♪♫ 16th Jan: SPLASH WAVE(FR) + LE FRANCAIS(FR) + THE LEISURE SOCIETY(UK) at Espace B, Paris
2nd time I saw The Leisure Society in Paris. When I arrived at 8PM, I didn't know anyone there. But then, I saw Christian Hardy at the bar and talked to him, he recognized me as well (with my twitter user name...). He told me to follow him to see Mike Siddell in the concert venue. Not many people inside. I discussed with both of them for a while, very nice as always with my poor English. Then played the French electronic music band Splash Wave after 9:30PM. Two guys on stage with one of them singing in English(?) with a robot voice.It isn't the kind of music I'm used to listen to, but it was interesting. At the merchandising you could buy some hand-made audiotapes(!!!),CDs and 90s-videogames-like T-Shirts. My friends bought some of their stuff, as one of them still used material to listen to audiotapes... After waiting a moment, the French trio Le Français came on stage. Many people seated on the floor in the middle of the little nice place with chalk walls(where you can draw anything you want with chalk sticks). The lead singer was happy to open for The Leisure Society. I didn't like their music actually... Then played The Leisure Society at around 10PM. Good timing for a friend who wanted to see them! It wasn't the usual band that night. Darren (who didn't manage to do the European tour) was another Darren as bass player. William Calderbank, the cello player, wasn't here. And there was Emy (who played with Elbow) as violonist. Just before they began, I talked to Nick Hemming and Helen Whitaker who did recognize me! "The one at Café de la Danse"...
After the concert, they agreed to be taken in pictures. This kind of nice and modest bands, which take of their time for fans, even if they are busy with interviews or anything else, make you want to support them in their future project and make you like them even more!
It was an amazing night, because I talked to Oliver Peel who I often saw in many concerts I went before. He writes well-detailed live reports in German and sometimes in French with great pictures at Konzert Tagebuch. It appeared that we went to some same concerts before and it was really great to meet him, very nice! Then he mentioned me on his blog, thing that I found incredible when I read it!
♪♫ 18th Jan: LOCAL NATIVES(US) live radio session at Black Session, Emission Lenoir, Paris
I was invited by a person on Twitter who became my friend, because this person won 2 tickets for that show and had a spare ticket. I was extremely happy for that and i am very grateful for this. We were very excited to have the chance to go there! Local Natives were particularly awesome! The audience seated on the comfortable chairs and only stood up at the end, but the atmosphere was very joyful and excited. The crowd asked for an Encore and after long acclamations, the band played again one of their songs, as they didn't expect it at all. They even said that it never happened to them before. :)
♪♫ 21th Jan: MY GIRLFRIEND IS BETTER THAN YOURS(FR) + LAWRENCE ARABIA(NZ) + FANFARLO(UK) at La Maroquinerie, Paris
I bought my ticket for Fanfarlo, even if I didn't know it well. A few listens on their MySpace and with people often mentioning them on Twitter and on reviews. My Girlfriend Is Better Than Yours played first that night, with the usual duo and a drummer this time. They played good songs in English and in French. I liked their songs, but not all of them. Then played Lawrence Arabia, a band from New-Zealand with the lead singer James Milne. They were 5 bearded-guys on stage with checked shirts. They catched the audience's attention with their great songs and melodies. They played my favorite songs: "Apple-Pie Bed", "I've Smoked Too Much", "The Beautiful Young Crew". They had great success because almost of their stuff were gone at the merchandising place after the concert. I only bought the nice shopping bag with the guitar player at the merchandising place, no CDs left. Then Fanfarlo came on stage. It was the main band. People with many foreigners were excited. They danced, sang, jumped a lot. But some French people, a guy and a girl, in front of me weren't nice, because tall as they are, they didn't want to down a single step for other people behind them.
After the show, you could find Olivier Marguerit, James Milne, Simon Balthazar, Leon Beckenham and Cathy Lucas from Fanfarlo. I was impressed to see all them...
♪♫ 23rd Jan: ACE OUT(FR) + ELDIA(FR) at l'International, Paris
I came to the venue when Ace Out's gig almost ended. The lead singer was half-naked and interacted a lot with the audience in the small place. Music which make you dance, but not me actually. Then came Eldia, one of my favorite French bands. They were very good, but perhaps in a bigger place, it would have been better! Everyone was packed and it's not nice if you've ever been at l'International.
