French bossa nova collective Nouvelle Vague came to Notts last week to bring sumptuous spectacle and sophistication to Metronome with their new-wave covers...
What happens when you cross Brazilian bossa nova, British new wave classics, and the dulcet tones of French chanteuses? This may be a concept that sounds ultra post-modern and a little preposterous, but for twenty years and eight albums, Nouvelle Vague have been artfully crafting an enchanting world of their own from the songs of others.
The concept of a covers band doesn’t always give one the most confidence - why perform covers if you have true talent to create your own music - but I don’t think we can put Nouvelle Vague quite in that category, and tonight they certainly proved that this is not an act in any way bereft of talent. If you've ever felt you've played a song to death, this is the antidote - fresh, sexy, and completely reinterpreted versions of those well-loved songs we grow up with.
I don’t quite remember how I first came across them back in the mid 2000s, but without a doubt this is a band that have provided me with a rich musical schooling over twenty years, introducing classic artists from XTC and Modern English to Bauhaus and The Dead Kennedys, and putting their entirely own spin on well known tracks such as Guns of Brixton, Heart of Glass, and Ever Fallen in Love.
Each track artfully reworked and given a treatment that even overshadowed the recorded versions; the sexy double-bass driven Girls on Film, the upbeat and feminine take on The Dead Kennedy’s Too Drunk To Fuck, or the dreamy desert island feel of XTC’s Making Plans For Nigel.
So for me and the two friends I’d come with, this was very much an evening of nostalgia, gratitude and - an emotion I wasn’t expecting - awe.
Kicking off the night with sophistication, Nouvelle Vague singer Mélanie Pain gave a beautiful stripped back set, featuring a number of tracks from her fourth album How and Why, which is released later this week on Friday 21 November.
In our recent interview with Mélanie and Nouvelle Vague's Marc Collins, she described the album as “fragile and melancholic, but super sunny… a bit like me.” Her live performance did not contradict. While in between songs she brought warmth, reflection and moments of humour, during each track Mélanie’s voice cut through the room crystal clear in waves; soft yet commanding. Album opener Bluer Than Blue was a particular standout, along with closer Bye Bye Manchester from her 2013 album of the same name. If you like folky French vibes to add atmosphere to your soundtrack, definitely go listen to Mélanie’s work.
As the stage darkened to introduce the main act and six low spotlights appeared, the band entered, obscured by ambient haze, and the familiar tones of Love Will Tear Us Apart began with a softness than Joy Division would never dream of. This exceptional lighting continued throughout, creating a moody nightclub vibe that fit perfectly with the sound and performance of the evening.
Mélanie Pain was definitely the star of the night, returning for this set on vocals and joined by French-Australian producer and songwriter Phoebe Killdeer. The two slickly played off each other in both loosely synchronised movements and contrasting tonality, each bringing their own unique vocal style, with Melanie’s softness contrasting with Phoebe’s deeper dulcet tones. This was perfectly displayed on P.I.L’s This is Not A Love Song as the pair flicked the lines back and forth between each other.
Two albums were played; celebrating twenty years since their self-titled debut, we also got to hear their latest album, Should I Stay or Should I go?. While the band have often moved away from the first album’s bossa nova stylings, this record introduces more drama and darkness, with Bond-esque big band sounds to devour.
Throughout the night we were treated to classic after classic, but as previously mentioned, this was certainly not covers-by-numbers. Each track artfully reworked and given a treatment that even overshadowed the recorded versions; the sexy double-bass driven Girls on Film, the upbeat and feminine take on The Dead Kennedy’s Too Drunk To Fuck, or the dreamy desert island feel of XTC’s Making Plans For Nigel.
As Mélanie noted in the interview, while they are hugely ubiquitous songs, it’s easy to forget that they are not Nouvelle Vague’s own. “It's like we're doing a Nouvelle Vague sound, but we're telling our own stories,” she told me. And indeed, there are times, like during their version of The Specials Friday Night, Saturday Morning, that you hear the song anew and from an entirely different perspective.
Metronome once again proved that it’s a solid venue for Notts, with enough space, excellent sound and a decent view of the stage from every angle. My only gripe of the night was that the audience seemed somewhat sleepy despite the band doing their best to rouse the crowd, particularly during more danceable tracks such as Teenage Kicks or Should I Stay or Should I Go?. But perhaps the room was simply hypnotised by so much beguiling magic coming from the stage.
Had I known Nouvelle Vague’s live show was so impressive, I’d have sought them out sooner, but with twenty years behind them, I hope for many more shows to come. In the meantime, go get suave and check out some of their records.
Nouvelle Vague and Mélanie Pain performed at Metronome on 12th November 2025.
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