LOST IN TRANSLATION: emilie simon en australie

Arriving a tardy 40 minutes late (at 8:10pm, gosh golly, my oh my) to a gig after meandering through an unfamiliar Brisbane park to the Powerhouse, we were surprised to be greeted by an usher. The usher was to show us to our seats in between songs; it was all very rock and roll.

Attending Emilie Simon’s Brisbane gig was one weird musical experience. It was very much the opposite experience to seeing the long grey strands of what remains of Neil Young’s hair follow him around the main stage at The Big Day Out ’09. That day his old school, perhaps excessively extended, intros and outros to songs seemed to be underappreciated by the crowd of 18 – 25 year olds even if everyone felt privileged to see him.

For those of you who don’t know, Emilie Simon’s music probably fits in somewhere between Radiohead’s Kid A and The Presets’ Beams, at least in its electronic influence. And given that her on stage costume looked like something out of Final Fantasy, it was a surprise that most of the audience appeared too old to appreciate her haunting cover of Come As You Are... not that she played it (much to my disappointment.)

The only reason I can think of to explain the average age of the crowd is that in Australia, Simon’s music is probably best known through the So Frenchy So Chic which is advertised by the ABC/SBS. Although her single, Fleur De Saison, did get some airplay on Triple J a few years back.

The muted atmosphere and short set were probably unfortunate side effects of the demographic although, given the seating arrangements, the organisers seemed to know what they were in for. There were some positives though; a clear view from a comfortable seat and excellent sound quality. However I can’t help but think how good it could have been... maybe I’ll just have to go to France to see her.

Skip to the end: Shock! Horror! Australian people don't get French music.