Yelle at El Teatro Colegiales in Buenos Aires

Posted on December 2, 2011 by CenterOrch

Un, deux, trois times I have seen Yelle this year.  First at Coachella, second in New York, and now at El Teatro Colegiales in Buenos Aires.  The Argentine love their Yelle, especially the French band’s frontwoman, the sleek, slender siren Julie Budet.  She’s beautiful and always reminds me of Martina Sorbara of Dragonette.  They must be twins separated at birth and by country, France and Canada, respectively.

They opened with “S’éteint Le Soleil” and the Robyn cover, “Qui Est Cette Fille?” (Who’s That Girl?).  The latter song earned Yelle a fan in me immediately at Coachella.  I have no clue what they’re singing about, but I love their sound.  “Unillusion” was next followed by “J’ai Bu” and their latest single, “Comme Un Enfant.”  Check out their brand new video.  So pink, pleasing, perfect.  So Yelle.

The Argentine fans are intensely into Yelle and it’s pretty exciting.  I was at this club in February when I visited Buenos Aires and I loved it then.  I love it even more now, even with all the damn smokers.  A true concert pro, I avoided the line but still wound up in the front row, on the right side.  The vantage point was precise, and the energy was palpable.  I used to think New Yorkers were the best audiences, but bands have to love playing Buenos Aires.  It was such a fantastic experience to see Yelle here.  I love them even more now.  On with the show, “Ce Jeu” was next, then “La Musique.”  I love the song “Mon Pays,” which sounds so electro-lush and “Chimie Physique.”  The best came last as they performed my favorite song, “Que Veux-Tu,” but in the Madeon extended mix version.  So sexy.  I can’t help but make a heart with my hands like Yelle does to express their love and appreciation.  They closed with their international hit, “Safari Disco Club,” also the title of their current album.  For their encore, they played stuff from their first album as well as “Cooler Couler,” a Crookers cover.    I see Yelle again this week in New York City.  Dying, I can’t wait.

 

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Rebel Yelle at Irving Plaza

Posted on May 1, 2011 by CenterOrch

With a rebel Yelle, I cried “more! more! more!“  Ever since I got into French electro group Yelle at this year’s Coachella, I can’t stop playing their new album, Safari Disco Club.  It’s fantastic.  And of course I’m in love with front woman Julie Budet, who now just goes by Yelle.  She’s fascinating, and surfaces the best qualities of my favorite pop stars:  the voice and look of Martina Sorbara of Dragonette, the fiesty energy of Robyn and the out-there fashion sense of Gaga.  Rounding out the group are producers GrandMarnier (Jean-François Perrier) and Tepr (Tanguy Destable).  The name of the band, Yelle, began as an acronym of the phrase You Enjoy Life or YEL, but was later feminized to “Yelle” because a Belgian band was already using YEL.

So on with the show.  The boys come on stage first, dressed in safari chic couture and banged on their drums to “S’eteint Le Soleil” before Yelle appeared wearing what looked like a cross between Cousin It and a green muppet.  Amazing.  Underneath was a giraffe print dress from the closet of Wilma Flintstone which was revealed in their second song, the Robyn cover “Qui Est Cette Fille” (Who’s That Girl).  I love that they covered this song, and such a compliment to my favorite Swede (don’t tell Lykke).  It’s in this song that I actually understand some of the words:  “Ah, ah, ah, ah, avec moi.  Ah, ah, ah, ah, avec moi.”  The set list continued with “Unillusion,” “Ce Jeu,” and “La Musique.”  For the latter, I captured this little video for your viewing pleasure:

“J’ai Bu,” “Comme Un Enfant,” “Je Veux Un Enfant,” “C’est Pas Une Vie” followed.  Before their encore featuring “Cooler Couleur” and “A Cause Des Garcons” from their 2007 album Pop Up, Yelle ended their show with the first two singles off their new album, the title track “Safari Disco Club” and my favorite song, “Que Veux Tu.”  Needless to say, the packed house at Irving Plaza went ballistic, especially between songs when GrandMarnier and Tepr shot the crowd screaming with digital cameras.  They’ve done it at all their shows in the U.S. and you can see them all on Facebook. While I captured a decent video of “Que Veux Tu,” I prefer Yelle’s full-length video that features both songs.  While long, it’s worth it.  So weird.  So fierce.  So genius.

Baby, I was born to Yelle.

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Coachella: Day 2 – Yelle, Empire of the Sun, Scissor Sisters

Posted on April 23, 2011 by CenterOrch

On Day 2 of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, I got to the fairgrounds late, but still beat my friends who were enjoying the pool back at the Ace Hotel.  So I got a little Brian time to discover French pop group, Yelle.  I have to admit I’m a little behind the curve when it comes to Yelle.  But now I’m a huge fan.  There are three members:  GrandMarnier (really?) and Tepr produce the music, while front woman Julie Budet (who now goes by Yelle) joins them in writing lyrics under the collective name, Yelle.

I really love their new album, Safari Disco Club, and the title song and “Que veux-tu.”  Then they covered Robyn’s “Who’s That Girl?” in French (Qui est cette fille?) and that was enough to win me over as a fan.  I don’t know what they’re singing about, but I love it.  So did everyone in the Gobi tent.  It was spectacular to see them perform as the sun set.  I quickly discovered that sunset music sets are the plum slots to land at Coachella.  The next day, I bought a ticket to see them in New York on April 30.  I can’t wait!

After my rebel Yelle fun, my friends met me at the public art installation that affectionately became known as Mexican Hat.  Once reunited, we danced our way over to the Sahara tent to take in the work of Fedde le Grand, a Dutch DJ and producer, who’s really, really hot.  I remember dancing to Madonna’s “Sorry” and one of my favorites, “Hello” by Martin Solveig featuring Martina Sorbara of Dragonette.  Dance.

Then we headed to the outdoor stage to catch Australian electro duo, Empire of the Sun.  Most famous for their single, “Walking on a Dream,” I was a little underwhelmed by these guys.  More pageantry than substance was my take away, but I do like their one big hit, so it was fun.  But the crowning highlight of my night was seeing my beloved Scissor Sisters.  I saw them a few weeks ago opening for Gaga and the crowd didn’t get them, or even know who they were.  Not tonight.  The Mojave tent was packed with queens and anyone else at Coachella who could care less about seeing Arcade Fire. When playing to their base, if you will, the Scissor Sisters are brilliant.  While the flashy, flamboyant Jake Shears gets all the notoriety, it’s sexy lady Ana Matronic who steals the show.  I love this woman and she knows how to connect with the crowd.

They opened with “Night Work” off their latest album while giant silver elongated balloons reached across the crowd as if the Sisters were giving us a big, glittery hug.  They played a bunch of crowd-pleasing songs off their latest record including “Any Which Way,” “Running Out” and my favorite, “Fire With Fire.”  They also played “I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’,” “Take Your Mama,” and “Filthy/Gorgeous.”  By this time, it’s close to 1 a.m. and we’re exhausted.  My friends pulled me away at the start of “Invisible Light.”  They are so great.  Day 2 wiped us out!

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