Review – Suicide Songs for the Ukulele

You’d be forgiven for expecting a night of macabre ditties from a show named “Suicide Songs of the Ukelele”. Original songs of dark thoughts and personal pain, contrasted with the upbeat tinniness of a uke. Instead, local musician Simon Peter and his ensemble presented us with some uninspiring covers of songs like Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” and Leadbelly’s “Goodnight Irene”. These are technically suicide songs, even though you might have listened to them for years and not known it.

The show hit its lowest point with what I at first thought was going to be a cover of Dido’s “Thank You” but turned out to be a cover of Eminem’s “Stan”. Yes, you read that right, they played the one ukelele tribute that never needed to exist. It might have worked if it was played for laughs; alas, they went for profundity. (Is there a less appropriate song to play in memory of loved one?)

The biggest surprise of the night was a performance of “Gloomy Sunday,” in the style of Billie Holiday, by a vocalist who went only by Candice. She was, apparently, a late addition to the roster, but her singing was the highlight of an otherwise tepid show.