Moriarty @ Fargo Store, Paris April 30 2011 12:00 AM

Moriarty @ Fargo Store 12:30 am
Paris April 30 2011

To promote the new album Moriarty is playing a showcase @ Fargo store in Paris.
We already saw them a few days ago @ Divan du Monde for a private gig.
It's a beautiful & sunny saturday, the atmosphere is realy cool and relaxed, the gig was kept secret to avoid a riot, just kidding ;-) so around 50 people but it's sold-out in the tiny shop.
Funny to attend a gig so early, the gig is starting at 12:40 and the band is playing their new song on acoustic.
The guys are not fooling around or joking or acting like buffoons (too much) like they did @ Divan du Monde even though the guitar player is still doing his funny moves à la Elvis once (that was enough).
In fact, new songs are pretty good when played more seriously.
The show lasted a good 40 min and 8 songs were played.
One of the guys from the band brought a huge Mozzarella cheese from Italy to share with people at the end of the show, really nice with tomatoes and olive oil and Fargo privided Fruit Juices and salami.
Wondeful to start a very long saturday for us in these conditions.

Then we went to the nearby open air secondhand market, where a friend of mine Miss F found an original small drawing and autograph of Jean Cocteau for just a few euros to a guy who didn't know what he was selling.
Couldn't fucking believe it !

last song of the show:

Angus & Julia Stone @ Trianon, Paris April 28 2011

Angus & Julia Stone @ Trianon
Paris April 28 2011

These guys are VERY popular in France right now, they've been here playing several sold-out shows a few months and now they're back playing the Trianon for several other sold-out shows.
We just know their hit song "Big Jet Plane" (here on video) and it sounds ok to us.
Glad to be invited for this gig to check them live.
First thing you notice before they get on stage is that it's a 80 % female audience in their late-teens early 20's and most of them very beautiful whwich is already a good point.
The duo hits the stage aound 9:00pm for a 90 min+ set.
They have bass, drums and cello players.
They're playing a cool pop-folk music, most of the songs are quite slow but not boring which I was afraid of, after 3-4 songs you get slowly into it and finally you like it.
The girl has a funny tiny-tiny voice, they did a James Taylor song and changed the setlist all along the show even playing a new song " I wanna live here".

A nice surprise, on some songs you could hear a pin drop as the audience was very respectful and remained completely silent.
A good show !

setlist

"Big Jet Plane"

"Back and Forth" Foo Fighters' Documentary screening @ Canal+, Paris April 27 2011

Screening for the press in a projection room at the Canal+ HQ.

James Doll did a documentary just in time for the released of the 7th Foo Fighters' studio album "Wasting Light" out this month.
All you wanted to know about Foo Fighters from the early beginning in 1994 when Kurt Cobain died to the recording process of the new album is in the documentary.
Lots of talking, a few things unknown to us and interesting facts from the beginning of the Foo, it's well done, there's also a bit a live footage but very few.
You won't see other musicians telling how great they are but as it's official there's no controversy regarding the HIV-Aids denialist movement that supported Nate Mendel or anything alse, it's only focus on the history of the band.
They did mention Dave playing with The QOTSA but NOT Them Crooked Vultures, Why ?
Really great, a must see.A good commercial for the new album.
It will be play on Canal+ on May 19 @ 11:55pm

Moriarty @ Divan du Monde, Paris April 26 2011

Moriarty @ Divan du Monde, Private show for the Fnac Store
Paris April 26 2011

After playing a few sold-out shows @ Trianon last month ( 1200 capacity) Franco-American Folk-country band Moriarty is playing a private show for the Fnac Store in this 'newly' refurbished 500 capacity club: Le Divan du Monde.
Competition winners are downstairs and VIPs upstairs on the tiny balcony drinking free champagne and ... talking loudly.
We already saw the band a few years ago and we liked what we saw but it seems that the band has turned into a joke, first: most of the songs are crap and second: musicians are trying to act funny on stage which is fuckin' ridiculous.
Only the last 20 min minutes of the 65 min gig was good with some better songs at the end including a couple of their hits and acting more "seriously".
Oliver called this "Musique pour les ploucs" I guess he wasn't that far...
The show ended with a song they recorded specially for the "Record Store Day" and here on video.
The only one problem was, once again these VIP dickheads upstairs that didn't stop talking loudly for the whole set. (Patrice, our photographer was there but I guess he didn't talk as he was probably so bored...)

