dabbing silver glitter onto faces. Inside, hundreds of egg shakers are thrown into the audience, and before long we’re pulling our ears, wiggling our fingers and moving our heads on command. “It’s weirder if you don’t do it,” he tells us. He’s right. Pretty much everyone joins in.
What follows feels like a gloriously camp, soul-filled musical revival. RaveRend and Trev are fantastic musicians, with saxophone, funk, jazz and soul creating a soundtrack that’s impossible not to dance to. RaveRend, in particular, has an extraordinary soulful voice, and some of the most impressive moments come when he picks out audience members, asks them about their lives and turns their answers into surprisingly great improvised songs.
The journey towards “ascension” takes us through stages including rebirth, visualising our ideal lives and purging negativity. This was where House of Life worked less well for me. The ideas are familiar but never explored in much depth. I’m all for a bit of self-help, but here it felt fairly basic and, at times, I found myself wishing they’d dig a little deeper, or just let the music do the talking.
But RaveRend certainly knows how to create a congregation. He has several hundred people shaking, dancing, singing and happily making themselves look ridiculous together. At one point, we turn to a stranger beside us, look them in the eye and repeat a series of affirmations. It’s uplifting, but despite claims I’d read elsewhere about strangers leaving as friends, there isn’t really much interaction between audience members. This is a shared experience rather than genuine connection: a congregation, perhaps, but not quite a community.
Still, it’s impossible not to be swept along by the sheer energy of it all. I left entertained, uplifted and hugely impressed by two exceptionally talented performers. At £23 for just over an hour, I’m not entirely convinced I was converted, but for seventy joyous, glitter-covered minutes, I was very happy to join the congregation.
