Until the coronavirus pandemic, France wasn't a very rock n' roll place but something turned after the calamity. Crowds started filling up concert halls: the usual rock fans of course but also a new batch of young people. At the Bataclan, the Parisians really showed up, packing the lower section tightly and behaving in absolutely rabid fashion throughout the 90 minutes that followed. It all started in very psychedelic fashion with "Nessun Dorna" blaring from the speakers while all projectors highlighted what seemed to be a plush tomato (maybe the one where God can be found?) on a guitar amp, a bit of Pythonesque absurdity designed to welcome you into the Crumpet world.
And then, it was glorious pandemonium. From the very first note of "Salsa Verde" until the last shard of feedback faded after last encore "Cornflake", the crowd wreaked havoc in the most beautiful way, dancing, thrashing, crowd surfing and even stage diving. The ocean of bodies would only rest when bandleader and frontman Jack McEwan led the crowd through a chant of "Frère Jacques"... No joke. When McEwan remarked, wild-eyed, that the show was hands down the best one of the tour, you knew it wasn't just a bit of demagogical stage banter. Singling out one moment is impossible, as the whole show consisted of one highlight after another.
But you can talk about songs, albums, scenes, blah blah blah... That is not what this was. This was a room full of people losing control at the exact same time, for an hour and a half, and meaning every second of it. That is the whole point.
Kula Shaker @ Café de la Danse, Paris - February 26th, 2026
