Monthly Archives: April 2009

Two on Tour – Amsterdamned

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Amsterdam. A beautiful day off. A mass of orange happy people celebrating Queen’s Day, but with a bitter taste: everybody’s shock about the attack of the Queen’s cortege, 4 casualties plus the porcine fever terror, sometimes it’s good to be in the bus bubble away from the world’s trouble. A lot of tonight’s events are cancelled.
Sitting at the canal watching the boats’ parade, assholes on the other side were selling eggs to throw at people and boats, sometimes with children on board, hurting a few persons. Besides that the whole atmosphere was very friendly. We imagined if French people would celebrate 14th of July dressed in blue white and red in the streets, it would be chaos, they would break everything. We were so lucky it didn’t rain. The bus is parked behind the venue and we will drive straight away to Glasgow. Long drive with a ferry to take, waking up cos for security reasons we can’t stay inside the bus…
Before that, we have a big show to go. We played last year at Paradiso and we are looking forward to present our new lights and stage set up, plus new songs like Ray Ban or the improvised Dimanche. We started looking at videos on internet, it’s incredible how the lights look good, Sylvain did an amazing job, we don’t have this vision on stage.
A lot of bands are playing since 6pm, Erol Alkan cancelled, let’s hope our show can keep the happiness of this sunny day alive.

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Two on Tour – Luxembourg-Brussels

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The time in Luxembourg gave us our energy and self confidence back. We loved playing there. Soon we will get back to night shifts, meaning driving by night, to surely be fit again.
We arrived in Brussels on time, discovered the beautiful legendary venue Ancienne Belgique and got a proper shower plus the best catering so far, and time to walk around in the city. Too short though, the show was early and Neon Judgement played before, a serious influencal band for Michel. It was a pleasure to finally meet them and spend this evening together. These guys are much older than us, but it doesn’t seem so.
I think we did a good job, knowing how tired I was. I always enjoy singing our songs, cos it’s a very important time of our artistic life, a dream come true were everything is falling naturally into place after the hard hard work. I also can be thankful to my voice for not suffering too much nights after nights. Belgium is surely one of the strongest place for us, the crowd gave us so much one more time. We didn’t want to be disapointing cos they never disapointed us. Maybe I get used to be better on stage and start to be more demanding with myself. Stupid, I shouldn’t forget I am just tired.
Two friends joined us on board, fresh input after the heavy past days stuck on the road.
We so need that day off in Amsterdam. We need good vibes from the outside world, real life. Music is not it. Just the little walk outside today did so much for our mind.
I am so not in a hurry to get back to the bus. I am sick of it, and soon it must come back to what it’s made for: driving at night. I wish I could just sleep and wake up in Amsterdam.

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Two on Tour – Bourges Never Again!

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Bourges was a disaster. A real disaster. 11h hour drive, heavy rain, 2h interviews, and the shortest set we ever did: 4 songs and the main mixing desk broke down, and no spare… In a festival like that, can you imagine, how unprofessional… Shame, we were in such a good mood, the crowd was hysterical, until I was singing accapella without knowing there was no music anymore. Everybody was screaming, no one here to give an explaination! The staff even dared to ask a member of our team to talk to the people in the microphone! Motherfucker do it yourself!!!
Michel was so angry, I never saw him like that. Meanwhile I kind of switched off my mind: nothing else to do. I went out, chilled out, checked my emails and suddenly, I felt weak, sick, throat pain, headache. My nerves probably broke down and I cought cold, took medecine and went straight to bed. The show was broadcasted on national radio, I just can imagine promoters’ faces when Michel told in a late interview what happened! It’s already in the news…
Next day again 11h drive to Strasbourg and because of the bus technical problems and changes, the driver couldn’t make the night shifts. Stuck in this bus all day, eating motorway sandwiches, no fresh air, arriving at venues late, no time to chill or shower, straight set up, enough is enough. It became very difficult to do the show, especially on a sunday evening after Keziah Jones and Patrice, strange line up. On top, after the big technical trouble of yesterday we got scared song after song something bad would happen. We gave everything we could but I wasn’t 100% there.
Tomorrow we drive to Luxembourg, only 200km, a gift…

Today we woke up in Luxembourg. A shopping mall next door, lunch, shower, time to set up, luxury…
Big trucks next door cought our attention: Depeche Mode are doing their residency there before the big world tour. The band is not there yet, but we take it as a lucky sign! Luxe’n'bourg, we are ready!!!!

