Okay, so I’m on my fourth or fifth attempt at learning to play guitar..

So far, this is the best thing to come of it..

Already posted about this over on FestivalShirts, but it’s so good it deserves another mention here! Directed by Miguel Sapochnik, music by UNKLE, vocals by Ian Asbury.

I quite like a lot of Kanye West stuff, but he is definitely improved by this teaming up with Daft Punk. I don’t normally watch TV, but I got multichannel recently and I watch Music TV while having lunch and this is on a LOT. Nice enough video too.

After Oshen finished her set, there was another long wait while the next performer got set up. And there seemed to be quite a bit of set up to be done for Emily Loizeau.

When the set up was finished the stage went dark. The crowd went crazy. Several small portable lights on the stage came on, illuminating the sole cello player on the stage who began filling the venue with haunting but contemporary sounds, increasing the complexity of the piece gradually by looping riffs and building a gorgeous layered piece.

As the piece was reaching a crescendo, Emily crept on stage, picking up one of the portable lights which eerily illuminated her as she crept to the front of the stage to turn on a turntable which added a beat to the music. The turntable appeared on a video projection on stage, Emily took up her position at the piano, the drummer had appeared from nowhere and full lights blasted on as the ensemble launched into a rocking first number.

I know I don’t get out much, but even if I did, I can’t imagine there was a better live gig to be had for a long time.

The incredible energy which filled each and every number was contrasted by Emily’s hushed, peaceful and easy conversation with the audience. Emily is an almost indescribable performer - her beauty is undeniable, but no picture will do her beauty justice, for it is her voice and the way her soul is bared for the audience in every note she sings that hooks you in.

And it’s not a melancholy soul, for although she is capable of breaking your heart in the forlorn numbers, it is her joyfulness and playfulness that leave the lasting impression.

The band had made great efforts to make the show a visual as well as an auditory feast, the aforementioned turntable was adorned with various props for us to watch rotating on the screen, and Emily’s piano had it’s front removed and illuminated to afford us a view of the inner workings as she played as well as allowing Emily access to pluck the piano strings or mute them with paper depending on the requirements of the song.

Emily won the heart of everyone in the crowd. Several times Emily would finish a song and the crowd would go nuts - but as the applause died, Emily only had to mouth her thanks, or nod her head in humble acknowledgement to send the applause spiralling into a frenzy again.

At the end of the set the crowd went predictably crazy, and for one of the encores the band came out and set up right in the audience, getting everyone to sit on the floor ‘as if we were at the beach’ and they performed acoustically.

One of the acoustic numbers “Leaving You” was the very definition of ’sweet sorrow’.

Bear in mind I haven’t a word of French, but this didn’t seem to hamper my enjoyment of the evening, though I imagine the experience could only be intensified if one understood the lyrics!

I hope to get an opportunity to catch this amazing live act again. In the meantime, pick up her latest album on Amazon

Well, I’m off on another adventure. I got up at 6.20am last Thursday morning to get a lift to the train station to get a train to Dublin, to get a bus to the airport to get a plane to Biarritz to get a taxi to the train station to get a train to Bordeaux to jump in a car and get whisked off to a gig I knew nothing about in the ‘Rock School Barbey‘.

The line up was three French female artists, opening with Oshen. The crowd were getting impatient by the time we rushed in late, munching our tasty tortilla chips for dinner, but they must have been waiting for us to arrive, because shortly after we found a good vantage point the gig got underway.

Oshen arrived on with a guitar, a drummer,a lead guitar player and a keyboard player, and launched into a fairly bog standard singer songwriter number. At least i assume it was - I don’t speak a word of French but it sounded like one. Hey, maybe the lyrics were amazing, but they’d have had to be to save this mediocre melody. You could tell she had a good voice, and you could tell she wasn’t using it.

I began to steel myself for a long night standing after a long days travelling.

But Oshen’s opening was obviously a clever prank, designed to highlight the brilliance that followed as over the next couple of songs she transformed into an incredible performer, who knew well how to use those vocal chords to full effect.

I became increasingly engaged as Oshen’s show went from standard fare to unique cabaret - bear my lack of French in mind and marvel at her ability to give me a good idea of the theme of each song with her full characterisations of the characters in her songs.

She was humourous in her approach, and if you spoke French, she was hilarious in the preambles to her songs judging by the audience. Oshen’s set went from strength to strength, maintaining a wonderful balance between humour and soul, cabaret and cool.

Some interesting interludes in the set included, as one of her encores, a great cover of George Michael’s ‘Faith and (as only a French performer could get away with) a When-Harry-Met-Sallyesque glimpse into an intimate encounter more humourous than the one Sally gave, and without being at all cringeful.

You don’t need French to enjoy this wonderful performer, someone should get her over to ireland to play. She’d go down a bomb at Electric Picnic I’d say.

Right now,amazon.co.uk only has her old album , but maybe they’ll get her new one soon.