French Music Seen From Abroad May 2007

Travelling Bands

Paris 

04/05/2007 - 

Back home in France politically-motivated artists have been playing at campaign rallies for rival presidential candidates “Ségo” (Ségolène Royal) and “Sarko” (Nicolas Sarkozy). But others, such as Manu Chao, Gotan Project, Air, Sardou, Adamo and Sapho, have preferred to head off globe-trotting, whipping up their own support abroad.

Benicàssim, Spain. Despite his phenomenal success on the recording front, Manu Chao appears to be in no hurry to return to the studio. Together with his backing band, Radio Bemba Sound System, Chao has been on the road for many long months now, wowing audiences across South America. Then, in April, the music world’s favourite clandestino brought the house down in Spain. "Over 50,000 people turned out in pouring rain to applaud Manu Chao and Rosendo," (reported Las Provincias, 28/4) "making this the biggest crowd in the history of Benicàssim." It came as no surprise to anyone to find Chao in militant mood. Taking a stance on a range of political and social issues, the singer dedicated one song to "all those who died trying to cross the Straits of Gibraltar" and another to "the greatest terrorist of all time, a threat to future generations: the president of the United States, George Bush!"

Tacoma, U.S. Meanwhile, armed with their new album, Pocket Symphony, hip French electro-pop duo Air headed off for a mini-tour of the U.S. In Tacoma, a port city near Seattle, the double act ended up "playing in the half-empty Pantages Theater instead of an assuredly sold-out Paramount or even the Moore", according to local website Seattlest (24/4). Have the "sexy boys" become too pretentious for their own good? Well, they certainly failed to live up to their reputation this time round. Seattlest complained that “Air looked good, but their set started out loose, sloppy and seemingly unrehearsed with a way muddy mix to boot.” The duo, who mainly presented new songs from Pocket Symphony, which got a rather cool reception from critics, “closed strongly however.”

New Plymouth, New Zealand. In March, the innovative electro-tango outfit Gotan Project branched out in a new direction, "playing New Zealand for the first time." (Scoop, 13/3). "Stylish, sultry, steamy, earthy and bohemian, Gotan Project are not to be missed when they play at Womad” (the famous world music festival) Scoop promised and they were right. When the outfit, led by "French musicians Philippe Cohen Solal, Eduardo Makaroff and Christophe H. Muller", appeared on 16 March they did not disappoint. The verdict? "Drawing on everything from Jamaican dub music and hip-hop to ambient drift, Gotan Project re-shape tango with a contemporary dance feel whilst retaining tango’s soulful beauty."

Brussels, Belgium. French chanson star Michel Sardou kept his trip closer to home, nipping over the border to see his Belgian fans. "This appears to be something of an old habit for Michel Sardou never does anything just once. He appeared at Le Forest National three nights in a row, performing shows Thursday, Friday and Saturday before his announced double back-to-back on 16 and 17 November." But the critic was not overly impressed, musing that "seeing Sardou in concert is a bit like visiting an ageing relative, one whose little tics you know off by heart." It had to be said that the singer did attempt to vamp up his show a bit, trying to get close to his audience, “recapping the history of his career with various anecdotes and extracts from his repertoire that fans struck up a cappella, Sardou frequently joining in himself."

Quebec, Canada. "Adamo is set to play a series of concerts in Quebec in October," revealed local newspaper Le Soleil (23/4) in a well-timed scoop. "The Belgian singer will present songs from his latest album which marks a return to the importance of melody and pays tribute to his family’s Sicilian roots. Adamo will kick off his tour at Quebec’s Grand Théâtre on Friday 5 October. Then, on 13 and 15 October, he will appear at La Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier de la Place des Arts, in Montreal. Dates are also planned in L'Assomption, Joliette, Gatineau, Saint-Hyacinthe, Terrebonne, Laval and Trois-Rivières."

Manama, Bahrain. Meanwhile, back to the present. French Week 2007 got off to a lively start in Bahrain on 2 May. The week-long festival turns the spotlight on various aspects of French culture, "from fashion to lifestyle and from shopping to gourmet" (Gulf Daily News, 20/4). “The festival also presents music performances by a number of bands, including Sapho, who sings Oum Kalsoum and French icon Leo Ferré, as well as La Flûte en Chantier, a street-opera brass band inspired by Mozart."

Galway, Ireland. “There’s life after Amélie”, ran the headline in The Galway Independent (4/4), for Yann Tiersen. “The talented French multi-instrumentalist” and his musicians recently arrived in Ireland for a quick visit. "I love Ireland,” Tiersen declared, “We toured in Ireland a couple of years ago. We played in Galway and Cork and had a great time." The French star quipped that he “definitely enjoyed drinking the Murphy’s too!" But even the best things come to an end. Tiersen announces that he will soon be taking a well-deserved break from life on the road. His upcoming projects? "To finish the tour in Ireland and the U.K. and then go back to my little house in Brittany, to the sea and the wind." Proof that the best travel destinations are often the ones closest to home!

Gilles  Rio