Pixies: Live streaming of Paris Olympia gig

A quick entry to point out that the Pixies gig at the Olympia in Paris tonight (Monday September 30) is to be
streamed live.

The show is being streamed thanks to Deezer and Arte Live Web.

The band have released their first new material in decades, with more in the pipeline, but reports of their earlier gigs suggest that their set consists mostly of songs from their classic late 80s/early 90s period.

Original bass player Kim Deal is no longer with the band, Frank Black, Joey Santiago and David Lovering supplemented by Kim Shattuck.

Streaming begins at 8pm tonight.

Bertrand Cantat: Détroit- Droit dans le solei

Former Noir Désir singer Bertrand Cantat has unveiled a new track, with the song Droit dans le soleil under the name Détroit.

Its' a melancholy tune from Cantat, who makes his first full release since Noir Désir confirmed they were no more in 2010. The song reminds me of the version of the Noir Désir song A ton étoile that the band performed with Yann Tiersen.

His new act is a duo with Pascal Humbert, whom he previously worked with on the soundtrack for a production of a play by Sophocles in Montreal.

His return will no doubt stir up the debate about his crime and subsequent incarceration and questions over whether it's appropriate in light of what he did for him to continue with a career.

Cantat served four years in prison for the manslaughter of his partner Marie Trintignant in a hotel in Lithuania in 2003. He admitted hitting her and he was sentenced to eight years in jail.

The band never fully recovered from Cantat's time in jail. He was released in 2007, and the band only released two more tracks, Gagnants/Perdants and a cover of Le Temps des cerises.

Since Noir Désir called it a day, Cantat has made some brief re-appearances in the music scene, with Shaka Ponk, Brigitte Fontaine and Amadou and Mariam.

The new release is more of a full comeback than any of his earlier post-Noir Désire work.

While the debate over whether he deserves a second chance or whether he should continue to be  condemned, what's certain is that his new work will be scrutinised fully in the context of Cantat being a convicted killer whose actions resulted in the death of a woman.

The issue of domestic violence will also be put firmly in the spotlight, and attitudes will be examined in detail in public. That can't be a bad thing.

Does Cantat deserve to be able to turn the page and move on? Can a bad person make good art? Can a killer be truly ever be rehabilitated?

There are many questions about Cantat's return. Some of these will no doubt be addressed publicly in coming months.

The album Horizons is released on November 18, and Cantat is expected to announce shortly details of a tour to be held next year.

Urban Peace Three: French Hip Hop festival at Stade de France

This weekend sees the Urban Peace Three festival taking place at the Stade de France, probably the highest
profile hip hop festival in the country.

As well as a showcase for the genre with some of the biggest acts in France participating, it provides a clear snapshot as to the current health of the country's hip hop scene which remains vigorous and hugely popular.

Previously the event has been held in 2002 and 2008, this year the focus is on urban peace and solidarity.

Headlining the bill are Sexion d'Assaut, an act who are probably France's biggest hip hop act in recent years. Their show comes ahead of the relase of a new 'best of' collection in November.



Also at the top are IAM , who have not only had a long career,  haveing been at the forefront since the 90s, but have this year enjoyed a  higher profile than ever following their number one Art Martiens collection and subsequent single releases.



Elsewhere on the bill is  Rohff, a rappers whose albums have reached the top ten of the French charts for over a decade. His latest, a double entitled P.D.R.G. has just been released.



OrleSan takes the stage too, his last collection - 2011's Le Chant des sirènes selling over 100,000 copies. He recently appeared on the new Stromae album Racines carrée.



Stromae himself appears at the event, his new album - one of 2013's most anticipated releases- still at number one in the French charts. He's recently confirmed he'll be undertaking an arena tour round France in 2014.



Another acts who has had a high profile this year is Maître Gims, who has made a significant impression as a solo artist while also being a key player in the  Sexion d'Assaut team. His debut solo came out earlier in 2013, and it is being re-issued as a special edition with bonus tracks in November.



Psy 4 de la Rime make a return, having played at the two previous Urban Peace events. The Marseilles act had enjoyed considerable success early in the 21st century and split to pursue solo careers. They reformed this year, and their 4eme dimension collection was released and reached the top three in France.



Also taking the stage is Youssoupha, whose Noir Désir album from last year reached number three in the French charts. This year saw the release of its follow up, entitled On se connaît.


Meanwhile, La Fouine, and artist who has been an associate of Youssoupha also appears. Youssoupha featured on La Fouine's 2013 single Il se passe quelque chose. His Drôle de parcours collection reached number one earlier this year.

