So I went and had a seven course meal - Published in 2014 whilst living in Paris

So a few days ago my friend Tobi called me out of the blue, having vaguely warned me that he had an offer he believed me to be interested in, so I answered and he presented me with the question 'Would you be interested on coming to a 7 course meal on Thursday?'. To which, as I think most sane people would answer, I said yes. How often is it that you get invited to such a unique dining experience? Not often enough.

Way back when, I was ambling through the dark dank avenues of the internet (not really way back when, maybe in December?) and via the excellent Courtney Barnett's Bandcamp page (who you'll hear much more about soon), I came across this crew of Ozzies. 


Peel - Life in the Corduroy Universe

I will be writing an extensive piece on music from Australia soon as there's some really great stuff coming out of there at the moment and there's been great stuff for a couple of years now, but that's for another time. Anyway, here's a song which I think is really great, it reminds me a little of The Clean but... cleaner... Plus any reference to Corduroy in a song title must make it awesome. Apparently Belle & Sebastian fans favor their pipes clad in corduroy, which kind of makes a lot of sense.

But again, I digress. 
So Thursday romped around and I set off for the house where all was being prepared, and surprisingly, I was the first one to arrive. There I found Tobi in his element, grating this and juicing that, slicing this and frying that, and I also met Ellie, who's flat it was. I was then introduced to Ellie's housemate Sarah and her parents who were over for the weekend, and who clearly thought the same as me (and anyone else) - who could refuse a 7 course meal? The final guest Ollie arrived and we had some wine and all engaged in verbal intercourse for a time. They (excluding the parents) were all at Durham and seemed to all be doing work placements in Paris, so I felt slightly like the anomaly, but that didn't matter - everyone was friendly and chatty. Soon our chef told us to prepare for course No. 1.

Another quick thing - not only were there 7 courses, but also a variety of wines to accompany these courses as well!
No. 1 - A 2012 Alsatian Reisling
No. 2 - A 2011 Sancerre
No. 3 - An 'oaky' 2010 Loire Chardonnay
No. 4 - A 2011 St Emilion
No. 5 - A 2012 Alsatian Muscat

Course No. 1 - Broccoli and Almond soup

This was fabulous. Not many people are particularly accustomed to broccoli in soup, but a classic home soup chez nous is broccoli and Stilton, so it was always going to be a winner one way or another! It was wonderful, not to overpowering, and you got a great hint of garlic as well, which never garners any complaints from me. The almond also complimented it really nicely - it isn't a very potent flavour but it worked exceptionally well in conjunction with the broccoli. A great start!

Course No. 2 - Chili and Bacon Oysters

This was the first time I had ever eaten oysters. I had been given the opportunity to try them a long while back whilst on a school trip to Normandy but the mere sight of seeing one of my friends eat it was enough to stop me - it was mainly the combination of the sound he made, the expression on his face and the disgruntled moans he made before and after. He also ended up throwing up anyway. But putting that story to the back of my mind, I soldiered on and ate it all. Now according to the others around the table, oysters and bacon was a new invention but it worked very well in my opinion - oysters taste a little bit like sea water, and for those of you familiar with the British coastline, if you know what I mean when I say that slightly rotting salty smell you get by the sea sometimes, not necessarily unpleasant but strongly recognizable? It sort of tasted a bit like that, but in the best possible way. I think I will definitely give oysters another try, Tobi rather converted me with them!

Here's Tobi at it hard in the kitchen.

I recently have been listening to lots of Grizzly Bear thanks to an interview I recently read with them, and I was really struck by the lead singer saying he likes to take very simple chord sequences which are, once unveiled, immensely catchy (take 'Two Weeks' for instance) and he and the rest of the band then almost 'bury' these pop hooks in what many reviewers have described as 'fussiness'. I think this mode of music creation is absolutely brilliant, and a really interesting way of approaching popular music. Anyway, on another listen to their newest record 'Shields' I discovered this gem of a song, which in my mind typifies Grizzly Bear - we have a complex song underpinned by an immense and soaring orchestral chord sequence which is repeated within the song but, luckily, not throughout. 

I was somewhat blown away by the chord sequence present in this track, and have actually been haunted by it in my dreams. Genuinely!

Anyway, back to the meal.

