"Mascara on the arm, one wonders how it gets there."

At the midpoint of her show, after running a gamut of emotions from drunk, dishevelled and discombobulated to playful, flirtatious and alluring, Camille had earned the right to look a little tousled.

It's a right that she waives of course, somehow managing to remain gorgeous even with emotions running high.

In a hugely anticipated return to the Brighton Festival, the voice of La Clique and the object of affection for anybody with a pulse and an ear, Camille has settled right back into the suitable surrounds of the Spiegeltent.

With a voice that channels the spirit of Cabaret's Sally Bowles, taking in a bit of Edith Piaf and PJ Harvey and adding the vocal oomph of a petrol-powered megaphone, the awesome talent of this French/Irish fille du cirque can barely be described in simple words.

Kicking off the evening with Nick Cave's God Is In The House and moving swiftly on to a number called The Devil's Workshop, it's clear to see that this singer's influences are hugely diverse. With Tom Waits' A Good Man, Camille roared, meowed and purred an ode to one night stands, using members of the audience as an impromptu chaise longue on which to writhe and wriggle.

But for all the sauce and burlesque bawdiness, moving from the words of Bowie to Brel with expert ease, it was in her soul-bearing rendition of Cave's Are You The One that Camille's star shone.

Not that anyone should ever need an excuse to visit the Spiegeltent, but to capture the spirit, sensibility and ethos of the Festival there is only one woman you need to search out.

Until Sunday. 01273 647100