The Irrepressibles // Mirror, Mirror

If you were to look up the word ‘irrepressible’ in the dictionary, it would tell you that it was "difficult or impossible to confine” and The Irrepressibles certainly live up to their name. What the dictionary wouldn’t tell you is that this irrepressible force is a 10-piece ’performance orchestra’ led by composer-cum-artistic director-cum lead vocalist, Jamie McDermott. Like Harlequin himself, McDermott is nimble and agile with his flamboyant vocal acrobatics and ‘Mirror Mirror’ is embellished intricately with threads of love, lust, anger and loss. There’s an element of Avant-Garde here too combining the traditional elements of theatre, the orchestra and art into a precious musical box of enchanting theatrical pop. Dazzling displays of outfits and costumes don’t dispute this, as illustrated by the video for ‘In This Shirt,’ the final track to the record and also appearing in the ('backwards motion’ filmmaker) Shelley Loves film ‘The Forgotten Circus.’ From a Roman amphitheatre to the Queen Victoria Hall and more recently a dazzling performance at the V&A, even the venues the band play are wildly elaborate and filled with panache and style; a sprinkling of Bowie, a dash of Beefheart. While The Irrepresibles might be impossible to pigeon-hole as the name suggests, ’Mirror Mirror’ is undeniably an enchanting performance of originality and glamour and that is impossible to deny.