Live report: 14th April 2011, Clap Your Hands Festival with JOHN GRAPE(FR) + STORNOWAY(UK) at Café de la Danse, Paris

 
 Clap Your Hands Festival with John Grape(FR) and Stornoway(UK).

John Grape(FR)

MySpace

This French trio from Reims played last year with the Swiss band Colorblind and the English band The Miserable Rich at Scopitone. I found it quite good. This time, they added a few carpets and vintage bedside lamps and the stage looked like someone's sitting room where the band was playing. Good songs about love and relationships, like the singer said when introducing the songs.

Stornoway(UK) 
MySpace / Facebook / Twitter / Website / Fan Tumblr

Second Paris gig, 6 months after their gig at Boule Noire, and one more time excellent! No the violonist  Rahul and no female trumpet player this time, but Jon Ouin on keyboards/guitar/banjo and 4 brothers: the young Steadman brothers (Rob on drums/musical saw and Ollie on bass guitar/cello) and the Briggs brothers (Brian on guitar/lead vocals and Adam on trumpet). A very attentive and cheerful audience, in spite of some British (drunk) fans girls. Maybe a shy crowd as people finally got up and came dancing on the last song 'Zorbing' in front of the stage. On the song "Here Comes The Blackout", Adam really cut a piece of wood with a saw on stage to have some chopping sounds. 
They're part of my favorite bands, truly amazing when playing unplugged or acoustic and I highly recommend to see. Their album "Beachcomber's Windowsill" is excellent.

Very, very nice gentlemen, give them support!

Nice photo set by Julien Perez.

More pictures:

Setlist ??
I Saw You Blink
We Touched Down The Outer Space
Beachcomber's Windowsill
On The Rocks
November Song (unplugged)
The Cold Harbour Road
Fuel Up
Boats and Trains
Long Distance Lullaby
Here Comes The Black Out
Watching Birds
End of The Movie
Zorbing 
[encore]
We Are The Battery Human (unplugged)

Stornoway - I Saw You Blink (official music video)


Stornoway - Fuel Up (4AD session)

Stornoway - November Song (unplugged in New York) (video courtesy of chanteygrrl)

To know more about the band:
- check out some sessions:
Watch Listen Tell: "I Saw You Blink"
The Alternate Side session 
4AD session 
3VOOR12 at 2010 Eurosonic

- read these interviews:
The Guardian, February 2010
The Telegraph, May 2010

-check out that Tumblr.