Having established herself as a musician – or, more precisely, a proponent of experimental Welsh-Iranian folk-pop – Roshi Nasehi has set her sights on standup. It is a moot point how wise a move that was. Nasehi is a lovely performer, relaxed, genial and good company, but it would take a few rounds on the circuit to make her a comedian. If it had not been for her improvised preamble in which she chats knowingly to the audience, I’m not sure I would have realised she was trying to do standup in the first place.
And that would not be a bad thing. Ramalama Ding Dong is modestly amusing, but it has more to commend it than humour. Nasehi’s theme, as she dots from anecdote to anecdote, is the everyday racism she has encountered as the daughter of Iranians in Swansea. They are stories that sometimes involve celebrity – Salman Rushdie and Syd Little make appearances – but more typically take a spin through a bleak landscape of Rumbelows electronics shops, pub toilets and BNP campaigns at the school gates.
The racism slithers up at unexpected moments, in a random phone call, a garden party or a classmate’s taunt. The show’s title alludes to the most surreal example in which a stranger’s abuse degenerated into incoherent noise.
Talking of noise, Ramalama Ding Dong is at its most distinctive when Nasehi uses her anecdotes as raw material for instant sound pieces, adding loops, harmony and echo to her gorgeous vocals. In this context, the racist remarks become as warped and alien as they deserve to be, their repetitions a kind of exorcism.
Along with interviews, animations and memories of a childhood trip to Tehran, they give texture to an engaging show, albeit one yet to find its perfect form.
Ramalama Ding Dong is at Summerhall, Edinburgh, until 13 August.
