Times are tough and we all need a little something to put a smile on our faces. This year’s Edinburgh Fringe offers the perfect solution in the form of endlessly charming singer Lili La Scala. When discussing the purpose of the show she’s wildly optimistic about the true power of a good old-fashioned sing-along:

“It’s just gorgeous, it’s not particularly deep. It’s about as shallow as a puddle. It’s lots of really joyful old songs. They make people smile, a couple make people chuckle. It’s just a feel-good show”.

Dolled up to the heavens in her vintage style regalia, she abolishes our woes and lightens our mood by transporting us back in time to an era of glitz and glamour. Her weapon of choice is the ‘gentle innuendos’ embedded between the lines of her favourite songs. She credits the greats such as George Formby, Gracie Fields and the infamous Ivor Novello whose melodic satire have for some time lifted her own spirits.

An innate desire to cheer up the downright miserable amongst us is weaved throughout her performance. She describes her hour-long show as an almost therapeutic answer to the sheer grimness we all know too well during these times:

“When times are tough it’s nice to sort of have an hour to step back from all that stuff and have something that’s really nostalgic and joyful and happy.”

Ever conscious of the changing times, Lili La Scala has stitched together a show which is almost unrecognisable against last years “depressing” and “emotional” performance:

“This year I wanted to bring something that would lift people’s spirits and lift my own spirits as well.”

See Lili La Scala at Assembly George Square in August 2011 at 5pm. To find out what else is going on at this year’s Fringe, visit STV’s special festival page.