by LORRAINE CARPENTER

With a lively blend of music, lights, video, props and costumes, not to mention personality, les Reines Prochaines bridge politically infused, avant-garde art and colourful, accessible entertainment. The Basel-based group, whose alumni includes renowned artist Pipilotti Rist, has seen some lineup changes since their start in 1987, yet their method and madness have generally remained the same.

"A kind of language has developed in the music and the performance and the way of working, and this has grown over 18 years, so it's quite strong," says Barbara Naegelin, one of the group's newer members. An integral part of this language is the music, a smorgasbord of 20th-century European sounds, from classic cabaret to traditional Eastern, with touches of the contemporary. Throughout their shows, singer-songwriters Michèle Fuchs, Fränzi Madörin, Muda Mathis, Sus Zwick and Naegelin pass the mic and the instruments, taking turns singing lead (in German, French and English) and playing horns, keys, strings, synths, guitars and drums.

Accompanying their democratic musicianship is a substantial dose of liberal politics, particularly feminism. Les Reines Prochaines have always dealt with women's issues in their work, but Switzerland's swing to the right in 2003's elections, which left only one woman in its government, has not only re-stoked the group's fire, but brought a new generation into the liberal fold, a major step forward from the laissez-faire apoliticism and feminist backlash of the late '90s and early '00s. That said, les Reines's approach to politics bears little resemblance to the strident methods of North America's street activists and big womyn on campus.

"We don't speak out that we are feminists, except in interviews," explains Naegelin. "We're all women and we're talking about everyday life so we're ourselves a manifestation. We're not saying, ‘Feminism, feminism, feminism.'"

"Well, maybe a little bit in this show," adds Zwick.

"Yes, there's one song that's a parody of a war song, for equal rights," Naegelin admits.

Although Mathis, Naegelin and Zwick are already in Montreal with their installation La géographie transparente (at Galerie la Centrale until April 17), "this show" is Halluzination, to be performed as part of Studio 303's 12th annual Edgy Women festival. Les Reines' latest multimedia spectacle was inspired by Switzerland's devastating election ("The worst imaginable politician was elected," Naegelin says), and general dejection among liberals.

"We worked our whole life in a political way," says Mathis, "but we found that - "

" - it didn't help," concludes Naegelin. "The only thing that helps now is hallucinations or hypnosis," she says, as Mathis casts spells with her hands. Call it escapism dotted (and umlauted) with reality checks and crossed with irony and self-deprecation.

"We're left to our dreams but we cannot accept this, so we still talk about it," says Naegelin. "We're in the middle of it and feeling it, but we're making fun of ourselves at the same time."

At la Sala Rossa on Saturday, March 19 (with Alexis O'Hara) and Sunday, March 20 (with Nathalie Derome), 8 p.m., $12. Meet and greet at Galerie La Centrale on Wednesday, March 23, 7 p.m., free

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