Last week's cinéconcerts in Edinburgh brought an interesting collection of French bands to our attention, so I thought it maybe worth exploring them a bit more.
Bikini Machine were over to do a live soundtrack to the film Desperado at the event at the Institut Francais d'Ecosse.
The five-piece from Rennes have a style that combines the best of 60s yéyé, garage rock and energetic 60s soul, but rather than just being a retro act they take some of the best elements of the past and wrap them up with modern production values and techniques in a high-energy bundle, coming from a French hipster background that embraces electronics and hip hop as much as a Dutronc sneer and swagger.
In some ways they remind me of acts like The Hives, and the Make Up, although with a greater awareness of modern sounds.
The band have been around since 2001, their first album An introduction to Bikini Machine coming out in 2003.
The Dutronc project - Bikini Machine Joue Dutronc - was recorded in 2004-05 during a period when the band had to take some time out for health reasons.
The band resumed live work in 2005, and another album Daily Music Cooking emerged in 2006, their most recent, The Full Album coming out in autumn 2009.
Jon Spenser, who produced some of their work, said: "Bikini Machine play high-energy go-go-ye-ye supersonic garage soul for the new millennium. And they play it good!"
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