Francois and the Atlas Mountains by Maria Papadimitriou aka Slowly The Eggs.
The fabulous Francois and the Atlas Mountains provided opening support for King Creosote and Jon Hopkins at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on Friday 9th September 2011. Fusing world music beats with indie pop and 90s rave beats they managed to create an utterly unique sound that one suspects could only have come out of France, far away from the snobberies of British indie cool.
Lead singer Francois was unabashed in his embracing of world music, that most maligned of music genres. ‘This is for you London City‘ he coyly announced before busting out some unashamedly sexy hip swaying foot stamping world music inspired moves. The twinkle in his eye said it all: I may be a little bit cheesy and a little bit silly but I don’t give a damn.
Behind him one of his two keyboardists sported a pair of diamante broaches on his louche indie cardigan. Stage left the superb drummer stood barefoot with conch shells banging on his calf, surrounded by an array of interesting ethnic drums.
In a further interlude Francois described listening to a documentary about Queen Elizabeth I on the radio, which was followed by one on the French Revolution: again that cheeky grin.
Unfortunately the new album from Francois and the Atlas Mountains does not come out in the UK until next year, but until then I urge you to keep them well within earshot.
King Creosote and Jon Hopkins by Aliyah Hussain.
Then it was time for the headline act as King Creosote and Jon Hopkins were joined on stage by Swedish singer Lisa Elle of the band Dark Horses, two violinists and a very young looking female drummer.
Lisa Elle by Sam Parr.
Dressed in bat-like chiffon sleeves over a tiny minidress with a head of messy blonde curls Lisa Elle was a fetching foil to Kenny Anderson‘s earthy self. And her presence next to him really allowed her sweet harmonies to come to the fore in this live performance of Diamond Mine.
Unfortunately Jon Hopkins was hidden behind a vast great grand piano, only occasionally leaning to over to squeeze his red box. The Diamond Mine album was played out all too quickly, which allowed for a lightening of the mood as King Creosote joked about being a loser: this years Mercury Prize went to PJ Harvey.
There was plenty of banter between songs as the pair bounced through the rest of a thoroughly enjoyable set, for time spent on the road has clearly deepened their unique connection.
All photography by Amelia Gregory.
I can’t wait to see what comes next out of this unlikely partnership… don’t forget to check out our previous review of Diamond Mine performed live here.
Tags:
90s, Aliyah Hussain, Dark Horses, Diamond Mine, Francois and The Atlas Mountains, French Revolution, Indie, Jon Hopkins, Kenny Anderson, Keyboards, King Creosote, Lisa Elle, Maria Papadimitriou, Mercury Music Awards, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Queen Elizabeth I, Sam Parr, Slowly the Eggs, World Music
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- Diamond Mine by Jon Hopkins and King Creosote. A review and interview with Jon Hopkins.
- Music Review: Francois and The Atlas Mountains
- New video for Diamond Mine single Bubble by Elliot Dear
- Diamond Mine by Jon Hopkins and King Creosote. An interview with Kenny Anderson.