Two on Tour – Paris-Nantes …

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2nd part of the tour started powerfully with the crucial gig at La Cigale in Paris. Chloé did a very deep 1st part, and we couldn’t have thought about a better person to open for us, share this moment with us. Playing in your city, especially when it’s Paris can be extremely dangerous… In general, big cities are spoiled because of so much cultural choices, the audience can be snobish. We simply avoided the fact the whole press would be there, ready to eat us raw, and we focused on our friends, the family that inspires us, supports us no matter what, and never judges us. They deserved it. With such a drive, we couldn’t be bad, and it was among any expectations. We played tight, focused from the 1st note to the last one, without the distance to feel if it we managed to go over our own limit but we knew we were on the right way. And we did it, to become a real band, away from a simple electronic act, and all our friends got shivers. Can you imagine the pride after all these years, after all the doubts and the hard work to be home and astonish them all! Friends came backstage, I wanted to thank them one by one for giving me that love energy to have done what I did, but it was too muc action. I came back to the bus, trying to get some privacy, get down from the high focus. Sadly, I wasn’t able to go to the after show, no more to give, no more to share, and we still have 10 shows to go…
In the morning, the bus engine wouldn’t start. The driver had to call a mechanic. By chance, another bus was off in town for a few days, so it could replace ours the time of repairing. Moving all the stuff was a real pain in the ass, especially in the morning, especially for Michel who came back totally drunk from the after show… It delayed our trip to Nantes, we missed interviews, and we arrived wrecked for the next show, which was still good anyways.
The driver was very tired after all the stress. Today, another crazy long drive to Lille, with 3h traffic jam because of a huge scary truck collapse, plus the usual mess around Paris. Again, we reached Lille very late, but a good meal was waiting for us. No shower though, only after the show. And we kicked ass, because the stage was amazing, the crowd too, and it was a real pleasure to sing.
Again, a lot of friends ask me about the thrill it must be to be on stage in front of so much people. Again, let me tell you the thrill is not there. The real satisfaction is to sing right, to be in the right mood, to catch the vibe straight away and never let it go, to find the fine line of perfect harmony. Looking at people happy is just the instant reward of it, the mirror of the thrill, but never the source. It’s a team work, and if you ask our technicians, they will all tell you the same thing. The ones who are looking for the power of being on stage are wrong, they are missing the real thing, the truth is out there…
Tomorrow morning, we will change bus again on the highway, our bus has been repaired. But we musn’t be late for Bourges festival, another big date we can’t mess up…
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Two on Tour – Köln: last one!

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Again a summer hot weather! How come? Is it normal? I try to think we had a good star above us, but rain may welcome us back in France. Let’s see…
Waking up this morning in the heat of Cologne. The location is right in the center, a kind of big cabaret, rockabilly feeling. Gloria, such a name… Soundcheck was perfect, catering is good, well, call me stupid if we don’t manage to do a great show. BUT. Keep feet on the ground. Don’t get too hyper. Superstitious. Take it easy. Have fun!
Don’t know if I’ll write the blog back home. Week off = no work. So if not, see you next week : )

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Two on Tour – Wiesbaden killed the dancefloor…

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Enjoying the backstage fast internet connection after the show to say WI you rocked! First time we do ALL the songs in stock! We told them we won”t do an encore as the stage was too small but as no one wanted to leave we finally played *Stripper*, a song we rarely do… Fred was happy, we sold a lot of albums and tee-shirts! Such a nice little show for a Tuesday night!!! Damn we are lucky. No one wants us in France on big stages but we don’t give a fuck! I prefer to have that international history with faithful fans than being recognized in my own country by promoters who will never admit they missed the train, I tell you!!!
The boys are taking a shower at the venue, bus won’t leave before 9am to Cologne. I updated the blog because I realised the slow connection in the bus sent pictures in a too low resolution. I added some more, so check it out! From now on, I will wait for better internet conditions to give you more pictures. We can say we learnt a big lesson with Mannheim and Wiesbaden: small IS beautiful! Thank you again for giving us the light we never expected… See you!
Tomorrow Cologne, last show of these last 2 weeks before going home for a week. And a good sleep in silence…

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Two on Tour – Stuttgart-Wiesbaden

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We approched the show in Stuttgart with an easy going flavor, one more night before day off, whatever. Again, surprise! An ultra motivated crowd, and us so comfortable on stage. I didn’t push my voice at all, maybe because it sounded so warm and clear to me, the team said it was vocally my best performance. Funny, after all these shows in a row, my voice was supposed to be as tired as me. It has to do with letting go, again.
After the show everybody hanged around backstage, enjoying that little privacy a lot, that’s why we asked strangers to go. We worked a lot, took on ourselves to hold on, only starting now to adjust and digest the whole thing. Some of our technicians just begin to be familiar with our music, discovering a whole new world, new connections, new fans. Last night was for them a step forward, realising being part of the family, a family so important to us, and for the future. They drunk a lot, teasing each other, releasing tension. It was so sweet to see.