Course No. 3 - Cream Cheese and Chive Asparagus spears wrapped in smoked Salmon

I am a huge fan of asparagus (which apparently is a very very effective hangover cure) as well as smoked salmon, cream cheese and chives, so this dish got no complaints at all from me, and as you can imagine, the flavours complimented each other sublimely - the asparagus was still crunchy which contrasted beautifully with the smoothness of the cream cheese, and had a tangy hint thanks to the chives - chives can be very overpowering but the balance was perfect. The smoked salmon of course completed the dish. Merveilleux.

Course No. 4 - Prosecco sorbet

'Wow!' I said to myself. 'Roger my aunt!' I exclaimed. 'Call me Susan if it isn't so!' I roared. 'Prosecco sorbet!'. And damn right I was too. It was unbelievably refreshing and soothing, and my concern was that it would taste too strongly of alcohol - how very wrong I was. It had a very subtle flavour, almost like vanilla, but very smooth with a slight sweetness to it. A really great choice for the meal's centre-piece as well.

Course No. 5 - Crab and Coconut risotto

Now then. This one was spectacular. The risotto itself was cooked to perfection, and the balance of the crab and coconut was exquisite. There were hints of lime and chili present as well. This was arguably my favourite dish of the evening, as the flavours (as with the other courses) were wonderfully balanced, with nothing overpowering the other ingredients. I am also a relatively recent convert to crab as well, so as with the oysters, my experience was certainly one I would repeat.

My first concert of this New Year (other than seeing vintage reggae group Talisman at a hostel in Bristol - DJ Derek was there too!) was Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks. There will without a doubt be a whole post dedicated to the brilliance and sheer, absolute wonder and incredible-ness of the mighty Pavement, who are without doubt my favourite band, but I am on the subject of the front-man's current project. Sadly Pavement may not rear their wonderful head ever again but I was very excited to go see him - just to be in the same room as the mighty man (and his solo records are actually really good too). His current work is obviously no Pavement, but it's still really awesome and very similar to Pavement (maybe more structured), and their latest record is called 'Wig-Out at Jagbags' which may well be the best title ever. Here's a track from it.

Course No. 6 - Roasted Pears stuffed with Blue Cheese and Walnuts

This one. This one right here. What a winner. Even Tobi was caught erotically whispering to Sarah, 'blue cheese'. I love cheese, especially blue cheese, and I love walnuts, and I love combining cheese with fruit, so all three together create a masterpiece. I love the texture off cooked pear - it is soft, yet there seems to be an almost grittiness to it as well, and with the addition of the slightly melted blue cheese giving it that signature tang it always gives, and the crunchiness of the walnuts, not only were the flavours wonderful in conjunction with each other, but also the texture itself was fabulous.

Course No. 7 - Mojito jelly

Before this course came around, we all were having a discussion about how the French have many misconceptions about the English, and one of them was that apparently the French think that English people eat jelly all the time. Now we all protested against this rather thoroughly but were somewhat stunned into sheepish silence when Tobi bought out the final course of the night - Mojito jelly. This was brilliant. He had managed to flavour it perfectly, with not too much emphasis on any of the necessary ingredients of a Mojito, but once again a perfect equilibrium of taste, and a wonderful conclusion to the meal.

In all, each of the dishes seem to follow on from each other immaculately - and to be able to create such a wide variety of dishes and have it (on the whole) vegetarian friendly, was also very impressive indeed. I had a wonderful time at my first ever seven course meal, and I would heartily encourage other people to accept similar invitations. The company was wonderful, the wine was excellent and the food was orgasmic. 

Thanks Tobi!

So I went on French telly and watched puppets and Warpaint - Published in 2014 whilst living in Paris

Last monday I was pondering existence and contemplating the navel, when a friend of mine, Victor,  (whom I had met through my work with the excellent record shop 'Balades Sonores') sent me a message asking if I fancied seeing Warpaint at a TV studio. I of course replied 'absoluement' but was quickly disappointed to hear the news that all the passes had been given out. When I checked to see if there were maybe tickets still available for their show at the Trabendo, I was also disappointed to find out that they were sold out too - and then I became even more miserable when I noticed the support act, All We Are.

They describe themselves as 'The Bee Gees on Diazempam' which is exactly how they sound. Definitely worth a listen.

