The MaMA Event got off to a flying start on Wednesday, October 12. The Pigalle district vibrated with a beautiful energy for this first evening full of surprises and discoveries.
It all starts with a quick visit to the Elysée Montmartre to pick up your pass. The fabulous theater has reopened its doors since September 15 and it is with some emotion that we were able to rediscover this superb concert hall completely renovated after the fire that devastated it in 2011.
But no time to lose, the programming of the Mama Event is dense and it is difficult to make a choice among the many artists who play in the different halls of Montmartre. Then begins a small marathon between the metro stations Pigalle and Antwerp.
Road Trip with The Slow Show
Our first choice is The Slow Show, a band from Manchester. Discreetly arrived on stage, the group will quickly set a poetic and sumptuous atmosphere. The deep voice, squeaky but soft and whispering of the singer reminds us of Lou Reed. The compositions swing between orchestrated pop and itinerant folk. The slow show is a beautiful invitation to travel. In the room, the audience is attentive and enthusiastic. The singer walks barefoot on stage, he crouchs, leans towards the audience, walks as if he were pacing the room of an apartment in search of a story to tell us. It feels good. On the faces, relaxed smiles…
Page facebook de The Slow Show
The intimate folk of Siv Jakobsen
Then head to the Petit Moulin, where Siv Jakobsen awaits us in the intimacy of a vaulted cellar. The young Norwegian, alone with her guitar, stands on a carpet that serves as a stage. Very quickly, she abandons the microphone, invites the audience sitting on the floor to get closer and comes to play standing in the middle of everyone. She quickly explains that she does not speak French at all, that this is the first time she plays in Paris. She was supposed to play there some time ago, but she and her friends had completely forgotten that she had to give a concert… however, she remembers spending a great weekend in Paris during her last visit! Between personal anecdotes and folk songs, a beautiful complicity is woven with those who came to discover it.
In cadence with Nouvelle Vague
We then run to La Cigale where Nouvelle Vague is about to go on stage. The musical project always in motion and evolving comes to propose its new opus, I Could Be Happy, in stores on November 4th. On stage, we find Elodie Frégé and Mélanie Pain on vocals. As usual, the band surprises us with rhythmic covers, with a Bossa Nova sound. It's rhythmic, it's colorful and it makes the Cicada move. What better way to warm up because no matter how much you can run from room to room, outside, it's not hot at all. We therefore greet this performance with a beautiful energy from the singers who, in addition to their superb outfits, have a dynamic and sensual stage presence.
Page facebook de Nouvelle Vague
Dj Pfel and Dj Greem put the Divan du Monde in a trance
Head to the Divan of the world again where the terrible duo of DJ Pfel and DJ Greem is about to give a live set of the fires of God. And it didn't miss … It took a few minutes for the whole room to dance, jump, scream with happiness on the infernal transitions of the two DJs. We go from electro to Hip Hop through the voice of Britney Spears or Bowie, The music bounces off a Daft Punk sample before leaving for another dimension… In short, lost in this thunderous mix, we come out with the head completely turned upside down and the feet frantically agitated. A pure moment of delirium that we savored in excess!
Facebook page of DJ Pfel and DJ Greem
The magical world of Emilie & Ogden
Just to calm down a little, we will get lost in the caulked room of the Three Donkeys where Emilie, accompanied by her faithful Ogden invites us into her subdued universe. On the stage, lanterns and confessions. The Quebecer offers us an adorable and captivating concert. Magic, escape and fantasy; A music that navigates between sparkling folk and sounds sometimes more electro brought by a throbbing rhythm on the drums. A kind of trip hop with a traditional amplitude brought by more classical instruments and a bright and vibrant fairy voice. In short, something that carries you away and does not let you go!
Emilie & Ogden's facebook page
At Mama Event we discover all styles. Chevalien has his own, and he is very atypical. A surprising trio with unusual sounds. They have energy to spare and it shows. Chevalien is the sound of the earth when it wakes up. On Thursday night, it was a chao of organized war that settled in the hollow of our ears. The drummer has a real ability to put our hearts on the fast mode, we oscillate between an apocalyptic atmosphere and a rap anything but urban where the dark side is highlighted. The style? When you're as original as Chevalien, you proclaim yourself and that's what the trio did. They named the genre of their new project "SUNDERGROUND" "Bath Music".
If you feel like getting caught up in rap'hardcore, just go to the Chevalien website !
The unbearable lightness of Federico Albanese
To end the evening gently, we will take refuge in the neo-baroque setting of the Carmen where Federico Albanese rocks his piano a serene audience who sips a last drink or escapes, eyes closed, to the country of Morpheus. We discovered it last year in the first part of Olafur Arnalds' Chopin Project. A moment in suspense in the madness that animates the district of Pigalle since the end of the afternoon. Hanging from his hands, we listen to the notes evaporate. It is not complex or very elaborate music, but something minimalist and evanescent. Big crush for the last more electro song.
Federico Albanese's facebook page
A busy first evening of Mama Event… And that's just the first!
Follow our report of Thursday's MaMA Event…
Find videos of the Mama Event on youtube
