This show was good, but not true. Set in the former Dick Vet Small Animal Hospital, the Victorian building was used to impart shock and energy in this avant garde, multi-sensory music experience. The audience was led through the atmospherically lit, deserted rooms, stopping for various noise episodes in different spaces. It culminated in the former operating theatre, where there was an invigoratingly loud drums, guitar and vocals performance with lights and screen images. However, the function of the avant garde is to champion the oppressed, not misrepresent the past. The lyrics seemed to disparage the work of veterinary staff that treated sick pets here; as someone who worked alongside them in the 1980s, I don’t accept that.

Summerhall, until 24 Aug.
tw rating 3/5 | [Louise Rodgers]