Anyway, back to the tale.
I found out some more info from Victor who said he emailed got in touch with the guy who is behind 'Open Up Your Ears', which basically documents what gigs to go to when, how and where, and he managed to secure that place for him. I had a look at what they do and they seemed really interesting, with lots of offers of exclusive shows and having concise gig listings on their site. It is also worth signing up for their newsletter!

But again I digress. So I emailed this guy and they gave me a very quick response which was, alas, no and that all the places had been claimed by grubby-fingered Frenchmen (they didn't put that). So I let it slide and pretended that I wasn't bothered that I wasn't seeing them and All We Are -after all, I had been to a show by indie slacker rock oligarch Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks on Saturday so I thought I was relatively sated. But I was annoyed that I hadn't sorted out tickets etc etc etc. so I stayed at home that evening and went to bed.

The next day however, I woke up to an email from Open Up Your Ears saying someone had pulled out and did I want the spot on the show? Yes of course I'd love to thank you. So there was my evening, ready and primed! Though I had no idea what to expect at all. In the email they sent me, the following information was given: that I was to meet at Studio 104, Front Populaire, at 19h15 and my name would be on a list. That was all.

So at around quarter to 7 I jumped on the metro and arrived at Front Populaire, thinking somewhat stupidly 'Oh, the website said 100 metres, how hard can it be to find??'. Obviously I probably should have written out some more concise directions, as the ones Cyril ('Open Up Your Ears') gave me were spot-on but I thought I'd be able to memorise it all. 

How wrong I was.

If you are visiting Paris at any point soon, I can wholeheartedly advise NOT visiting Front Populaire. There is nothing but warehouses and studios. Just warehouses and warehouses and warehouses. And studios and studios and studios. They don't even have any street signs! I stumbled around aimlessly for around 40 minutes, asking people, looking at maps, and then I finally called my lady-friend for some instruction. Yet even she was confused so before I had the chance to even try and follow her instructions, I was cut off due to lack of credit. In the English language, one would probably use an expletive here to demonstrate the mood currently felt by members involved. 

So I staggered on into the inky-black darkness, groping my way around vast and looming warehouses, narrowly avoiding psychotic road-hogs and desperately huddled against the freezing winds, until eventually I saw a bus. Not an ordinary bus mind. It seemed to be a tour bus! Huzzah! After bursting into a room that was clearly being rebuilt, a kind and somewhat bewildered looking man pointed me in the right direction so I scurried off. I went over to what looked akin to a tent or elaborate marquee where a throng of people had gathered. I presented myself to the people who looked like they possessed some kind of importance, whether it was self-appointed importance or not, it didn't matter, but I gave them my name and handed over my jacket so I couldn't steal any bits of the show using modern technology. I went and found Victor and one of his friends, Audrey, who was very friendly and chatty whilst we waited to be admitted into the studio. We were unleashed and we scampered to find a good place to sit. Yet to my eyes, it didn't seem like much of a stage was set up. I quickly found out that it was part of the TV programme, where they had some puppets that resembled celebrities performing mock interviews with one another.

Here is a picture of the presenter.

I didn't quite understand all of it (and I beg of you not to hold this against me) but from what I did understand, it was very amusing and rather unusual. They performed an 'interview' with 'Obama' where the main subject was marijuana usage, and Obama kept on saying 'mec' - the French version of 'man' or 'dude' or 'bro'. 

Here is what Obama looked like.

All the while this was happening (as in, before, during and after), there was a short balding hipster-ish bloke who was telling us all what to do and giving us cues for applause. He was immensely enthusiastic, incredibly friendly, and came across as being familiar with most members of the audience. This appeared to be a continual theme from what I say anyway - everyone working there that evening was very kind, friendly, helpful and kept a very light-hearted atmosphere in the studio.

The studio itself was also very unexpected. It was like when you are in a play and you are able to see all the backstage area, with all the bits that aren't quite there, the rough and ragged edges, but our idea of the backstage here was not being in front of the camera. It also goes to reiterate the power of television, the tricks it can play and also the idea of the truth, the reality of the situation being hidden. Again, the fact that they were utilising puppets as well perhaps goes on to reiterate this point.

Here's a sneaky pic of the puppeteers at work

But anyway, I have diverted long enough. If anyone has made it this far, congratulations, here's a song to bide your time.

This is a very old friend of mine, lap it up!

