Lloyd Cole @ Athénée-Théatre Louis Jouvet, Paris - October 28th, 2025

Lloyd Cole returns to Paris nearly two years after his last visit, in a completely different format: the English songwriter has left behind the backing musicians from his On Pain tour, which included two of his former Commotions bandmates, to perform solo and acoustic. This is Lloyd Cole alone, unadorned, with the songs themselves at the heart of the evening.

The Athénée-Théâtre Louis Jouvet, in its current form, dates from the late nineteenth century. From 1934 until his death in 1951, it was directed by the celebrated actor Louis Jouvet, who guided the venue through the turbulent years of the Second World War. His name now forms part of the theater’s official title, a tribute to his legacy. The setting is exquisite, a jewel box worthy of Cole’s songs, and acoustically it is close to perfect. Visually, there is not a bad seat in the house, and the intimacy it creates between artist and audience feels like a rare privilege.

Cole performed two exquisite sets covering four decades of songwriting, from the classic Commotions albums Rattlesnakes through to his most recent release, On Pain. The focus leaned slightly toward The Negatives and his slightly more hard-edged early solo work. The stripped-down arrangements illuminated his craft as a songwriter and the warmth of his voice, which often contrasts with the dry wit and occasional bitterness of his lyrics. His guitar playing deserves special mention. It has no flash or flourish, yet the precision and subtlety of his accompaniment reveal a quiet virtuosity that is rarely acknowledged.

Balancing the darkness and cynicism of his lyrics was Cole’s humour throughout the night, cheeky, self-aware, and delivered with the same impeccable timing as his guitar work. How many artists from the 1980s English pop-rock wave have aged so gracefully? Lloyd Cole manages it with dignity, wit, and his talent intact, while others have become, well, Morrissey.

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