Cover bands. Like them or loathe them they are everywhere, clogging up schedules from the small circuit pubs to large arenas and even their own festivals. However, within this much-maligned group there are exceptions; bands that inventively reinterpret, regender: Ramonas, Slady, Joanne Joanne or in the case of Nouvelle Vague, take the best songs of a genre – punk/new wave, and give them arrangements that originated in 1960s Rio during the bossa nova explosion. Twenty years after their debut album they are back in Brighton to promote their latest release, ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go?’.
The four band members, including group founder Marc Collin on keys, take the stage in black suits and start with a slow, loungey bossa rhythm. New singer Marine Quémére slinks on in a stylish black dress and delivers ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ in a soft, breathy vocal. The band are in individual spotlights, Marine sings in the shadows. The second singer, known only as Alonya, enters to slow, pounding drums and goth guitar chords, which evolve into Depeche Mode’s ‘People Are People’.
Yazoo classic ‘Only You’ gets a Phil Spector-type girl group arrangement with big beat drums and Alonya’s tambourine keeping the 4/4 beat. It’s back to bossa with Jerome Pichon’s acoustic guitar backing both singers who share lines and hold hands while dancing with each other. They both have excellent voices and sit at the front of the stage to serenade the crowd on several occasions.
There are perfectly staged theatrical moments such as the bass sandwich during ‘Girls On Film’s nod to Peggy Lee’s ‘Fever’, which sees Alonya strutting the stage, delivering her vocal with a convincing Eartha Kitt purr. She then plays the title role of ‘(What I Like Most About You Is Your) Girlfriend’, barefoot and brazen, before throwing herself into a singing and dancing frenzy to conjure the spirits during The Cure’s ‘A Forest’.
There’s more ‘gotha nova’ as Marine solos over industrial synths and mellow guitar on ‘Marian’. There’s a gathering around the drumkit for ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go?’ which is a joyful ska romp where Alonya once again controls the crowd and owns the stage. ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ is a perfect ball of fun and probably one of their most successful reimaginings. It includes a batacuda solo and chants from the drummer, while the singers go for a costume change, and finishes as a housey dancer.
Alonya is the main focus on ‘You Spin Me Round’, sung in dramatic Shirley Bassey style and both singers drink champagne from plastic pint glasses, which is shared with a few lucky punters during a stripped-back ‘Guns Of Brixton’. ‘Too Drunk To Fuck’ is great fun with the singers playfully acting out the lyrics and throwing themselves around the stage as the band go full punk rock.
For the final number, the band are joined by previous Vague vocalists Melanie Pain and Phoebe Killdeer (seen earlier as Kill The Pain, a dance duo to watch out for) on ‘Friday Night, Saturday Morning’; the lyrics sounding strangely beautiful as lines about chip shops and piss stains are delivered in strong French accents. Phoebe thanks the tour and production crew, then they leave.
They return with ‘Ever Fallen In Love’, another perfect fit for their style and delivered at the same tempo as the original. The intro to ‘This Charming Man’ is halted abruptly as Melanie shouts “wait” as she struggles with her shoes. Once they’re removed she glides between each band member and squeezes in an extra chorus for everyone to sing along to. Marine leads on Modern English’s ‘I Melt With You’ backed by a subdued rhythm section and, as the song builds, is joined by Alonya for a final embrace and dance that is filled with genuine affection for each other. The night ends with Tuxedomoon’s ‘In A Manner Of Speaking’ sung solo by Alonya in classic Nouvelle Vague style, to send us home swooning and swaying.
Yes, the whole concept is a little cheesy mais c’est le fromage Français supérieur rather than processed Dairylea and this gives it an air of sophistication, beauty and je ne sais quoi but we loved it. What a fun night.
Chalk, Thursday 7th March 2024
