Venyce / Café de la Plage (12.12.05)

Last night I saw an excellent French Rock 'n Roll band. A band that probably have a lot of work to do if they're going to make it but at least they showed a lot promise. For one thing, they had a flamboyancy and playfulness which I rarely come across in other up-and-coming French bands. A lot of bands I've heard have an earnestness and seriousness about them which sometimes works but more often makes you wish they'd just loosen up and enjoy a good Rock 'n Roll ride. After all, you could be sitting in a call centre selling car insurance policies. You know, life could be a lot worse.

I've never seen the New York Dolls play live but for a minute while Venyce played their opening number, a cover of “These Boots Were Made For Walking” I thought I felt their presence. For one thing, their choice of cover showed a similar Dolls rock sensibility. For another, they really didn't give a shit whether you were going to like their version or not. You were simply going to get what they wanted you to get. The other thing is Venyce REALLY don’t care whether they get their English accents right or wrong. They may be singing in English but they’re still going to sing it THEIR way. Many other French bands try too hard to get the language right and forget to get lost in the song. Finally it has to be said, their singer has a real Johnny Thunders (morphed with early Rod Stewart!) swagger and flamboyancy about him which you can't help but lap up.

So the opener was an excellent rocking, stomping, ramshackle start which perhaps emphasised the showy "performance" side of this band rather than the purely musical one. It has to be said, throughout the gig, the "performance" aspect of the band did dominate over pure musical talent. However, you got the impression that when Venyce wanted to switch into a higher gear and when they found a really good groove they were a very talented and tight musical unit. It was during these moments that you heard a more heavy psychedelic sound. There were instrumental moments when the band appeared to put their flippancy aside and instead hit the audience with that heavy psychedelic wall of sound. It was during these moments that you could really get lost in their groove. And then they'd bring you back to earth again with another inspired cover version. In this case it was “Airbag” by Radiohead. They tore through this song like it had always been and could be nothing other than a "Punk ‘n Roll" song. Instead of playing up to Radiohead they brought them down to their own gritty, sordid level. It was like the band were reminding Radiohead what Rock ‘n Roll was all about before that band got lost in a cloud of their own pomposity.

Several times the second singer (the guy with the hat) brought his microphone into the audience and got them involved with the show. This is definitely not a band that wants to back away. They want to charge right into you and make you a part of their show. "Airbag" was followed by another impressive, heavy and at times hypnotic number. You can tell the guys are talented. The frontman sings on one song, plays guitar on another and then moves over to keyboards for the next. The gig ends with a rousing Beatlesque version of “Money”. At one stage the singer with the hat puts his mic down on the floor, gets down on his knees and sings (screams?) into the floor. Some bands can’t get away with doing stuff like that. This band just took it in their stride.

The band could probably present themselves even better given the attitude they have. Splash on some make-up and look a bit more punk and glam. The other thing is, have they got the songs because I heard at least 3 covers? All in all this was a great performance from a band that really could go far. They’ve certainly got the talent, attitude and more than anything else, a whole lot of heart.

(Thanks to Sugarflium for the photo)