Nouvelle Vague / Phoebe Killdeer & The Short Straws / Gabriella Cilmi

Anyone looking at the entertainment being billed for tonight would have thought it wouldn’t fit together very well. A stripped down pop star, an alt rock band, and a Parisian infused new wave punk covers band. But the three acts actually work really well together in this warm, intimate venue whose low lighting suits all three acts and raised stage offers a good vantage for all the performers and the acoustics are faultless, tonight.

First up is Aussie singer Gabriella Cilmi, and I'm expecting a full band and not just Gabby, an acoustic guitarist and a bass player, who are all seated. They play gentle folk inspired music while Cilmi's soothing voice delivers a polished performance. The trio look incredibly young and I'm amazed to be told after a rousing rendition of 'Cry Me A River' that she's sixteen. Wow! Her own infectious, catchy songs 'Sweet About Me', 'Einstein', and stand out track on the night 'Don't Want To Go To Bed Now' show she has all the making of this summer's hot new star. In fact I actually wish she had more material as her set seems cruelly short and she holds my attention so well, time seems to fly by.



She's relaxed on stage and talks happily to the audience between songs, although that accent takes some getting used to between the refined tracks. As she's the main name, perhaps the musical ability of her backing band could be missed, but they create between the two of them a rich sound and both are accomplished with strong bass lines and flourishing guitar.

Phoebe Killdeer is an ex-singer of tonight's headliners Nouvelle Vague, she has a new band Phoebe Killdeer and The Short Straws, a great visceral live show, pulsating strobe, red lights, rockabilly backbeat and an edge The Bad Seeds would be proud of. Phoebe sings from the dark side of the human condition and Siouxsie or PJ Harvey would be impressed with the stage presence.



Phoebe rocks, great powerful breathy vocals, a wicked girl, she says she got thrown out of Nouvelle Vague for "Bad behaviour!" She adds her own sounds to the music plucking odd musical instruments from a suitcase. This is sleazy, low slung bassline boned rock'n'roll. If the Stray Cats had ever had a tryst with Siouxsie Sioux in a cinematic bedsit in a European city, then tonight's show would be the their brood. There's a forthcoming album and too big a crowd post show at the merchandise stall, to buy one, it'd be interesting to discover if such a fantastic blast of live act works on CD.

There's a long pause, while French two pin plug converters and adaptors are fitted to all the amps, microphones and technical equipment. The set up is slow and meticulous. A blue spotlight and a slow keyboard refrain introduces Nouvelle Vague on stage, a four piece – large Gallic drummer, flat cap wearing cool guitarist (Olivier), frilled pink shirt wearing bass player and smiling keyboard player (Marc), the band look like a caricature of a French band. They keyboard expands into The Cure's '100 Years' so twisted it takes a while to realise that's what I'm hearing.



The band are fronted by two seductive singers, Marianne and Nadeah (the spitting image of Kristen Johnston), both have a disarming slightly off centre appeal, sexy and a little dangerous like femme fatales from cinema, arresting, and chic. It takes three songs to hook the crowd with 'Ever Fallen In Love' and by a rousing brace of 'Guns of Brixton' and a flaunting 'Too Drunk To Fuck' everyone's having a grand time. An acoustic version of 'God Save The Queen' with a slow pace and French maid - Deitrich/Betty Boop styled vocal is impressive and shows new singer Marianne has a great crowd warming, charismatic delivery.

For anyone that ever loved The Buzzcocks, Dead Kennedys, Billy Idol, XTC, The Cramps, Bauhaus et al, you'd have thought the re-workings of their classic songs, with a jazzy bossanova beat, a pattering bassline and a cabaret-esque French female vocal would be upsetting. But no, all of the aging punks, bopped happily, singing alon. First prize for the most twisted rendition goes to the almost unrecognisable, "We only went through this song yesterday so please be nice" duo performance of crashing drums and Nadeah's deranged vocal to Madness' 'Grey Day'.



Other new songs from the "new Nouvelle Vague" include Fad Gadget's 'Under The Flag' complete with Bond Girl dance routines, Devo's 'Girl U Want' and Richard Hell's 'Blank Generation'. The band are perhaps slipping the coffee table branding, as some songs are more jazzy, some tending to disco and some just beautifully sexy.

The glorious guest appearance of "bad girl" singer Phoebe for a Crampy, full lipstick lipped 'Bela Lugosi's Dead'. 'Friday Night, Saturday Morning' becomes a debauched, bawdy sing along with a ska'd up reprise. The set ends on a mass sing along to 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' where the band stop and the crowd bounces along singing the refrain forever.



The band return to do an inspired encore and the applause continues long after Nouvelle Vague leave the stage. The musicians are extra-ordinary, stand up bass plucked or bowed, relaxed complex guitar patterns on either electric or acoustic, synth and mac work, and percussion of draw dropping ability, Nouvelle Vague have to be seen live. You have to slip under the well known lyrics and listen into the complex heart of this band. They're incredible musicians, at times only one musician accompanies the singers, at others they work together in intricate flowing seductive, latin beats.

This is music to sing, dance, and drink along to, to share with friends and thus still staying true to its punk roots. It's been a great night of many flavoured styles, regaled by distaff singers, entertaining shows, fine musicians and the ale was in good nick too, lovely.

Set list:
100 Years
Dancing With Myself
Ever Fallen In Love
Under The Flag
Making Plans For Nigel
Blue Monday
Human Fly
Guns Of Brixton
Too Drunk To Fuck
God Save The Queen
Forest
Just Can't Get Enough
Girl U Want
Blank Generation
Sweet & Tender Hooligan
Grey Day
Bela Lugosi's Dead
Marooned
Friday Night, Saturday Morning
Dance With Me
Love Will Tear Us Apart
*****
Bizarre Love Triangle
Not Knowing
In A Manner Of Speaking

FUTURE GIGS

sorry, we currently have no gigs listed for this act.