Savages: Husband

Great to see a new video by the band Savages, for the track Husband.

The London-based band is led by French singer Jehnny Beth (Camille Berthomier), one of the founders of the Pop Noire label.

To these ears there are elements of late 70s post punk, but also something of PJ Harvey's early work in the song.

Both these ingredients are very good things indeed to have in a song.

The song features on their album Silence Yourself, which has been nominated for this year's Mercury Prize, a UK award for the best album of the year.

Savages certainly deserve the attention that the nomination will attract, and while they might be outsiders to win the award - they're up against the likes of David Bowie and teh Arctic Monkeys - it's entirely possible the judges will decide that the award should go to a new act rather than to one of the old guard.

We can certainly hope so anyway, they certainly deserve it.

Sébastien Tellier: L'amour naissant

A video for a new track by Sébastien Tellier has emerged, with the track L'amour naissant.

The video has been released ahead of the release of Tellier's new album Confection, which is expected to be released next month.

The track takes a very differnt direction from Tellier's last album , the messianic My God Is Blue. That collection, which featured Pépito Blue and Cocon Ville, saw Tellier in full-on visionary mode, accompanied by an electro-pop soundtrack.

His new album is to be a mostly instrumental collection, this song being the only with lyrics, and it really is a treat. It's classy and sophisticated, with a style reminiscent of classic 60s Gainsbourg, and I can't wait to hear more.

The black and white clip, directed by directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, features the French actress Anna Mouglalis. Mouglalis has appeared in many films since her career began in the late 90s, including Merci pour le chocolat in 2001 and played Coco Chanel in the 2009 film Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky.

In the 2010 biopic Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque) she played the role of Juliette Gréco.

Tellier's been touring extensively, and he plays a special date in Paris ahead of the release of the new album.

Sébastien Tellier - L'amour naissant (Official Video) from Record Makers on Vimeo.

IAM: Après la fête

A new clip for the band IAM,  for the track Après la fête, which has  emerged just a week after the video
for the song Dernier coup d'éclat came out.

The track comes from their sixth album Arts Martiens, which was released in April this year.
So far six tracks from the album have been promoted with videos.

For IAM their home town of Marseille has been central to their identity, and the new video continues this with the city central to the cinematic narrative that sees the changes in the central characters over the period from 2996 to the present day.

They promise that the next video - for the track Sombres manœuvres/Manœuvres sombres - will continue the story. I look forward to it.

IAM are touring extensively throughout France over the next few months, from the the Urban Peace 3 concert at the Stade de France this weekend on September 28 onwards, with a tour running until spring 2014.

Mylène Farmer: Timeless 2013 videos

The first official videos from Mylène Farmer's Timeless 2013 tour have emerged, with footage from her
Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy shows being made available.

The series of shows in the French capital were the opening concerts of her long-awaited tour that follows the release of her Monkey Me album last year.

Her next stop is in Lyon, where the shows will be filmed for a live DVD.

Farmer plays shows across France for the remainder of the year, with shows also in Belgium, Switzerland, Russia and Belarus.

Farmer is France's most successful female solo artist ever, and the tour has been greeted with acclaim from critics and fans alike.

It certainly looks like it was a spectacular show.

There are reports that a live album from the tour is in the pipeline and may be released as early as December.

The track Monkey Me  is being released as a single at the beginning of next month, with two different versions of the track already being played by radio stations.

Julien Doré: Paris-Seychelles

A new clip for the track Paris-Seychelles by Julien Doré, probably this site's favourite former music-based-
reality-TV-winner.

Doré won the fifth series of Nouvelle Star on M6

Despite coming to prominence in such a  commercial  environment, Doré's shown he's a more interesting musical artist than many who pursued the same route.

Even the song choices he made during the series reveal an interesting background, with covers of songs by Radiohead, Elvis, Nirvana, the Doors, Claude François and Screamin' Jay Hawkins as well as songs by Sinatra, Christophe and Britney Spears.

The track comes from Doré's new album, his third full album,  entitled Løve. It follows the release of Bichon in 2011.

Bichon saw him have hits with the songs L'été summer and Kiss Me Forever. He reached  number one with the song Pour un infidèle, a duet with Coeur de Pirate, having previosuly reached number two with his debut single, a cover of Alizée's Moi...Lolita

Løve is expected to be released in France next month.

