Nouvelle Vague – L’Astral – Tuesday, January 26th
The room was packed and full of energy as I entered to catch the last of the performance by Clare and the Reasons. To end their set they brought out a tuba player to unleash a warm, folk-influenced rendition of Genesis’ 1983 hit single “Thats All.” It was a shame I didn’t get to see the rest of the band’s set, as their lighthearted 2009 album Arrow is one of the better albums to come out of 2009. Unfortunately, the best of the show was missed as Nouvelle Vague was far less exciting musically.
French collective, Nouvelle Vague, was up next. They are on tour supporting their most recent output, NV3. The band offered mostly reinterpretations of known 80’s tunes during their set, but also some original work. So without much delay, the band entered the stage spotlight to a warm round of applause and an anxious audience waiting for the show to start.
So they began. Led by Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux, the band covered songs ranging from artists like Depeche Mode and Gay Numan to The Police and Violent Femmes. One thing I can say about Nouvelle Vague, is the way they perform these “new wave” songs, with all the 60’s boss nova hoo-hah, the songs they churned out resulted in entertaining light dancing, or head bobbing at the very least, and created a somewhat festive atmosphere in the room. Highlights during the set were “Blister in the Sun,” “Metal,” and the surprisingly fun, and well-performed “Master and Servant.”
Although the set was missing a certain “punch,” and a usually vital consistency, it was overall a fun, interactive (much audience participation took place) and entertaining show, with many fans leaving the venue happy and satisfied.- Jordan Ghetler
Nouvelle Vague
Clare & The Reasons
Photography by Laura-Chanel Lespérance
