Madness@ Ciné Aqua Paris June 17th 2009 6:00 PM

MADNESS @ Ciné Aqua Paris
June 17th 2009 6:00 PM

Always smart

Madness is in Paris to promote their new album " The Liberty of Norton Folgate".
they're playing lots of festival this summer , including the Rock en Seine festival at the end of August so it' s a real treat to see them in this conditions.
The Ciné Aqua is a huge aquarium with rare tropical fishes and they sometimes organise parties and concerts there.
John Butler Trio , Archive , Christopher Cross ... all played private gigs in this lovely and tiny place just in front of a huge tank full of fishes.
It holds barely 200 people and I'm seating front row.

Show started the best way with their huge hit " One step beyond" , the guys are having fun and are making funny faces to a group of girls barely 10 years old ,who were visiting the aquarium and have been invited to the gig.
Lightning conditions are very hard as they can't have a big lightshow because of the fishes which are very sensible to light.
A few songs from the new record were played but we were lucky to be treated with a Best of ...of their best songs " Embarassement" , " My Girl", "House of fun" ... ( see complete and corrected setlist below ).
Some fast songs, some more laid back songs a few ska songs , these guys can play everything.
Of course " Our House " went down a storm.
Cool encore with "Madness- Night boat to Cairo"
Great 1 hour+ set
This band must be seen in England with 30 000 drunken English dancing and singing to everysong.
Patrice Guino , our photographer , could get the skull they had on stage at the end.
Lucky bastard !

" Madness + Nightboat to Cairo" on Video HERE

Setlist & skull

" Our House" :

Hugh Coltman + La Grande Sophie @ Fnac Forum June 17th 2009

Hugh Coltman + La Grande Sophie ( + Les Wampas )
@ Fnac Forum Paris June 17th 2009

Hugh Coltman

To promote Solidays' Festival next week-end in Paris ( all the money is going to fight AIDS, click on link for full line-up ), 3 artists were invited to play a free acoustic show at the Fnac store in Les Halles.
First on stage @ 4: 00 pm is English singer-songwritter Hugh Coltman , who is now leaving in Paris ( and is fluent in French ).
I knew his name but never heard anything before today , quite a surprise , a very good surprise should I say.
This lad 's got talent , his songs are really emotional and he has an amazing voice . If you can put your hands on one of his cds take it and put it next to Jeff Buckley's cds.
Great !

Video later

La Grande Sophie

Then we had La Grande Sophie , she used to play in an "alternative" French band but she's doing a solo career and is very successfull thanks to a couple of catchy single.
She's now playing some French pop-rock variétés ( she did a duet a few years ago with Lee Hazlewood ).
She's good looking and very tall ( in English " the tall Sophie " ) , the music is nice but too much 'french variété' for me. Maybe that's because she's singing in French.
She seems very nice always smiling and interacting with the audience.

Both artists played 5-6 songs for a 30 min+ set.
The Wampas were next but I had to leave to go to see Madness playing a private show at 6:00 pm @ Ciné Aqua next to the Eiffel Tower.

The Dead Weather @ L' Album de la Semaine on June 30th 2009

The Dead Weather the band with VV from The Kills and Jack White from the White Stripes will play a private gig for L' Album de la Semaine on Canal+
The news has been circulating in private circles for the last 3 weeks but now i can tell you when : June 30th ,
just one day after their sold-out show @ La Cigale.

See our review of the gig @ La Cigale HERE ( with more than 20 pics & 2 great videos )
see our review of "L' Album de la semaine" TV show HERE ( with A/S Pic & setlist ) to be broacasted end of August beginning of Sept 2009

Pete Doherty cancels show for the Fete de la Musique @ Chateau de Vincennes on June 21st 2009

Official statement: ( in French ) :

Annulation du concert parisien de Peter Doherty, remplacé par Paolo Nutini

Pete Doherty won't play @ Chateau de Vincennes for the Fete de la Musique

PARIS (AFP) — Le chanteur anglais Peter Doherty a annulé le concert qu'il devait donner le 21 juin au château de Vincennes dans le cadre d'un plateau d'artistes à l'occasion de la 28e Fête de la musique, ont annoncé mardi les organisateurs.

Peter Doherty sera remplacé par l'Ecossais Paolo Nutini, qui se produira aussi le lendemain à guichets fermés au Bataclan.

Arrêté après un concert à Gloucester (sud-ouest de l'Angleterre), Peter Doherty, 30 ans, a été inculpé la semaine dernière pour plusieurs infractions dont conduite en état d'ivresse et possession de drogue dure.

Soap & Skin @ Black Session # 301 France Inter Paris June 15th 2009

Anja Plaschg aka Soap & Skin @ C'est Lenoir Black Session # 301
Paris France Inter June 15th 2009

Young Austrian Singer is playing the last Black Session before the summer holidays, I 've never heard anything of her before so it' a complete discovery.
She's playing the piano and is playing backing tapes on her mac.
Some people might say ( including me ) that she's playing a similar music ( and and has the same voice ) as the early Cat Power but more electronic.
The girl is acting funny sometimes.
Cool 45 min + set
The video below is not really representative of what she's playing as it was the only song she's not on the piano and the music is closer to Bjork