Camille is often spoken of in the same breath as Björk, but we think this is a tad unfair. Camille is incomparable in that she is both unique and rather difficult to define; the experimental and sometimes difficult nature of her work lends itself to that comparison simply because she is so difficult to categorise, and people do like to pigeonhole folk don't they? We think the comparison ends there.

It was very clear at The Big Chill on Sunday afternoon as the sun came out to play that French singer Camille proved to be the year’s instant star. She strutted her stuff around a wet and slippery stage (admittedly due to the rather odd water works musical instrument used by her band) dressed in an orange number with matching orange socks which would not look out of place hanging up by the fireplace waiting for Santa Claus, the girl certainly showed us how to love the avante garde nature of her performance, this was her territory for the duration and she was utterly compelling.

This woman has personality plus, plus, plus with an astonishing voice that would lend itself to any number of musical genres as she rips through a set designed to shock, offend, stun and challenge but always have you rooted to the spot, unable to leave because you can't really believe what you're witnessing as she struts around shrieking 'slag'or 'bitch', an orange clad whirling dervish that displays so much energy you think she just might spontaneously combust in front of your eyes. Although trying to get the crowd to understand audience participation for 'Cats and Dogs' was initially a losing battle, they finally grasped the concept and joined in with gusto! This woman's music and performance (you can't seperate the two) simply draws you in with a hypnotic compulsion and before you know it you're hooked.

But don't run away with the idea that this performer is a 'one trick pony', the mundane and well trodden route is not for Camille. Camille has probably invented a whole new genre showing that she is in a class of her own, backed by a group of beat-boxers, Camille was both a sight and a sound to behold, she's not the winner of a 2007 BBC World Music Award for nothing. Highly experimental, yet with an ability to connect with the audience Camille is multi-talented and unique, a huge draw in her country of origin her appeal is crossing over and reaching a much bigger audience, an audience that's well up for something quite unique.

Camille Official Website

Camille Wikipedia