Chanteuses Melanie Pain and Phoebe Killdeer, rotating vocalists within surprisingly joyful French new wave covers band Nouvelle Vague, recently joined forces, the perfect vehicle to create some self-penned pop nuggets of their own within semi-eponymous side project Kill the Pain. Tonight sees the Gallic duo opening for their former bandmates at a packed Old Woollen, the first of eight dates together on these shores, Phoebe adorned in a striking tinsel wig (presumably replete with the appropriate fire certification beneath the hot stage lighting) as she emerges from the gloom
With her partner in crime first up alternating vocal duties serving up the alluring pop-art tinged ‘Zig Zag’, part Devo, part Talking Heads, with a European twist thrown in for good measure, next up ‘I Do What I Do’, delivers another stylish slice of taut agit-funk. By now everyone is nicely warmed up before the rafters are filled with Pain’s opening line from ‘Meditations’, namely “What The Fuck is Going On?”, everyone unsurprisingly swiftly joining in. Pick of their short but perfectly formed set was the groove laden belter ‘Chiwawa’, seemingly straight out of a New York roller rink.
The girls weren’t finished either, returning midway through Nouvelle Vague’s fabulous set of bossa nova tinged pop-classics delivering another brace; Melanie’s seductive vocal on ‘This Charming Man’ giving the original a run for its money and predictably bringing the house down.
It will take me a month to stop grinning.
Words - Michael Price
Kill The Pain official
Nouvelle Vague official