Zombie Zombie: UK tour

It's been a while since I've featured Zombie Zombie on the blog, and the fact that they're touring the UK at
the moment certainly gives me good cause to.

They played Glasgow last night, play Manchester tonight and London the following night.

There are many bands playing electronic music, but Zombie Zombie are among the few to make full use of the potential for the sinister in their medium and exploit the underlying strangeness of electronic sound.

Electonic music was a common element in horror movies of the 70s and 80s, and Zombie Zombie have not forgotten this dusty corner of the record collection.

They're previously provided live soundtracks for the film Battleship Potemkin, and have released their versions of the horror soundtracks composed by John Carpenter for his movies.

However, their own material shows that they're a great band in their own right.

Génération Goldman 2: The originals by Jean Jacques Goldman

With the Génération Goldman 2 Collection at the top of the French charts, I thought a look at the original

version of the songs being made popular by a younger generation.

Goldman was, and remains a huge star in France, despite not having released a studio album in over a decade. His career has seen him as a solo star, with a trio and originally as a member of a French prog rock band.

The collection opens with Quand la musique est bonne, performed by Amel Bent & Soprano.  Their duet was the first single to be released from the album.



The original by  Jean-Jacques Goldman came out in 1982, and was the first single from his second studio albun Minoritaire. It was one of his biggest hits, going on to sell over a million copies by the following year.



The song Pas Toi is performed by Tal, the original by Goldman came out in 1985 on his  Non homologué album, and was released as a single. It reached the top five in the French charts.



Nos Mains is performed on the collection by an ensemble of the artists, in this case Amandine Bourgeois, Amel Bent, Brice Conrad, Corneille, Emmanuel Moire, Judith, Leslie, Mani Hoffman, Merwan Rim, Pauline, Sofia Essaïdi, Soprano, Tal and Zaho.

 Goldman's version in comparison does without the cast of thousands. It was released on his 1997 En passant album.



Il changeait la vie appears on the new album performed by the cast of the musical Robin des Bois.

Goldman's original apepared on his Entre gris clair et gris foncé album in 1987, coming out as a single the following year.




Elle a fait un bébé tout seul came from 1987's Entre gris clair et gris foncé double album. For Génération Goldman 2 the song is reprised by Elisa Tovati and Mickael Miro.



Juste Après is on the new album interpreted by Emmanuel Moire and Pauline. The original came from from the Rouge album by  Fredericks Goldman Jones, a trio featuring Carole Fredericks,  Jean-Jacques Goldman and Michael Jones. The original album was released in 1993, with the song released as a single in France.  The Rouge album would go on to sell over 1 million copies since its release.



Sache que je was the first song on his 1997 solo album En passant. The album would be a number one in France, the song Sache que je a hit single reaching the top twenty. The new collection sees the song covered by Judith.



La vie par procuration was another track from the 80s era of his career, the track featuring on 1985's Non homologué  collection. The album was to be a number one hit. The 2013 reprise is performed by Leslie and Pauline.



Encore un Matin, performed by Zaho on the new album, was originally from 1984's Positif album, an album that sold over one million copies in France.



Bon Idée was a track from his 90's phase, featuring on the En Passant collection. While the song was released as a single, it didn't make much of a mark on the French charts. The new collection sees the song being sung by Corneille.


Né en 17 à Leidenstad featueed on the 1990 Fredericks Goldman Jones album, the trio's first studio album. It was released as a single, reaching number 11 in the charts. The album itself would sell over 1 million copies. An English/French version of the song was also recorded.

Amaury Vassili, Anggun and Damien Sargue are behind the 2013 version of the song.



The song Confidentiel is another track from the Non homologué album, the final track on the collection. The song was memorably performed by Goldman on the TV Show Champs-Elysées in January 1986 in tribute to singer Daniel Balavoine who had died several days before in a helicopter accident.

The 2013 version is performed by Christophe Willem



Un, deux, trois was another track from 1990's Fredericks Goldman Jones album, and a track that gave the trio a top ten hit.

The new album features the trio of Amandine Bourgeois, Mani Hoffman and Merwan Rim.



Si je t'avais pas was a song on Goldman's Chansons pour les pieds, his seventh and so far final studio album, which was released in 2001. The album was a number one in France, and remained in the charts for almost two years.

The 2013 album sees the song covered by Bastien Lanza and Sofia Essaïdi



Génération Goldman 2 concludes with the track C'est ta chance, another song from the Entre gris clair et gris foncé double album. The song was released as a single in 1987, reaching the top 20 in France.