♪♫ 24th Jan: I COME FROM POP(FR) + OWEN PALLETT/FINAL FANTASY(CAN) at La Maroquinerie, Paris
I listened to the songs of I Come From Pop in their MySpace and I quite like some of their songs. On stage, it was impressing to hear the lead singer's voice, kind of female voice. Maybe not the voice everybody can listen to, but the singer, the guitar player and the drummer were good! Then came the talented Owen Pallett with his friend Thomas Gill on drums and bass guitar. I like a lot his "Take Away Show" he did in 2007 with la Blogothèque, you know, the song "Your Light Is Spent". Unfortunately, he didn't play it that night. His songs are good, but I expected a better concert with many musicians. That would have been good. Nevertheless, you didn't know how happy I was that night to see him in real! Amazing show! He joked sometimes between songs. The audience was extremely respectful, attentive and supportive. Silence during songs and acclamations between them. He got 2 Encore. It was funny when he lost his archer during a song.
♪♫ 26th Jan: GET WELL SOON(GER) at showcase Fnac, Paris
It was a friend who told me about this showcase. As I missed them in December at the Cooperative Music Xmas Party, I went at Fnac to see them. They were only 3 members instead of 7 on stage, because the stage was obviously too small to have the full band. But it was great. Around 40 people in the crowd and many customers of the shop. They were very nice after the concert. If you want to talk to them, you need to speak English or German, not French.
♪♫ 27th Jan: TRESORS(FR) + GOOD SHOES(UK) + CASIOKIDS(NOR) at Point Ephémère, Paris
As I missed Casiokids when they played with Au Revoir Simone last year at Cabaret Sauvage, I got my ticket very fast for this show, when I knew that they played again in Paris. Tresors is a French duo with guys playing on Casio keyboards and singing incomprehensible lyrics. They played in the dark with a powerful light on the desk in the middle of the place, surrounded by a sceptical audience. It was so boring that I had time to think of what I have to do the following day. The band Good Shoes was good, but I wasn't as excited as teenagers next to me who jumped, danced and sang every single lyric. Then came the Norwegian electronic music band Casiokids! It was funny to see that people who didn't enjoy much Good Shoes actually were excited to see Casiokids, and vice versa. The Norwegian guys were excellent on stage, with great energy. They made the audience dance and sing. That was a great moment. After the concert, I met Ketil and Omar from Casiokids outside the venue, they were very cool and very nice! Big smile on their faces.
♪♫ 29th Jan: OROUNI(FR) at Oliver Peel Sessions #15
Oliver Peel kindly invited me to this session with Orouni, a very nice French singer who plays for the bands Milk and Fruit Juice and The Limes as well. I met some nice persons there. And it was a great performance, Orouni sang with his nice girlfriend Mlie. They also played some songs with an African instrument, called kalimba. Very interesting!
♪♫ 3rd Feb: THE LEISURE SOCIETY(UK) live radio session at Le Fou Du Roi, Paris
There wasn't many people in the audience. Mainly senior people... The Leisure Society were only guys: Nick Hemming, Christian Hardy, Mike Siddell, Sebastian Hankins and Darren. They played 2 songs, including their cover of Something by The Beatles. The radio show was boring, but it was funny how Stephane Bern looks like the main character of the film Ratatouille... and one of the guests looks like Hugh Laurie.
♪♫ 3rd Feb: FAIRGUSON(FR) live radio session at Planet Claire, Paris
I followed them for a while. I contacted people at Planet Claire to know if people can assist at the live radio session. And it was ok, so I went there alone. I thought there was an audience and I was stupid to be the only outside person there. The presenter Denis was nice. There were only 3 members of Fairguson(the lead singer on guitar, the drummer and the cello and bass player), the place was very small. They played a few songs and I talked to them. Very nice. I was surprised to see Pokett in the "audience", he's a friend with the Fairguson's guys. He's actually one of my favorite French singers!
♪♫ 3rd Feb: Maxime Chamoux(FR)solo at Pop In, Paris
After the radio session at 9PM, I went to see Maxime Chamoux who plays for Please Don't Blame Mexico and Toy Fight. He played that night alone on keyboards. Not many people in this small place, mostly of his friends. He was good, even if he was a bit sick and if there were mike technical problems.
♪♫ 16th Feb: DAVE OLLIFFE(AUS) with FREDERIC D. OBERLAND and SANDRA ROSSINI(FR) + ARBOREA(US) at Oliver Peel Session #17
Oliver invited me again at this session. Dave Olliffe and his friends played very good folk songs. But I was more impressed to meet Arborea, an American couple (Buck and Shanti Curran) who play psychedelic folk songs. Shanti has a very beautiful and clear voice, kind of enchanted. They played different instruments, some kind ones I've never seen before. Their last song made everybody smile, because it was very loud, and Oliver didn't know if his neighbors heard the noise! But everything went well, no complaint. :)
♪♫ 17th Feb: YOUNG MAN/COLIN CAULFIELD(US) + LOCAL NATIVES(US) at la Maroquinerie, Paris
I discovered Local Natives last November and since December I got my ticket for this show. I saw the lead singer of You and You and Mina Tindle in the audience.
