Flamin’ Groovies or in with the old, out with the new

Leather pants, personality, great musicianship, a small underground venue and a famous band from the 70’s. That was the Flamin’ Groovies on September 14th at La Maroquinerie in Paris. What more could you ask for? Granted, I am a stickler for anything pre-90’s and wholeheartedly believe that I was born in the wrong generation, but there’s no substitute for a great band who know how to perform.

The Flamin’ Groovies were a band that were at their prime at a time when arguably one of the most exciting music scenes of the 20th century, was just beginning to rear its beautiful head. While underground bands like The Velvet Underground and The Stooges were laying the groundwork in New York and Detroit for what would famously become known as Punk, the Flamin’ Groovies were making their own mark over in San Francisco.

But I’m not here to give you a history lesson, rather I’m here to tell you about the best show I’ve ever been to. Now I know that claiming something to be the BEST show you’ve ever been to, is quite an ordeal and not something to be taken lightly, but I assure you that I make my claim in all honesty. Of course, the novelty of being in Paris and seeing this great band up close and personal did add that extra magic to the night, seeing as I hail from the land down under and rarely get to see live music anywhere remotely interesting. Nevertheless, I don’t believe that that is what made it so great a show. I absolutely give full credit to the band in question.

While underground bands like The Velvet Underground and The Stooges were laying the groundwork in New York and Detroit, the Flamin’ Groovies were making their own mark over in San Francisco

One of the sorely lacking aspects of most gigs that I go to these days, especially if the band members were born in my own generation, is the complete inability to perform or perhaps the lack of knowledge or know-how. Now when I say perform, I don’t mean doing backflips while swinging across arenas or standing behind a microphone and belting your heart out. What I’m talking about is when a band is actually enjoying themselves on stage and inevitably the audience is too. I know that that may sound like a small feat, but, incredibly, I have yet to see and experience it elsewhere. Of course, it helps when the songs are great and the lead singer can actually sing, but that’s a whole other story…

What I will say is that performing and knowing how to capture an audience, was one thing that many of the bands from the 60s and 70s, were great at. Quite simply, they knew how to perform. Whether this ability was the product of such an innovative and interesting time, or that the Groovies have just been at it for so long now it’s become second nature, for your sake, I won’t feign to believe that either of these reasons can really explain away the utter lack of excitement (or perhaps enthusiasm) created by many contemporary bands today.

The one thing that I crave the most when I go and see live music, is to see something that excites me. It’s understandable that I am deeply envious of my parents and the bands that they were so lucky to experience (and I use this word in its truest sense) when they were my age. I’m learning to adapt… Anyway, the point being that I am always on the hunt for local bands that are doing something new or interesting. I am yet to find one, but I am determined to continue my search. What I will say though, is that many bands today have a great deal to learn from said pioneers of the past.

Many bands today have a great deal to learn from pioneers of the past

But here I must return to my point. There is no other experience in the world quite like the one when you’re nodding along to your favourite songs totally encompassed by the sound, and the whole room is doing the same with you. It’s intoxicating. Who needs drugs when you have great music? I only hope that out there somewhere there exists a new movement that’s just as exciting as the movements were back then, because a person can only hear the same Ed Sheeran songs so many times before losing their mind. And if I have to travel halfway across the world to find it, well so be it.

Anyway, I hear they’re planning to do some shows in the UK on the tail end of their current tour… You know where I’ll be next month.