Sneeking out for a cheeky school-night gig, Phil and I headed for the smaller venue (3) at Manchester Academy to catch Nouvelle Vague this week. A trip to this venue of course not being complete without the obligatory strawberry beer from Kro Bar. And yes, as always they were again understaffed - we stood and watched two stylishly aloof late-teenage bar staff lounging by the coffee machine idly dreaming of their futures for far longer than necessary.. anyway, over to the Academy where we are directed upstairs and down a corridor to the venue - feeling like we are entering a small school hall (admittedly with a bar) for the gig. As smaller venues goes, this one rocks - perfectly intimate for catching your favourite bands up close and personal - should they happen to play here. Unusual for us, but we arrived with time for drinks before the support act who on this occasion is the Hawaii-born Simone White. We both actually assumed she would be European, but a quick chat with her on the way out confirmed otherwise. Taking the stage rather unceremoniously and unannounced, Simone began with a vocal-only song, capturing the attention of the crowd. Though she continued on unsupported playing accoustic guitar for the set and delivering a solid set of delicate tunes, she failed to set the stage alight at any point owing to a complete lack of stage presence. Such was her coy nature and inability to sell herself, it almost felt like we were intruding on a private performance.
After a half hour changeover, Nouvelle Vague took the stage in front of a by now, very eager crowd. To say they gave a spirited performance is understating it in the extreme. Every bossanova- styled post-punk song (a good mix from the first and second CDs) delivered with theatrics, gusto and enthralling variation to the CD version. The two girls on stage responding to the crowd and including them for participation on such local classics as 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' - I wonder if they knew the Joy Division were from Manchester... Playing a full hour and a half, NV showed us a great time with powerful (and charmingly French) vocals, stage presence and hey - it's not often that the singer pours whiskey into cups for the people at the front!
Phil's quote for the evening: 'The best thing about this gig is that when we shout éncore, they will know what we're saying'.
Bravo!
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