The room is hot and tight when the audience find their seats. On stage bodies brood in the dark and a record softly closes with a crackle more imagined than real. A guitar strums as an ambrosial voice pierces the dark announcing your entry to the world of Patti Plinko and her Boy.
Raved about by critics and corralled into the company of Nick Cave and Jacques Brel, ‘Patti Plinko and Her Boy’ present their second show at the Edinburgh Fringe. With songs from their own recently expanded catalogue and covers performed in their own delicious style ‘Patti Plinko’ delivers an amazingly energised performance.
As much theatre as it is music ‘Patti Plinko’ emotes the murderous roles of her lyrics with glorious panache and whether purring or growling, her voice mixes with the precise guitar playing of her eponymous boy and the powerful violin of guest Ellie Slatter to build a mood of decaying elegance. And while there is some danger that the violin might dominate some of the quieter songs in the intimate venue, this is more threat than substance.
While marred with moments of disorganisation at no point is the spell of the performance broken. Her blushing grins apologise, humanise and accentuate the romanticism of the act with human imperfections. ‘Patti Plinko’ offers an amazing night for fans of dark romance that aren’t afraid to smile.
4/5 
Benn Beaton
(7 votes, average: 4.86 out of 5)
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