If Le Boucanier can be counted on to bring Gothic icons to Paris, we must also salute the more modern line-ups that guarantee the vitality of the scene. For example, Corlyx (whose guitarist Brandon Ashley was celebrating his birthday) brought their luggage to France for the first time, along with Suzi Sabotage, who, before going solo, had already made the capital's shadows dance with Masquerade.
SUZI SABOTAGE
Masquerade's theatrical post-punk eccentricities and the singer's ressemblance to priestesses of darkness like Nina Hagen or Siouxsie Sioux are partly consigned to the closet, where they probably join a few skeletons. Alone on stage, Suzi Sabotage teases the de rigueur dress code with her white dress. The blue spotlights of Supersonic Records impose a coldness in keeping with the music: in her synthetic music from Finland, Suzi Sabotage is fond of icy, melancholy, introspective poetry. One is regularly reminded of Kaelan Mikla. Love at First Bite, Persona Non Grata: Suzi Sabotage's spleen is danceable, and occasionally takes on mystical folk tones (Oodi Surulle). Yet this doesn't stop the artist from setting her audience on fire, particularly on the virulent anthem Nazi Goths Fuck Off, which gets the warm applause it deserves. Suzi Sabotage, with her hair, discreet smiles and elegantly personal music, knows how to win over the audience: in fact, we wish the concert had lasted longer than half an hour!
CORLYX
Faint red glows, black bat-wing glasses on Caitlin Stokes' nose, like a reminder of those on the microphone stand, and a short cover of Bela Lugosi's Dead as an opener: Corlyx knows how to launch their set with attitude. On stage, the duo becomes a trio, playing their 80s-influenced post-punk hits with pop efficiency and grunge attitude. The Echo, Lace and Latex, Ghosts of the West Coast and Never Love are all unifying tracks, and the energy flows between an enthusiastic audience and a band generous with mimics and smiles. Caitlin Stokes, with her peculiar dances that give her the air of a disjointed puppet, grabs the attention and invites Suzi Sabotage on stage for their delightful duet Kill Cave, an opportunity to compare the manes of the two singers. At the end of the set, Twist Like an Animal reminds us that, before taking a more nostalgic and pop path, Corlyx had flirted with a heavier, more industrial rock sound. With its catchy music, Corlyx is easy to love: it's both enjoyable and melancholy, it's fun to the point of demanding an encore, and everyone is satosfied at the end. Thanks to the strong sympathy of the artists on stage, this Corlyx premiere in Paris was both festive and warm, and the band showed that it has its share of fans here: let's hope there'll be more!
