Copla: A Spanish Cabaret introduces a hidden Spanish tradition to the Fringe, through musical numbers that evoke romance, anguish, melodrama and resistance. ‘The Fringe is a playground for curiosity; people come open-minded,’ says performer and creator Alejandro Postigo. ‘Copla will be new to many, but its emotional fire, theatrical flair and defiant spirit make it a perfect fit. It’s storytelling through music, rooted in Spain but resonating beyond.’

Like Weimar cabaret, copla retains a political subtext. ‘Under Franco, copla was censored and used as propaganda,’ Postigo continues, ‘yet it also smuggled in subversive truths. Many songs gave voice to outsiders, wrapped in metaphor and melody. Cabaret, like copla, disarms through beauty but beneath the glamour, it resists. It tells truths that politics can’t silence.’

Ingrained into its history, however, is a vibrant modern aesthetic. ‘Queerness in copla is everywhere: it’s in the forbidden love stories, the defiance, the high drama. In my show, queerness isn’t a theme, it’s the method. It’s copla uncloseted: bold, vulnerable and proud.’

For Postigo, one particular song expresses the spirit of the genre. ‘“Tatuaje” (“Tattoo”) tells the story of a woman obsessively searching for a sailor with a tattoo. It’s about loss, longing and refusing to forget. When I sing it, I channel all the ache of migration, of being marked by places and people you can’t return to. That longing isn’t just romantic, it’s political. “Tatuaje” becomes a song about identity: what marks us, what we carry, and what we’re never allowed to leave behind.’

Copla: A Spanish Cabaret, Assembly George Square Studios, Thursday 31 July–Sunday 24 August, 6.40pm; main picture: Jake Bush.