Nouvelle Vague - Rarities (Kwaidan Records, 2019)
It was in 2004, at the height of the French Touch, that the Parisian collective, led by Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux, released its first album, taking its original concept worldwide: New Wave = Wave Bossa Nova = Nouvelle Vague.
Punk and New Wave “standards” are thus reinterpreted in the dreamy style of 50s and 60s Bossa Nova, with its lush arrangements and entrancing vocals. Nouvelle Vague soon became a global phenomenon. In just a few months, Nouvelle Vague deconstructed the notion of “the cover band” and, supported by some of the most prestigious labels (Peacefrog, Luaka Bop, Rough Trade, Pias), delights an audience that almost forgets the original versions. Alongside singers Camille and Mélanie Pain, Olivier Libaux and Marc Collin create their first live show: a minimal show, with just two unique voices a guitar, a few keyboards and electronic ambience.
A triumphant world tour would follow.
2019.
With five studio albums and extensive global tours under its belt, Nouvelle Vague now celebrates its fifteenth anniversary. The band will be celebrating with an international unplugged tour in 2019, in keeping with the show’s original 2004 incarnation.
Premiered in the UK in June of 2018, Nouvelle Vague’s latest live production finds the band returning to its roots: an acoustic guitar, a few keyboards, a smattering of ambience, and two singers (Mélanie Pain, Elodie Frégé, or Phoebe Killdeer), who interpret the band’s iconic songs.
Nouvelle Vague By Nouvelle Vague directed by Marc Collin, retraces the history of the project, from its genesis to the production of each of the albums, the meetings with the main singers, and their multiple tours to the four corners of the globe.
The film, which culls the band’s archives (concerts, TV shows, personal photo, interviews), reveals the soul and the life of the group, which has revolutionized the concept of ” cover band “. Two albums are about to be released: “Rarities” (rare and bonus tracks) and “Curiosities“.
NMR (photo: press)
