Tenacious D @ Zénith, Paris - February 26th, 2020

Lock up your daughters, your sisters and your grandmas too. Put you best party hat on, and get ready to rock out with your sock out, because tonight the D is in town. Tenacious D... the legendary, mythical, mystical, best, most rockingest band on the planet... and beyond. They've come to Paris to plunder, pillage and conquer. They've come to shred guitars and melt faces, in that order. If you're not down with the D, you might as well be listening to Hall & Oates.

Wynchester @ Zénith, Paris - February 26th, 2020

Wynchester had the prestigious yet unenviable task of opening for the mighty D in Paris. The country-rock duo has been gravitating around Tenacious D's inner circle for a while: Lead singer Mike Bray is the main pipes in Kyle Gas' band while guitarist John Konesky is Tenacious D's lead guitarist.

Cage The Elephant @ Olympia, Paris - February 24th, 2020

Last time we saw Cage The Elephant was six months ago in Queens when Brad Shultz' angular riffs and Matt Shultz histrionic stage presence electrified Forest Hills Stadium before Beck's triumphant headlining set. As brilliant and as energetic as they were, it was still an opening slot and it's never an easy task for a band to play in full daylight for someone else's audience. We've also seen them open for the Stones three nights in a row back in 2017, and that's even more of a thankless task. So we were looking forward to tonight's gig with a certain amount of trepidation: to finally see them in their element, in a human-sized concert hall, playing for their audience. The least we can say is that they didn't disappoint.

Friday's Playlist: Filthy Lucre

This playlist features songs about money. Money makes the world go round. Whether you like it or not. Me? I'm fine with it. I'm a capitalist pig. A bleeding heart liberal capitalist pig.

Friday's Playlist - Flying Solo

This Friday's Playlist features artists who are usually associated with a band, but have decided to explore new grounds with a solo career. This is by no means an exhaustive list, more like a small overview of some great acts that have spawned one of more notable offshoots.

Friday's Playlist: Awesome Guitar Solos (part two)

Two months ago we posted our first entry in the Awesome Guitar Solos playlist collection. It featured a lot of classic songs and solos, most of which are well known, some might even say overplayed. In this playlist, there will be more classics but we'll also go a little deeper.

Greatest Hits Live (2011-2020)

This gallery features some of the best concert shots we've taken over the years... or at least our favourites. Some might not be technically all that great, but we like them because they capture the mood, or a musician's signature pose.

There's a lot of legends in there, but also some less famous musicians. Some of them will become superstars in their own rights, while others will continue to play in relative obscurity. But what a privilege to have been able to attend those concerts and shoot all of those talents!

Click on the caption to access the full galleries and enjoy, comment and share!

Angus Young (AC/DC)

Supergrass @ Casino de Paris, Paris - February 4th, 2020

It's been almost ten years since Supergrass last played Paris. In fact, that gig at La Cigale was their last one before their ten-year hiatus. To say that the gig was highly anticipated would be an understatement: the venue was absolutely packed to the gills and you could feel the trepidation in the air before the band walked on stage.

Method of Defiance @ Salle Jacques Brel, Fontenay-sous-Bois - February 1st, 2020

Bill Laswell's Method of Defiance is a collective of musicians which is as fluid in its membership as it is expansive in its sounds. In that regard, it doesn't differ much from his other projects like Praxis or Material. This iteration is a little more focused on dub, thanks to the programming and vocal stylings of Dr. Israel. 

Jamie Saft "New Zion Trio" @ Salle Jacques Brel, Fontenay-sous-Bois - February 1st, 2020

New York keyboardist Jamie Saft has been presenting his New Zio Trio in one form or another for several years now. In this incarnation, the rhythm section is comprised of Bradley Jones on bass and Hamid Drake on drums and needless to say, the groove is relentless. They lay down a dub foundation upon which Saft builds his cathedrals of sound. Hidden sound manipulator Christian Castagno adds depth and textures to the whole thing by adding reverb and echo.

Ange @ le Trianon, Paris - 31 janvier 2020

Il y a un demi-siècle jour pour jour, Ange donnait son premier concert, dans une configuration évidemment bien différente du groupe qui tourne aujourd'hui. L'occasion pour son meneur historique Christian Décamps d'organiser un beau raout entre les murs, tremblants forcément, du splendide Trianon, vénérable théâtre de Pigalle plein comme un oeuf de poule dentée.

Friday's Playlist: Last Week's Originals (part three)

This Friday's Playlist features last week's songs in their original versions.

The Darkness @ La Cigale, Paris - January 26th, 2020

I have to admit that I missed the Darkness boat when they broke big a little over fifteen years ago. I did rock out to their first album Permission To Land and its infectious hit single I Believe In A Thing Called Love, but because of their humour I unfairly dismissed them as a novelty act, bordering on parody. Mea maxima culpa.

Friday's Playlist: Awesome Covers (part three)

Yep, it's that time again. Time again to check out some covers of well-known songs. And just to help the transition with last week's playlist, we are starting with Bobby Whitlock's soulful version of Layla. Of course, Whitlock was the keyboard player and second vocalist in Derek & the Dominos, which gives his version an aura of legitimacy.

Friday's Playlist: Layla and Assorted Songs For Patti Boyd

Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, the seminal double LP by Eric Clapton's short lived band Derek & the Dominos, is as legendary for the music it contains as it is for the painting that adorns its cover and the circumstances that led to its writing and recording. It's a necessary item for any music lover's collection: if you like blues, rock, soul, guitar, love songs, then you owe it to yourself to listen to this masterpiece.