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February 10, 2010

Lips Open, Teeth Bared

By Spear's

Kiss & Tell Cabaret compose satirical songs for private parties on any theme you can imagine: the pomposity of contemporary artists or an heiress who can’t get a grip on recycling.

My accountant said, “It’s fine, just relax and ride the storm,
but perhaps you might consider a year off from Glyndebourne.

Those jaunty, jazzy lyrics are a product of the crunch – or rather ‘Crunch!’, a song by Kiss & Tell Cabaret, purveyors of swinging satire to the sophisticated classes. (See Kiss & Tell perform ‘Crunch!’ below.) Their singer – and co-lyricist – is Melinda Hughes, an opera singer; together with Jeremy Limb and Lloyd Evans, they compose satirical songs for private parties on any theme you can imagine: the pomposity of contemporary artists or an heiress who can’t get a grip on recycling.

These songs have appealed to the hosts of the many parties they have performed at: from Theo Fennell and Michael Portillo to the Royal Institute of British Architects, Kiss & Tell have graced the grandest gatherings. Drawing on a repertoire of their own songs and those of Kurt Weill and Mischa Spoliansky from the thirties – just as crunched a time as today – Kiss & Tell take a sideways glance at our foibles with a cabaret-sound kicker.

When Melinda first started out with Kiss & Tell, her partner in rhyme was Petronella Wyatt, who performed the song ‘The It-girl’s Lament’, which featured the refrain “Why can’t I find me a man?” Not, evidently, drawn from life.

Melinda, who has sung Madama Butterfly at Loughborough Opera and given concerts everywhere from the Queen Elizabeth Hall to the Al-Bustan Festival in Beirut, also knows the opera world intimately, which allows her a sideline in arranging operatic galas. If that soprano you like is in town, she’ll know about it.

Click here to get in touch with Kiss & Tell – but first, start thinking about just what you would (and wouldn’t) like included in that special song you’re going to commission for your anniversary…

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