Song for "Record Store Day":

Angus & Julia Stone @ Trianon, Paris April 26 2011

Angus & Julia Stone @ Trianon
Paris April 26 2011

We didn't go but here's the setlist wich is probably wrong as they never follow it

James Blake @ Maroquinerie, Paris April 25 2011

James Blake @ Maroquinerie
Paris April 25 2011

setlist

We didn't go but Uschi kindly sent me the setlist so here it is with a nice video from a Feist cover song

Dum Dum Girls @ C'est Lenoir, Black Session Paris April 25 2011

Dum Dum Girls @ C'est Lenoir, Black Session
Paris April 25 2011

All girl band Dum Dum Girls @ C'est Lenoir for a Black session just one day after playing La Machine du Moulin Rouge.
Nice poppy song to begin with , a kind of psyche-rockier version of The Bangles then and for the whole gig it was more rock but it sounds all the same with the same rythm over & over, impossible to single out one catchy song.
Maybe is it because they are technically limited so a good above average show with one new song played.
45 min + set

see ya tomorrow (on tuesday) @ Divan du Monde for the Fnac private gig of Moriarty ("musique pour les ploucs" as Oliver called it)

.
Yes, it's Avenue de la Motte Picquet in case NO one noticed (center)
Jean Charles de Castelbajac chalk drawings (left & right)

Saturday afternoon at Pere Lachaise Cemetary

Saturday afternoon @ Pere Lachaise cemetary in Paris

Very hot saturday afternoon in Paris, it feels like the summer, the best way to NOT feel the warm of the sun is to have a walk in the shady Pere Lachaise.

we visited Jim and say hello (far right)

Next shows in Paris for the next 2 weeks...

April 23
Fish @ New Morning
April 25
Dum Dum Girls @ C'est lenoir, Black session (invit' only, sold out)
April 26
Cocoon @ Olympia (sold out)
Moriarty @ Divan du Monde (Private gig for Fnac store) Get your free ticket @ Fnac Forum & Ternes right now
April 27
Moriarty @ 104
[Foo Fighters Documentary screening @ Canal+] before the broadcast on tv
April 28
Tindersticks @ St Eustache church
The Fleshtones @ Fleche d'Or
May 2:
Selah Sue @ Album de la Semaine, Plaine st Denis(Get your invit' by calling Bertrand on 01 55 93 40 48)
May 4:
Timber Timbre @ C'est Lenoir Black session
May 5
Joe Bonamassa @ Olympia
May 9
Alela Diane @ Olympia
Ben Harper @ Fleche d'Or

There are "rumours" of a private small gig by the Foo Fighters in Paris mid-may : don't get mad nothing is signed, it's only a rumour , it may not happen.

Prince to play @ Stade de France on June 30 2011

UPDATED MAY 13 : Prince will play @ Stade de France on JUNE 30
Box office will open at the end of May

George Lang from RTL radio announced it

Prince @ Stade de France on July 2nd 2011

The last time we saw Prince it was @ New Morning club in Paris with a 3h45 min long show between 2:30am & 6:15am.

Anna Calvi @ Trianon, Paris April 22 2011

Contact : irockinparis((@))yahoo((dot))fr

Anna Calvi @ Trianon

Paris April 22 2011

Anna Calvi is back in Paris for another sold-out show,this time this is at the newly re-open & one of the most beautiful theatre in Paris @ Le Trianon in Pigalle.
It's her 5th show in just a few months in the French capital and 6th in all.

Things haven't really changed, she's still playing songs from her first record.
She's still shy but not as frightened as she used to.
I think that the Trianon is trying to compete with the Bataclan for the hottest theatre in Paris, where the fuck is the A.C. ?
As the show is being broadcasted live on Arte tv website there are a couple of cameras in the audience and on stage but no big productions and it remains very discreet.
She starts the show (@ 8:53) with a long instrumental , just to get in the mood.
She won't talk at all to the audience apart from the usual "Thank You" and prefers to focus on her (perfect) guitar playing & (perfect) vocals.
After seeing her a few times and even though I haven't heard the record yet, I start to know the songs quite well.
The audience is listening religiously for the whole hour set, exploding at the very end of the show after the final Encore, we're asking for more, clapping & yelling, for a few minutes but unfortunately she's won't come back.
Too bad the gig was perfect.

Original setlist (far right)

"Jezebel":


Check her lastest shows in Paris @ C'est Lenoir in January, @ L'Album de la Semaine a couple of days later, @ Nouveau casino in Feb, @ Cité de la Musique opening for Grinderman in Oct 2010

The whole show @ Trianon from Arte broadcast:

Chapel Club + Her Magic wand @ Point Ephémere, Paris April 21 2011

Chapel Club + Her Magic wand @ Point Ephémere,
Paris April 21 2011

We haven't been in this club for a long time, probably Sean Lennon & Charlotte Kemp in Oct 2009.
Thanks to Fabien we would get invit' to see English indie rock band Chapel Club.
It's not a commercial success as there are only 5 people when we get in, just before they started there are no more than a 100 people and the guest list was huge.
First there is a french indie-pop band : Her Magic wand.
Cool set.

Then we have headliners English indie/alternative rock band Chapel Club.
Another band influenced by Joy Division between post-Punk and indie English pop-rock.
The singer has a very low voice and some Morrissey influences.
Nice show but a bit too English indie rock for us.