2014 Edinburgh Fringe

More details

Cabaret singer Tricity Vogue has cast off her showgirl glamour to play the Edinburgh Fringe dressed as a man. Dubbed "ukulele queen" by The Stage and The Londonist, Tricity will need a new title now she's put on a three-piece suit and a homburg hat in place of last year's satin gowns and jewels.

The title of "Queen" may not work with her new look, but Tricity's ukulele is not going anywhere. Fans of the instrument have come to regard Tricity as one of its principle champions, and this year she has a whole new show of original tunes to perform on ukulele. And for the grand finale, she'll play not one uke but two: her second instrument, a "mini uke", is possibly the cutest instrument you've ever seen in your life.

But why the man-drag? Tricity is known as one of the most glamorous cabaret singers in London, so why does she want to give that up for her new show? "I find that wearing men's clothes changes the way I feel and act as a performer," explains Tricity. "It gives me a swagger. I've been hosting cabaret shows and leading my All Girl Swing Band in topper and tails for a couple of years now, because it makes me feel more in charge. And when I hit on the name for this year's show, which is a pastiche of Frank Sinatra's album Songs For Swinging Lovers, it seemed like the logical next step to dress up like Sinatra for the show itself."

Songs For Swinging Ukuleles is Tricity's fourth production at the Edinburgh Fringe, and the London Cabaret Award nominee is back at the festival for the fifth year running. Tricity's first solo show in 2010, The Blue Lady Sings, won her acclaim and a People's Choice Award nomination, as she brought to life a kitsch 50s painting for a series of bizarre musical tableaux. She returned to the Fringe in 2011 with the sequel The Blue Lady Sings Back, a show of even more madcap charms. Her hit show Tricity Vogue's Ukulele Cabaretran for four years from 2010 to 2013, and was dubbed a Fringe Institution by ThreeWeeks and Broadway Baby. Last year her saucy solo cabaret Calamitous Liaisons won her four-star reviews and packed houses.

Tricity Vogue will also be hosting The Uke Of Edinburgh Awards on Saturday 16 August. For anyone interested in learning ukulele themselves, Tricity will be leading two free workshops at Rae Macintosh music shop, on Saturday 2 and 9 August from 12pm.