So after all that had finished we were moved over to another part of the studio for the show. But first of all, and I don't really know why they asked this of us, but they said they needed up to 10 minutes of solid applause for the cameras. So for quite a while we were sat there clapping and whooping aimlessly whilst they got all the footage they needed, and then we awaited the appearance of the ladies from Warpaint.

This was going to be my 3rd time seeing Warpaint, having seen them back in the day at the O2 Bristol academy on the back of their 1st album 'The Fool', and then again when they first debuted some new tracks at Bestival in 2012. I always thought they were a really cool bunch of girls, and brilliantly talented and original musicians as well, so I was excited to see how their new album (which apparently they described as akin to having sex).

They bounded onto the stage (it was, I highlight, a studio with seating for probably under 200 people - there may have been 120 maximum there, perhaps one of the smallest shows they have performed for a while!).

I was also told a bit about this show. It was for a show on Canal + called 'L'album de la Semaine', and artists as varied as Them Crooked Vultures, King Krule, Adele, Foals, Jack White, Kaiser Chiefs and Phoenix have all passed through. The average set length is between 7 and 10 songs (whereas I was expecting the meagre English 'band-playing-live-on-our-show-when-in-fact-they-are-probably-lipsyncing' 3 songs so I was very pleased) and Phoenix apparently had an hour and a half to present their wares to the world. And tickets are free each time!

Here's an image of Queens of the Stone Age performing in the same studio.

But anyway on with the show. The girls appeared to rapturous applause (a standing ovation!) and locked in almost immediately into the tight groove of 'Keep It Healthy' taken from their new album. What is instantly noticeable about this new show is the introduction of synthesizers, samplers and electronic gadgets into their new show - before it had been 2 guitars, bass and drums, forming a sort of Television-esque guitar duelling between the 2 guitarists (Theresa Wayman and Emily Kokal, the latter of whom dated John Frusciante for a time). With the opening track, it was only Emily playing guitar (in the image above, she is on the far right and Theresa sitting next to her) and Theresa sang and fiddled with some effects. This seemed to continue for most of the show, with a lot of keyboard usage, and a more funky, groovy edge to their already fascinating sound. They moved on into their most well-known track on the record, 'Love Is To Die', which I find a fascinating track as the chorus seems simultaneously out of sync with the verse, yet very much in sync with it. Their new record is full of tracks such as this, with interesting time signatures and instrumentation throughout. For instance, their track Biggy featured the drummer and the bassist with shakers for a proportion of the track with the bassist playing part of the bass-line by finger-tapping, or the song 'Disco/Very' largely consisting of percussion - lucky for Warpaint their drummer is phenomenal.

The full setlist was as such:

Keep It Healthy

Love Is To Die

Feelin' Alright

Biggy

Disco/Very

Hi

Drive

Perhaps one of my favourite things about this group is that there doesn't really seem to be a clear-cut leader - it seems like a very much collaborative effort, with each of the girls taking turns with the vocals, and I felt strong comparisons with Grizzly Bear in this aspect, as it was very easy to picture them all contributing to the songs in the studio. The sound was immaculate as well, it being an intimate studio, and other than the occasional (rather dated-looking) camera being wheeled across your view, I had an unadulterated view of the band. It was also nice (and I know this seems a bit odd) to see them dancing around to the music they were making, despite it being a glorified rehearsal. I like to see artists moving to the music they create, I personally thinks it constructs a more personal interpretation of their own songs, as well as making it all a bit more entertaining for the audience to watch! I truly think that Warpaint are an excellent group, a highly original band of extremely talented young women, and it will be very interesting to see what they do in the future.

After they finished the set, they went off again to a standing ovation, and after a bit of a wait, we were told that they would have to come back out and do a few more songs. So we all got a bit excited for perhaps hearing some tracks from the first record, but alas they came and re-did 4 of the tracks they had already played. Which was no bad thing! After they left for good and we were filed out of the studio and ejected onto the streets near the barren wasteland of Front Populaire in the north of Paris. But I believe everyone was well sated with the show (especially considering it was free), and I found that French television is actually quite a bit of fun - there was a relaxed atmosphere throughout the evening, everyone was friendly and helpful (I asked for a setlist and was given 2!). It seems as if there is real joy in what they are creating; they all seem to enjoy what they are doing, and seem pleased to see other people so interested in what they are doing.

A great evening in all, even the puppets were pretty cool.

Thanks Cyril, Victor, Audrey and Ellie!