The 2013 recording sees the combined talents  of Amandine Bourgeois, Angeline, Céline, Faustine, Kelly, Leslie, Sofia Essaïdi and Tal.

Cascadeur feat Stuart A. Staples and Médéric Collignon: The Crossing

A preview new video for a track entitled The Crossing by Cascadeur, featuring additional vocals by Stuart

A. Staples and Médéric Collignon.

Collignon is a jazz vocalist, and Staples is the singer with Tindersticks.

Staples, very much a faviourite of this blog for many years,  has worked with French film director Claire Denis, on the film sL'Intrus and White Material, while Tindersticks recorded the music for Nénette at Boni, 35 Rhums and Trouble every Day.

It's an epic sounding song, and follows the release of the song Ghost Surfer earlier this year. The last Cascadeur release was his  The Human Octopus album in 2011

From a brief snippet of this track, and the previous track Ghost Surfer, the new EP sounds like it will be somthing quite special.

Cascadeur's Ghost Surfer EP is available to download from September 23.

Cascadeur plays in Paris on September 24,  and again on October 3, and is touring extensively in France over the remaining months of 2013.

Moodoïd : De Folie Pur

No sooner do I run a short feature on the new EP by Moodoïd than a new video for the track De Folie Pur
emerges.

Needless to say, for an act as soaked through with psychedelic sunshine, it's a suitably over the top production in glowing kaleidescope colours.

A real tinned exotic fruit cocktail.

Moodoïd is a project by Melody's Echo Chamber guitarist Pablo Padovani, a band that are themselves well worth investigating if you've not done so already.

The  track features on the Moodoïd EP, which was produced by Tame Impala's Kevin Parker, himself at the forefront of contemporary psych.

Moodoïd plays at the OohLaLa festival in London next month.

Black Yaya: Paint a smile on me

A slice of perfect disco pop by Black Yaya entitled Paint a smile on me.

Black Yaya is the solo project by Herman Dune frontman  David Ivar.

As part of Herman Dune, Ivar's been active since 1999, but has continued to release solo and collaborative works throughout.

The song's been released on Partyfine, a label set up by producer and musician Yuksek who has been featured on this blog in the past.

He set up the label to reflect the diversity of his musical tastes, bringing together musicians from different backgrounds to work together and release some great new music.

Meanwhile, a dub version of the track by Yuksek is also circulating



Ivar is currently touring as Black Yaya, with recent dates in the UK and forthcoming shows in Germany, France and Spain.

Savages: Mercury Prize shortlist

Great to see the band Savages making the shortlist for this year's Mercury Music Prize award.

Their are shortlisted for the best album for their debut Silence Yourself which was released in May this year.

While up against some big names, with David Bowie and Arctic Monkeys the favourites, the London-based band led by Jehnny Beth (Camille Berthomier) would be a fine choice.

Jehnny has already been involved in music, with the act John & Jehn who released two albums, their self-titled debut in 2008  and the album Time for the Devil in 2010.

The pair are also founders of the Pop Noire label in 2011, who have released material by Lescop as well as Savages and Johnny Hostile, the other half or John and Jehn.

However, it is with Savages that Jehn has found both commercial and critical success, and whether or not Savages win the award, a French singer getting onto the shortlist for best album from the UK and Ireland is no small achievement.

J.C.Satàn live in London

A heads up that French rock act J.C.Satàn are playing two dates in London, tonight at the Macbeth,

tomorrow at the Windmill in Brixton.

They also play in Portsmouth on September 14.

The band are one of France's best current rock bands, and have released three albums  since their debut EP cameout in 2010. Their most recent, Faraway Land, came out in October last year.

J.C.Satàn were one of the French bands that played at the Great Escape event in Brighton earlier this year.

Nice to see them back across the channel again, and hope that next tim ethey come over for a bit longer and travel a bit further.

There's certainly a huge potential audience for them over here.

J.C.Satàn have dates across France from later this month, and in October and November.  They play in Paris at the Olympia on October the fifth.

Robi: Ma Route

An atmospheric video for the song Ma Route by Robi, an act fronted by singer Chloé Robineau.

Like the best music videos, it's a simple idea done well.  It's directed by Gaëtan Chataigner, formerly of  French indie rock band The Little Rabbits and French Cowboy.

The song comes from Robi's debut album L'hiver et la joie, which was released in February this year. She had previously released a self-titled six track EP in 2011.

