Over the top

This evening's show started mildly enough with Fabien Boeuf, an inoffensive singer-songwriter accompanied by a glamorous cellist (see first extra) and a hipster guitarist (second extra). The guitarist had a unique ability to use his mouth close to the mike to make convincing drumbeats -- saves lugging a drum kit about.

The second half was something else. Three punkish guys roared onto the stage and blasted an audience composed largely of grannies and toddlers with very loud French rock and rap. They definitely did have a drum kit and the drummer was unsparing (blip). As for the singer, he lunged manically around the stage and his shirt was soaking wet within ten minutes. It's certainly not something I'd go out of my way to listen to, but it was better than I thought it would be from the first notes, and I stayed to take photos. Which the multicoloured strobe lights made nigh-on impossible. I took 50 or so and ended up with half a dozen barely usable ones.