An opening band was announced only days before. It was Young Man, a solo project of a 21-year old American called Colin Caulfield. I like his songs on his MySpace and appreciated them even more live! One of my friend compares him to Bob Dylan. On stage, he played with the 'famous' drummer Jean Thévenin. Great songs and voice! Very good! I hope to see him later.
Local Natives came after that. The audience was crazy! They were perfect as usual and very energic on stage with the drums and guitars! I was especially excited to see 'Octopus Man' (aka Kelcey Ayer who plays drums, piano and sings at the same time), the 'moustache-man' (aka Taylor Rice) and the 'curly hair guy'(aka Ryan Hahn, my favorite one). There were also the drummer Matthew Frazier and the bassist Andy Hamm. The Encore song was Sticky Thread, but I expected them to sing another song. After the concert, I saw Andy go out quickly to take a drink at the bar and go back. Only Ryan and Taylor and his girlfriend were at the merchandising place. I won't surprise you if I tell you that I was impressed by the moustache of Taylor... He was very nice. He agreed to take a picture after selling some stuff to other people. Ryan was very nice too! I wanted to talk longer to him, but I didn't know what to say... So we talked about their concerts on festivals like SXSW, Coachella and Sasquatch and Ryan told me that he was very excited about them. Then I told him that I was very happy for him about this, and ... he hugged me for a few seconds to thank me. I didn't expect that at all... I personally better like their Black Session than this concert, but they were really really good! Local Natives will come back in Paris in the summer on festivals.
♪♫ 21th Feb 2010: TUNE YARDS[no video] + MUGISON(ICE) + MUMFORD & SONS(UK) at la Maroquinerie, Paris
I mainly wanted to see Mumford and Sons. The ticket was €22, quite expensive for me. But it was a great great show. Tune Yards began to sing when I arrived at the place at 8:10PM. She has a great strong voice and sang African-like songs. I didn't like them, but they were good! And Mugison, a singer from Iceland played alone with his guitar. I think he's the 1st singer who made me laugh so much in concerts. He joked a lot, told stories about his wife (how his wife left him and went back to him after a song he wrote for her), his father(experience where he was supposed to fish with his dad but they only watched some porno...). He interacted very well with the audience, making everybody sing along and making the girls repeat some strange cries. He fell off his chair on a song, and also started a song for 30 sec and then sang another one, because he didn't feel it. Then Mumford and Sons came on stage. The audience was composed mainly of English people, so they sang all the songs and was really good! The band interacted a lot with the audience with jokes and the banjo player spoke very good French. It was an excellent show! Moreover, after the concert, I met Merrill Garbus/Tune Yards, Country Winston from Mumford and Sons(the one who speaks very good French), Mugison (he actually smelled a little bit beer), because he kissed my cheek for a picture, I didn't expect it at all...hum...
♪♫ 23th Feb: GARCIAPHONE(FR) + BADEN BADEN(FR) at Scopitone, Paris
I went there alone, but found some people I know. Garciaphone played at around 9PM. He played in front of a small and shy audience who didn't come near the stage. He played alone with his guitar and with some loop pedals. To be honest, he wasn't as good as I saw him at Nouveau Casino and at Truskel, months ago. Maybe because of the small venue which I didn't like and that he performed differently. But people supported him, including Gaspard Royant who was in the audience and who is one of his friends. Then later, played Baden Baden. A drummer, a keyboard player, a bass player, the two lead singers on guitars. People was packed near the low stage and it was not pleasant at all. I spent the whole concert on one side of the stage, kneeling on the armchair. The sound was very loud, so it made the concert even more unpleasant for me...
♪♫ 27th Feb: SOPHIE RAMSAY(UK) + ROSE MELBERG + KELLARISSA(CAN) at Oliver Peel Session #18
I was invited again by Oliver Peel to this session. The beautiful UK artist Sophie Ramsay sang some English songs with a beautiful and particular voice. Then was the turn of Rose Melberg on guitar and her friend Kellarissa. Soft and beautiful voices! I didn't know Rose Melberg before, she was famous in the 90s because she played twee-pop in the band The Softies. She also sang with Elliott Smith and opened for Belle & Sebastian. So it was very great to talk to her that night!
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