She was a finalist in the Les Inrocks Labs contest in 2011, and she has been described by the magazine as a female Dominique A, who incidentally guests on this track.

The album passed me by when it was released, but if you like this track, there's more to enjoy.  At times reminiscent of a more edgy Goldfrapp, it's a classy slice of dark electro.

A track by Robi also features on the Fier comme un coq compilation that I featured on this site yesterday, the final track at the end of the final disc being their track Où suis-je ?

Robi is also on tour in France at the moment,  and play the Nouveau Casino in Paris on November 20.

Fier comme un Coq: Les INrocks box set

A release today in France courtsy of the good offices of Les Inrocks - that bastion of quality French musical
taste -  of a six CD set collecting 100 tracks representing the finest of French pop.

The box set is entitles Fier comme un Coq, not perhaps a title that translates a bit questionably into English, but there's no question about the quality of the music on offer.

I've not listened to the collection all the way through yet, but the selection of tracks looks absolutely first rate, encompassing the vintage to the contemporary and everything in between.

Dutronc, Gainsbourg and Sardou are present and correct, but so equally are Lescop, Cascadeur and Yan Wagner.

While Phoenix  is there, so if ≠ FAUVE.

Great to see some French punk included, with the likes of Stinky Toys and Kas Product. Stinky Toys sitting alongside Lou Doillon makes a great juxtaposition.

There's obviously been quite a lot of thought put into the song choice and track listing. Hats off to whoever thought to put Les Yper-sound next to Zombie Zombie, then Mathématiques Modernes and M83 and then Rihard Pinhas.

Of course, while not everything might be familiar, this is the kind of collection that's  is full of hidden treasures and surprises, put together with care and knowledge about the subject.

In short, for anyone with more than a little curiosity about French music, for under 30 Euros this looks an essential purchase.

The collection is available exclusively from Les Inrocks or Fnac.

Mylène Farmer: 13 French number one songs

This weekend sees Mylène Farmer begin her much anticipated Timeless  tour.

Since her career began in 1984, she's become unquestionably France's most significant contemporary female artist.

 She's repeatedly broken sales records and  one measure of her status is the fact that Farmer holds the record for the number of number one hits in France.

She already had enjoyed success with Maman a tort, Libertine , Tristana and Sans contrefaçon when the track Pourvu qu'elles soient douces from her 1988 second album Ainsi soit je... became her first number one.

The epic costume drama video raised possibility that the music video clip could be something more than just a vehicle to promote a song. At the time of its release it was said to be the most expensive music video that had been made.



She would reach number one again in 1991 with a track from her third  studio album. Désenchantée came from her album L'Autre... and firmly established Farmer as a star.

The song topped the French chart for more than two months, and is regarded as a key song in Farmer's discography. Again, the video played a significant part in its success, another extended epic, this time  illustrating Farmer's involvement in a fight for freedom in an unspecified ghetto or gulag.



There would be more hit singles following Désenchantée including Regrets, Je t'aime mélancolie and Que mon cœur lâche, and she reached number one again in 1993 with XXL, the lead track from her fourth album, Anamorphosée.



It would be a few years until she topped the charts again, but in the meantime she would have top three hits with songs like L'Âme-stram-gram, Innamoramento, Les Mots, Fuck them all and Peut-être toi, along with many others that made the top ten.

In 2006 the song Slipping Away (Crier la vie), a collaboration with Moby that apepared on the French edition of his Best of collection gave her a fourth number one. It would notbe the last time Farmer would work with Moby.



Two years would pass until the track Dégénération , the lead track from her 2008  Point de Suture album reached the top of the charts. It would be the first of eight single releases in a row that would get to number one.



Dégénération was followed by Appelle mon numéro, another track from her seventh studio album.



In 2009, the album continued to produce number one singles, with  the ballad Si j'avais au moins... reaching the top of the charts.



Her next single C'est dans l'air - a  more electronic dance number - did not, like the three predecessors, go straight to number one on its week of release, but it did get there the following week.



The fifth single from Point de Suture, Sextonic, also made it to number one despite selling fewer copies than the previous singles from the album. It did, however, mark a rare occasion where every single from an album reached number one.



Farmer followed up  Point de Suture with the collection Bleu Noir, the single Oui mais... non coming out ahead of the album. The single was released in 2010, and reached number one with total sales of around 140,000, almost ten times the sales of her preceding single.



The title track of the album was subsequently released as a single in 2011 following the release of her eighth studio album in December 2010. The song again saw her working with Moby.



