Photos and review by NOTES FROM VIVACE
LOS ANGELES – In support of his “Kiss The Beast” album release, French singer Sébastien Tellier jumped across the Atlantic to do a short North American tour. In doing so, he brought a little bit of France to The Belasco on a Saturday night.
The Belasco’s gothic look provided a cathedral French setting and it is possible that French was the dominant language spoken both on stage and on the floor. Afterwards, it was easy to determine who had just come from his set, as the sidewalks were filled with people strolling along, conversing in French.
To set the tone for the night, he started off the set by playing the opening track from his 2008 album, “Sexuality.” With his band dressed in white and him featuring a black cat-ear cap, he took to his Yamaha keyboard to play the sensual instrumental “Sexual Sportswear.” His music easily progresses from instrumental wonderment to club music. His next tune, “Roche,” also from Sexuality, bridged that transition between the two genres that then took full force when he got to “Refresh.” The song was the first of four songs that he performed from “Kiss The Beast.” The song’s dance club beats had people dancing.
A focus of attention throughout the set was how Tellier used his arms and hands. At one point, he would have his arms stretched out wide. Another moment, he would stroll around the stage with hands in his pockets. To amuse, he would walk around like a robot or use his fingers to make cat ear motions above his hat. Oftentimes, he would walk around doing some air piano playing (not air guitar playing). Then there was the romantic moment during “Divine” when he pointed to his wife, Dean de La Richardière, who was hanging out at the soundboard.
He introduced his perhaps most beloved song “La ritournelle” by saying it was a song about love. The song had the crowd drifting through the beauty of the composition throughout the 7 minute plus tune and cheering loudly when concluded. He returned to the dance beats from Kiss The Beast via the song “Thrill of the Night.” The recorded version features two Americans: Slayyyter and Nile Rodgers.
“L’Amour et la violence” once again had the crowd cheering as the bright lights focused on him as he was playing the piano. He mentioned that “Mouton” had him thinking about being on a ship. The song gives the imagery of a storm brewing over the water – it was a good thing that one of his band mates was dressed as a sailor.
He ended the night with not just one final bow, but with three as he concluded the night with a 5-song encore. The crowd loved it. Out in the audience, one of the few words heard in English, someone proclaimed to a friend, “He’s coming back.”
He concluded the night with the Kavinsky (also French) cover “Nightcall,” a tune to send everyone out onto the Los Angeles streets dancing.
Setlist: Sexual Sportwear, Roche, Refresh, Kilometer, Look, La ritournelle, Cochon Ville, Thrill of the Night, L’Amour et la violence, Mouton, Domestic Tasks. Encores: Fantino, Divine, Stunt (Mr. Oizo cover), Parfum Diamant, Nightcall (Kavinsky cover).
