My Festival: Camille O'Sullivan

Because it’s emotional, it’s real, it’s an emotional rollercoaster. It’s incredible music that has inspired me to change career and become a singer – I gave up my soul for that. Somebody said recently “we loved it when you were enigmatic, since you’re losing it, we’re really loving it.” It’s myself and Feargal Murray on piano and it’s really bringing people on a journey with the songs of Leonard Cohen and David Bowie, and Shane and Sinéad who were friends of mine. It’s in a beautiful church venue and it’s just magical. These are the songs that made me laugh, dance and cry and I want to share them. I’m on the way out, so I’m going to give you the best show I can give. And you might get a whiskey at the end of it, somewhere in the Brass Monkey.

What will we learn from your show that we didn’t know before?

That I’m not drinking on stage for once. That I do the hula-hoop. That Feargal sings. This show is more personal this time. I’ve always been a chameleon on stage, inhabiting songs, becoming different people, but this time, because it’s friends of mine, Sinéad and Shane, that makes it a little bit different. And you’ll learn that the show has very beautiful serious moments to it. I mean, I’m joking in it, but it’s about taking people on that journey.

Who or what was the biggest inspiration for your show?

Shane McGowan and Sinéad O’Connor. I remember being asked to come down from a party when I was an architect, I got the call, and I was eating a pie at the time, to go and sing on stage with Shane. That was 25 years ago. I went down on my bike learning the verses as I went, and since then I’ve cried, laughed, danced with him. I recorded one of the last duets with him and was with him about two days before he passed and just had magical moments of my life with him. When they passed, I just sat with their music, not listening, just reading it. I had the idea, I need to sing these words, extract the rhythms and the beats and listen to the poetry of it. It was a way to comfort myself. As an Irish person they were your voice. It was only on their passing that I realised how much they were my voice. And Sinéad, who was like thirty years ahead of her time and that cost her.

But it’s about sending the love back to them, and then of course Cohen and Bowie. I’m using prayers from them – it's a rock and roll, poetry, ballad, love-fest, really honouring them. And that’s why it’s so personal. When you sing, you always have people in your mind anyway, your family, your friends, but when they pass it becomes different how you sing, and what it means. It becomes very emotional. They have been an inspiration since I was little, all of those people, so I feel very lucky being in that church, singing in that beautiful place. "As the souls, the living and the dead” I try to bring a bit of Joyce in there.

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What’s the best review you’ve ever had, and the worst?

Oh my god, I never usually know these, but I’m looking online. “Camille O’Sullivan is one of the most gifted interpreters of narrative songs to ever appear” that was the Irish Times. “One of the top 25 performers ever on Later with Jools” Daily Telegraph. I still dine out on that one. There was an amazing one from the Scotsman that was so lovely “An artist at the top of her game pushing herself to be better and trusting us to keep up, it’s thrilling to watch.” That’s one of the nicest things anyone ever said about me. As for the one stars and the zero stars, Lord Jesus, I just can’t look at them. I’ve luckily had more nice ones, but I’ve had a few hum dingers. But I don’t usually read either, because I think if you can’t take one don’t do the other.

Who or what are you most excited about seeing this year?

Christine Bovill has unfortunately just finished, but we’re about to start working on something together. Guy Masterson is doing Under Milkwood and I really want to see that. And Salty Brine; I don’t know anything about them but their poster looks amazing. I love looking at the posters around town. I went to Laser Kiwi who were just brilliant, so I might buy their stuff to be a little olive on stage.

Who do you most like spending time with in Edinburgh?

I try and catch up with friends from the past 20 years. My little one just came to visit me. I love meeting people after the gigs. Most of the time I’m chatting away with people I meet either at the bar or after the shows. One of my happiest things is meeting friends and people from over the years who’ve knitted my daughter little ponchos. That’s what life is all about in the end, isn’t it? Sure, you’re going south, you might as well just hang out with good people in this beautiful place.

Tell us something about you that would surprise people.

I’m a black slope skier. I’m quite good at skiing, for some reason. I’m terrified of everything else in my life. The other thing that surprised me, which I found was amazing because I’ve always been in love with Edinburgh, I knew my family were from Melrose, the blacksmith in Melrose. But my dad only told me two years ago that our great-grandparents were born in St Cuthberts Church and lived in Advocats Close and Leith Street. What would surprise people is if they heard I was quiet, because that’s not going to happen on stage.

What are the best and worst things that have happened to you at a festival?

I suppose at the beginning it was being one of the original performers of La Clique and travelling the world. Losing money was one of the worst things, but off the back of that Ewen Bremner saw me in La Clique and I got a phone call and got this amazing role playing across from Will Young, Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins in Mrs Henderson Presents. That was my first year, 2004, and I thought it would never happen again. In 2009, Elizabeth Freestone spotted me here, and she chose us to put forward a project for the Rape of Lucrece to turn it into a play. I performed it with Feargal and won a Herald Angel which was amazing. The worst things – there's plenty. Terrible relationships. Doing a show where I got electrocuted on stage. There was a journalist who was going to put the show on the cover of a magazine, but the guy disliked the show so much he didn’t do the interview with me the next day. I thought to myself, “Jesus I got electrocuted on stage, would you give me a break?”

What’s the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do at night?

Last thing, drink the wine that’s beside my bed. First thing in the morning, drink the wine that’s beside my bed. No, I’m joking. I get up and have a little shot of some sort of ginger thing. I have a coffee and a stroll up the road in Tollcross. Last thing at night, who knows. I’m of an age I shouldn’t be doing this. I met some young people who said come and see the sun with us, I said I’m 109, I’ve done the sunrise before.

Thanks for the interview! We’d like to buy you a drink. Where are we going and what are we drinking?

I’m always inviting the audience, but they never believe me when I say come to the Brass Monkey. So Brass Monkey, Captain’s Bar for some great music. There's a place called Brauhaus I always pass by that looks amazing. And of course, Bennetts. We’ll be drinking red wine, prosecco, or if there’s something like a caipirinha.

Camille O'Sullivan: Loveletter, Assembly Roxy, 9.35pm, until 17 August