After a concert in Lisbon, Kodaline spoils Paris with a concert at the Trianon on October 21st.
The Irish quartet returns to Paris with their new album, Politics of Living, released on September 28. It was precisely the creation of this album that caused the cancellation of their last European tour.
Wild Youth: a warm and dancing first part
It was Wild Youth who opened the game. This pop-rock band from the same region as Kodaline was able to heat up the room! It was their first appearance in France and they took the opportunity to coax the Parisian public. Dynamic and mastering the stage perfectly, they managed to establish an intimate connection with the room by presenting their new songs.
Conor O'Donohoe (vocals and piano), Dave Whelan (vocals), Edward Porter (guitar) and Callum McAdam (drums) made us forget for a moment the first freshness of October with warm dancing songs, which remind us of evenings by a campfire at the beach. When they announced that it was their last song, the audience protested. For a last moment of complicity, Dave invites everyone to sing Can't Move On with him, reassuring us that he will teach us the lyrics. Something promised, done: the room and the group sing in unison. Wild Youth is a band that must be followed closely!
Kodaline: an emotional concert
To begin with, Kodaline chooses an intimate setting with dim lights. Without waiting, the members begin with the sweet and haunting title Follow Your Fire from their new album Politics of Living. The room is immediately immersed in their indie-pop universe, which has conquered the hearts of many. Lyrics filled with emotions, melodies approaching folk ballads, the band understood the recipe.
This was followed by Brand New Day and Ready to Change, sung by a large part of the audience. After a brief presentation in French "We are Kodaline," Steve Garrigan (vocals, piano, guitar) announces that they will sing songs from all their albums, old and new combined.
As soon as the public recognizes Brother, surely the most famous title of their last album, they start singing it. Moreover, each song is accompanied by the audience and strongly applauded. The concert is designed in crescendo. Head Held High will mark a highlight. Steve encourages the room to accompany the title with "la la la" following the tempo, always stronger. Some people on the balconies stand up and the room swings rhythmically.
"Good evening. Where is my dog? That's one of the sentences that I learned.Steve laughs. He will find himself alone with his piano for The One, a song written on the occasion of his friend's wedding. When the other members of the band, Vinny May (percussion), Jason Boland (bass) and Mark Prendergast (guitar, piano) come back, you can really see that they are having fun on stage, and they share it! The Irish band continues with mainly tracks from its new album, as well as Raging, its collaboration with producer Kygo. A French flag even appeared.
The announcement of the end of the concert arouses "bouuuuuuuh", it was clearly too short! Steve thanks Paris one last time and assures that they will come back very soon. He even replaces the lyrics "love will set you free" with "Paris will set you free". After making the song last, leaving the stage and a short encore from the fans, Kodaline returns to pamper us with All I want and High Hopes that everyone obviously knows by heart.
Kodaline has shown once again that he masters the lives like kings. The setlist is fluid, the scenography mastered and the performance contrasted, we never get bored! However, we regret the very weak dialogue with the public: the members of Kodaline had accustomed us to funny anecdotes and moments of complicity. Fortunately, the positive energy they give off catches up!