Breton band Merzhin played on the French TV programme Taratata last night, a special edition of the programme dedicated to Celtic music.
The show also featured Andrea Corr, Donovan, Alan Stivell and Nolwenn Leroy.
I covered Merzhin last month, and I'm only too happy to feature them again.
For me, the highlight of the programme had to be their version of the song The Partisan, a number originally made famous by Leonard Cohen, his version being in French and English like the Merzhin cover.
The song, originally titled "La Complainte du Partisan" was written in 1943 by Anna Marly, a Russian-born French singer songwriter. It was written while in London, where she fled following the fall of France, and came into contact with the Free French Forces.
She also wrote another better-know song Le Chant de Partisan, which was adopted as an anthem by French resistance forces in France and in exile, used as an unofficial national anthem while the Nazis banned La Marseillaise.
Leonard Cohen's version of the song led to many other cover versions of the song, including interpretations from Joan Baez to political punk bands like Red Union and Workers' United Front.
On account of the song le Chant de Partisan, Marly was named a chevalier de La Légion d'Honneur by François Mitterrand in 1985.
The Merzhin version is closer to the Leonard Cohen version than the Anna Marly original, and although it features more instrumental colour than Cohen's stark original, it retains the haunting quality of a remarkable song.
The band also played the song L'Étincelle from the 2010 album Plus loin vers l'ouest and were briefly interviewed for the programme.
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