A third single from the album was then released, Lonely Lisa making it a second album in a row to see every single reach number one.  It was to be her eighth number one in a row.



The single Du temps from her Best of 2001-2011 greatest hits collection broke her run of number one singles, but the release of the song À l'ombre ahead of the 2012 Monkey Me studio album gave her a 13th number one.



Farmer's career has seen changes to her style over the decades, but she's consistently remained one of France's most significant musical artists.

She will no doubt continue to change the shape of her music and influence others, and while what's ahead may not be certain, what's likely is that there will be more number one songs to come.

Moodoïd: The Moodoïd EP

Moodoïd is one of the acts playing at the OohLaLa festival in London in October, and the debut EP by the act that features Paris-based musician Pablo Padovani has just been released.

Padovani is probably best known as the guitar player with French psych act Melody's Echo Chamber, but Moodoïd sees his solo project take wings.

As befitting an associate of  Melody's Echo Chamber, it's a suitably psychedelic mélange, but with a retro French pop sensibility.

But despite being a solo project, there's no holding back in musical experimentation, with elements ranging from the krautrock of the likes of Amon Duul II, ethnic and jazz textures, fuzz guitar, electronica and yéyé vocals all present in the imaginative and multicoloured mix.

You could compare Moodoïd to the likes of experimentalists like Stereolab or even open minded 70s-generation prog acts like Gong, but on the strength of this EP Moodoïd is somewhere in between.

The EP is released by  Les Disques Entreprise, and you can hear streaming of the EP in full at this page on The Guardian website

OohLaLa! festival in London

I've been meaning to write about the OohLaLa! festival that's being held in London  in October, so the

release of a promotional video for the event give me the perfect excuse.

For three days, October 21-24, some of France's top acts take to the stage at the Village Underground.

It's a great line up of contemporary French acts, many of which should be familiar to readers of this blog.

The first night sees Fauve, Petit Fantôme and Moodoïd.

The second night has Dominique A, Rover and Mélissa Laveux, and the final night has Lescop, Christine and the Queens and Tomorrow's World.

There are also dj sets from Laetitia Sadier, The Line of Best Fit and The Quietus, and appearances at the Rough Trade shop by artists appearing at the event.

If you're in the London area, the chance to catch so many quality French acts at one is one not to be missed.

Hopefully the attention that the likes of Phoenix and Daft Punk have been getting will spread to these acts, and ideally we'll see more of them playing at this side of the channel before too long.

I mentioned that I've featured some of these acts before in the blog, and I'll certainly feature them again before the gigs take place.

Mama Rosin and Moriarty: Calypso Triste

A video for the track Calypso triste by Mama Rosin and Moriarty, a collaboration featuring  Switzerland's
favourtite practitioners of spicy cajun folk  and the multinational music act that came out as a limited edition vinyl for this year's Record Store Day/Disquaire Day.

The two bands recorded five tracks together in February, and following the limited vinyl release made them available digitally in July.

They initially met up in 2009  at a festival in Lausanne in Switzerland and realised they shared tastes in music and philosophical outlooks, and played together at a number of festivals since.

This eventually led to the two acts recording their joint EP at the Studio Pigalle in Paris

Mama Rosin released their Bye Bye Bayou album in February, and have recently followed it up with a 'Director's Cut' version of the collection, featuring new songs

Moriarty, meanwhile, released their The Missing Room album in 2011.

The bands play together in October in Nancy and Paris.

Editorial: September 2013

We're into September, and La Rentrée kicks in like an autumn wind, blowing the last traces of summer from
skies and reminding us that colder days and night lile ahead.

Still, with the days drawing in there's more to listen to and write about, as the music industry gears to the end of the year with an increased number of releases, and more acts take to the road following the summer festival season.

This month sees Mylene Farmer begin her tour, probably one of the most  anticipated tours in France this year.

In terms of the blog here, August was a reasonable month in terms of traffic, so if you've dropped by here for the first time, merci and bienvenue, if youv'e been before nice to see you again.

Perhaps it was a bit quieter than normal in terms of posts here, but we'll be cracking on with some great music that's been emerging from France

As always, I can be contacted on johnkilbrideAThotmailDOTcom, with the appropriate punctuation where you'd expect it to be.

We're also on Twitter as @viveleroq or you can find me at @karnag

Thanks again to the record companies and promoters who have been in touch, it's always very encouraging,  thanks as always to the Institut francais in London and the French Music Office in London.


Merci et à bientôt

John K