Devendra Banhart, Antony & The Johnsons, The Go! Team, Arctic Monkeys - L'Aeronef, Lille - Friday 4th November 2005

A strange gig this one. The French magazine Les Inrockuptibles, the French version of NME, is running a series of gigs showcasing new bands, all over France. Because most of the bands are unheard of in France, tickets are easy to come by, and quite cheap. So, what better than a weekend in Lille to see 8 good new bands. Our Eurostar took less than 2 hours, and, along with 2 nights in a hotel, all came to less than £100 each. Add in 30 Euros for a 2-day gig ticket, and you have plenty of beer money left over.

Arrived in Lille at lunchtime, and proceeded to drink small glasses of French beer for most of the afternoon. Very good. We went into the gig venue (L'Aeronef), at about 7:30, eager to see Arctic Monkeys, who were on first. Far from the norm for their gigs in England, they were bottom of the bill, and nobody in the venue knew who they were. As a result, we were able to get right to the very front, without difficulty, and with loads of space all around us. So close, in fact, that I got these pictures of the Monkeys in action.


An excellent set from Arctic Monkeys, which went down very well with the 200 or so mostly French people that were there.

The Go! Team came on next, and I thought they were amazing - full of energy, and very loud. Any band that had 2 drummers thrashing away on stage is OK by me! Again, few of the French people in the audience has heard of them, but they went down a storm, and there was good dancing by the end of their set.

Whoever put tonights bill together has a strange sense of humour! Bands like Arctic Monkeys and the Go! Team, followed by Antony and the Johnsons, and Devendra Banhart. Most of the audience were here to see these 2 bands, and, although good, they were not who I was there to see - I'd never pay to see either again. Antony & the Johnsons sounded great, but too downbeat for my liking for a live act. Devendra Banhart was (good) strange, but I can see how both him and Antony will be very popular in France.