For devotees of The Velvet Underground’s art-factory drawl and the yé-yé pop of ’60s Paris (and, let’s face it, this is an overrepresented demographic in Brighton) L’Épée are a supergroup conceived in heaven — by angels wearing Breton jumpers and white strides.
The most recognisable name here is Brian Jonestown Massacre’s enfant terrible Anton Newcombe. The American Francophile is now Berlin based, but the Concorde 2 must be like a home from home for him — BJM have sold out the venue loads of times down the years. This time, however, Anton appears alongside French actress Emmanuelle Seigner (known in part for her work with husband Roman Polanski), and her tambourine-toting compatriots The Limiñanas.
The name of their collective means “sword” in French, while their LP ‘Diabolique’ (a title referencing a film by Italian horror maestro Mario Bava) is a spaced out, velvet-textured collection of droney dream pop, which deservedly made Resident Records’ hot 100 of 2019. “Seriously sexy pop-psych-noir” is how Resident describe it in their annual round-up.
Album highlights include the Christmassy jingle bells of ‘Springfield 61’ (whether it’s intentionally festive or not, it’s perfect for this December show), plus the locked-in slow-groove of ‘Lou’. And if you can’t guess who the title of the latter is referring to, then this probably isn’t the gig for you. Check ’em out on “LouTube” below…
Concorde 2, Sunday 8th December 2019