The day off yesterday was really necessary, eventhough we would have needed it before, not 2 days before going home. Eastern’s fault! Stuttgart on public holiday isn’t exactly Miami, even on a hot sunny weather… Around our hotel, nothing but Mercedes car dealers. Fair enough, that’s where they are made. Look on the motorway: no speed limit around! We spent the day doing nothing, a luxury. We even came back to the delicious Italian place for a treat. And back again to hotel for a good night sleep.

This morning we drove to Wiesbaden. I wonder if this is Sven Väth’s hometown I heard so much about. Sun was again high in the sky. We ran away from the depressing parking lot behind the venue to explore this strange city. A hostile train station, a big park with beautiful blooming trees, a busy main shopping street. We walked for more than 3h while the boys had to load in, just back for soundcheck. The venue is dodgy, punk style, no space for our light system again, so why bother, we’ll be punks too, no costume tonight, no glitter, like back in the days.

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Two on Tour – Hamburg-Leipzig-Stuttgart

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Sun is still with us! We didn’t expect such a beautiful spring, cheering us up a lot on the road.
In Hamburg, very very tired. We had a walk on Marktstrasse, everything was closed for Easter and passing the Elternhaus shop of a dear friend reminded me lots of rock’n'roll memories.
To play at 2am just killed us. I wish we could never play late, it’s just too hard gigs every day. We had a shower in a strange hotel we called Hotel Derrick because of the dodgy 70′s style and the plastic shower block with linoleum, like in a camping car… The party was so so for us. We simply don’t think the show fits into clubs anymore… Just a short hello to Tiga who was playing after us, before going back to the bus.

We woke up in Leipzig, big sun again, hungry like hell. It took 2h to get breakfast at the café around the corner… The beauty of the building where we played put us in a much better mood.Simply unbelievable, old school architecture and staff like you only find in government places, a deep East touch nearly forgotten. A real luxury. We could get lost in the labyrinth of corridors, to reach a stage cut in 2: one side was for a theater play, one side for us, and when the play is over, they transform it into a dancefloor! The audience was very good, carefully listening, slowly getting into it, so satisfying for us, tired artists… It starts to be long, driving, non stop, shows after shows, we all need a back massage…

Today, Stuttgart, empty city at Eastern. Two nights of good sleep in a real bed. I love to sleep in the bus, but everybody will enjoy it, especially a proper bathroom. Soundcheck went well. Lots of time to kill backstage, talking, making jokes, having a nap. We had dinner in a great Italian restaurant, Michel said the cannelloni ricotta-spinach were nearly as good as his mother. We don’t play our version of “I feel love” anymore, enough to have Suspicious Minds as cover. We did it a few times, it’s probably on youtube, better to play our own tracks. Tomorrow is day off, nothing to do! It will be a great day to play tarot in the sun. But before, one good show to go. Seems like it will be packed. Enjoying my quiet time in the bus listening to KLF Chill Out.

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Two on Tour – From Munich to Berlin

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Riot in Munich… People screamed so much I couldn’t hear what I was singing but I am not complaining! Munich, you’re still on the map! You were our first audience and will always be. I wanted to write the blog, but our internet connection in the bus is so slow…
Arriving in Berlin, near the place I used to live, felt so strange. I can’t explain it. On one side, my memories of a fast life, but also like it never happens. I remembered all the cafés I used to go with my friends, the clubs and after hours, the park where I used to lay down in the sun… Now, in front of them, team and precious friends, anxious to be an old boring electronic band. Lido was full, again, lucky. And we constantly have something to prove, night after night, especially here. Berlin is a difficult place for bands. I drunk a dry vodka or two before starting. Bad idea. I missed a line on the 1st track, enough to bring me back on Earth. God I had to fight for them, take them by the balls. If I look comfortable on stage, move, scream, it’s an illusion, the only weapon to catch them. If I feel ridiculous, no one wants to know and they’re right. But we made it, we made that damn show to impress our friends! It was mostly a great reward for our team to see the result of their hard work. Should we remind you we autoproduce everything, record to stage, no financial support at all. That’s why you’re more than welcome to support us and visit Fred at the merchandising stand!!!
Backstage, too much talking. Can you imagine, how much I have nothing else to say after 1h30 singing… I usually run away to the bus, put my pyjama and read a book. Silence. But we had to enjoy ourselves after that challenge, enjoy the joys of Berlin! We went to Week-End to hear Tiga, danced like back in the days, drunk, full moon on Alexander Platz! But it was time to go back to the bus, and head to Hamburg. Sweet dreams…

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