Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings @ Album de la Semaine, Paris, May 07 2014

Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings @ Album de la Semaine Canal+, Paris, May 07 2014

see ya there tonight

-Martha Reeves from Martha Reeves & The Vendellas is also playing tonight in Paris @ new Morning club

-John Butler Trio @ Trianon (sold out)

-"Live me do" France Inter radio recording with The Nits and others... (free entrance)

After attending Martha Reeves' rehearsals we went straight to Canal+ to attend Sharon Jones' recording for L'Album de la Semaine, she played a sold-out concert yesterday at the Olympia theatre.
lots of musicians on stage with backing vocalists, Sharon is leading her band into a 7 songs set, she's been dubbed the Female James Brown, well not really the music is different, though she's playing soul music, and she's not trying to copy Mr Brown , she has her own style and personality.
very enjoyable set

Damon Albarn @ Fnac St Lazare & Alhambra , Paris May 05 2014

Damon Albarn @ Fnac St Lazare & Alhambra, Paris May 05 2014

signing session with Damon Albarn

 Damon Albarn arrived 40 min late and signed for the 200 people who had a invitation ,you had to pick'em up at the Fnac store this morning, for an hour.

Concert @ Alhambra, Broadcasted live on SFR HERE tonight

SETLIST:
1) Lonely Press Play  2)  Everyday Robots 3)  Tomorrow Comes Today  4)   Hostiles 5) Slow Country 6) Kids With Guns 7)  Three Changes 8) You and Me 9) Photographs (You Are Taking Now) (piano instrumental intro) 10)   Kingdom of Doom (with Tony Allen) 11) Poison (with Tony Allen)  12) Hollow Ponds 13)   El Mañana 14)  Out of Time 15) All Your Life
                Encore:
       16)  Clint Eastwood (with Oxmo Puccino)
      17)   Mr. Tembo
 18) Heavy Seas of Love
       19)  This Is a Low

The Black Keys @ Album de la Semaine Canal+, Paris May 2nd 2014

The Black Keys @ Album de la Semaine Canal+, Paris May 2nd 2014

 Rehearsals' setlist (middle)  and tonight's setlist (far right)

 

Another day, another concert by The Black Keys in Paris to promote brand new album "Turn Blue"

Once again very short set ( less than 30 min) with 7 songs and 3 from the new album, I guess it was exactly the same set as yesterday when they've played a private showcase for 100 people at Studio de la grande Armée.

Once again the single "fever" is sounding much better Live than on the album even though I'm not too convinced about the "Bontempi" part in the song.

Songs from "El camino" are really fantastic...

Looking forward hearing some more new songs
Patrick went to see fans waiting outside to sign cds and pose for pictures

 

The Black Keys @ Studio de la Grande Armée for OUI FM, Paris May 1st 2014

The Black Keys @ Studio de la Grande Armée for OUI FM, Paris May 1st 2014

  

On this very quiet May 1st Labour Day we're not demonstrating in the Streets of Paris. We prefered to stay in bed very late and have a drink at the top of the Hyatt Regency hotel on the 33rd floor with a nice view over Paris despite the shitty weather.

Why this hotel ? Simply because The BLACK KEYS are playing a very private concert on the ground floor of this building in the famous Studio de la Grande Armée for OUI FM.

We already saw FRANZ FERDINAND(click for review) in this very same place a few weeks ago

We've already attended many exclusive concerts but this one is probably one of the more intimate with only 100 people, most of them record Cie executives & friends and a few competition winners from french radio OUI FM.

So intimate that I can almost touch the drum kit. 

The band is on time 20:08 pm Patrick on the left and Dan on the right with a couple of additional guys in the back on bass and keys/backing vocals.
Needless to tell you that conditions are perfect and so is the sound.
The audience is very quiet, like hypnotized... the band is playing a couple of new songs from the new album "Turn Blue" including brand new single "Fever" that is sounding SO MUCH better Live that on the record. New songs are a bit like the songs from "El Camino", they've  played a couple from that one too.
The band is tight and focus on their job, no communication with the audience apart for a "Thank You" at the end. Probably a 6-7 songs (can't remember) set for a mere 22 min concert.
Nice to see them in such an intimate place but I guess they could have played a bit longer...

Archives:

The Black Keys @ Rock en Seine 2012

 

The Strypes @ Gaité Lyrique, Paris April 30 2014

The Strypes @ Gaité Lyrique, Paris April 30 2014

Everybody's talking about this new band for months, they've already played in Paris supporting other bands, even Rock&Folk magazine had their front page with them a couple of months ago.
I'm always suspicious when a band out of nowhere is becoming the media darling suddenly.

The Gaité Lyrique is really packed (500 capacity), it was sold-out weeks ago. All teenager girls are down the front but the band is also attracting, funnily enough,  grey hair French Rockers in their 40's and 50's who are all standing up in the back.
Members of The Strypes are very young no more than 18 years old and Fuck me these kids can play... they've been compared to The Kinks, I Guess these kids are playing much better than the Kinks when they were the same age. hard to believe. Lots of very short -no more than 2 min long songs- no temps mort.
The singer looks a little bit like a very young Miles Kane/Alex Turner playing it cool with his shades and costume.
They're having fun and so are we.
The singer stopped singing and couldn't stop laughing when a kid missed his stage-diving and ended up on the floor.

Great gig !

Merchandising + setlist