Advocates of primary colours...
Advocates of primary colours and pals of Agnes B, Clash caught up with The Penelopes to discuss moving to the UK, Dan Gretch-Marguerat and making new music.
Our meeting comes at the tail end of Paris Fashion Week, earlier in the day Vincent and Axel have played fashionista, watching Jean Charles de Castelbajac present his A/W 12/13 collection ("it was in a church so it was a bit mystical, a lot of black, less poppy, less colourful, less crazy") and later they will perform to a crowd of Parisian scenester's at the show's after party. But for now we have Axel all to ourselves, save for his constant phone checking (Vincent has gone ahead to the venue and things appear less than smooth).
For those unaware, Axel Basquiat and Vincent T. are vocalist/guitarist and keyboardist in The Penelopes, respectively. Soon to release their second album, 'Never Live Another Yesterday' the band left their native Paris in 2011 to set up home in East London, a setting they feel is more suited to their brand of poppy dance rock music (if you will). "I have known Vincent since we were kids," tells Axel, "since err, we were born together." His sentences come littered with 'errs', but the effect is far more charming than your average lead singer's chitchat. "I have known him ever since we were babies in the north of Paris. We grew up together in the suburbs. We were at school together, and when we… It's a long story, but we started to create the band about 3 or 4 years ago." The name they thought up as a joke, the idea that people would come to their shows expecting to see some ladies, and instead find these two guys. "It's really silly. It's just a joke and we like this name because it's not that common-Penelope. There's no story behind it, I was not in love with Penelope, as some have asked. But we kind of like the idea of androgyny for the band," says Axel.
A Bethnal Green resident of all of nine months, he's positive in his perception of the capital deciding, "London is more interesting and people are less crazy and more polite (than Paris). You know you have a kind of craziness in the city but here in France it's more aggressive, like today, everything is really painful. There are a lot of difficulties in the UK because people are sarcastic, you are arrogant, but in France people are arrogant for no reason and it's really hardcore. I think in London people are in a sense more gentlemanly, classy." Further comparing the two cities he notes, "in Paris the centre is really rich, and all the poor people are really far out, whereas in London everything is more mixed. And it's something that is really important for me; I kind of like the fact that you can have this cool area with council estates, I mean it's more fair for the people and I really really appreciate this."
'Never Live Another Yesterday' is the band's second album but feels more like a first, being far removed from their previous, more dance focused sound and with a new label in the form of Absolute. The LP features last year's 'Now Now Now' and forthcoming single, 'Sally in The Galaxy', the former featuring guest vocals from Brit gal Laura Kidd, formerly part of I Blame Coco's get up. Production for the new album comes from Dan Gretch-Marguerat, the man responsible for The Vaccines recent efforts. Of their primary meeting Axel remembers, "I was completely disorientated-like today-very very tired. And we literally arrived from Paris when we came to the meeting to see Dan and asked him, 'so what's your background' and we get a reply, 'Scissor Sisters, I just did The Vaccines…' The meeting went well and we started to work with this guy. He's really super sweet, super nice, super passionate. Composition wise (the new album) is more direct, the editing is better. The structure of the tracks are better, it's more precise as well and it's a proper production because before we did everything in our room."
Sometime in the early years the band struck up a friendship with designer Agnes B, and they've gone on to play live at her shows in both France and Italy. "We were playing in a tiny club, it was one of our first gigs in Paris, we were unknown with no name. It was completely random, and she was there with the team and she said I like these boys." The feeling's mutual, as Axel enthuses, "honestly, I love this woman, she's great because she really helps the artist. She is the kind of person, you can find her in a huge house but you can also find her in a bar, just trying to check something. She's incredible and almost never sleeps," he lets on.
Hours later we find ourselves at Au Regine, a delicious Parisian nightclub with the finest William Morris esc wallpaper in the ladies lavs and mirrored ceiling glistening across the dance floor. Which is packed. Fashionistas, music fans and club goers, plus street style supremo Yvan Rodic (aka Mr. Facehunter) have all turned out for tonight's show. Before starting on their seven song set Vincent pops over for a quick hello-dressed in a fine check jacket and red trousers to match Axel's red puffer-then it's onto the stage and into 'Life Without Frontiers'. The set makes the people dance, and the boys obviously enjoy themselves too, feeling all too at home on stage, instruments in hand. With 'Summer Life' jumping incurs and the few corners of the room that were before empty have now been filled. The band close with 'Now Now Now'-Laura's in tow to lend her oral delights-and a round of applause ripples when the designer himself, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac takes to the stage to congratulate the guys and thank everyone for their presence. As we make our way to the exit we overhear a fan talking to Axel, "Magnifique magnifique!" And it was.
- - -
"Sally In The Galaxy" is out on Monday (April 23rd). The band play the following dates next month, 6th May - The Old Queens Head (London) 22nd May - Bedroom Bar (London)
Words by Zoe Whitfield
Image from www.thepenelopes.com
Our meeting comes at the tail end of Paris Fashion Week, earlier in the day Vincent and Axel have played fashionista, watching Jean Charles de Castelbajac present his A/W 12/13 collection ("it was in a church so it was a bit mystical, a lot of black, less poppy, less colourful, less crazy") and later they will perform to a crowd of Parisian scenester's at the show's after party. But for now we have Axel all to ourselves, save for his constant phone checking (Vincent has gone ahead to the venue and things appear less than smooth).
For those unaware, Axel Basquiat and Vincent T. are vocalist/guitarist and keyboardist in The Penelopes, respectively. Soon to release their second album, 'Never Live Another Yesterday' the band left their native Paris in 2011 to set up home in East London, a setting they feel is more suited to their brand of poppy dance rock music (if you will). "I have known Vincent since we were kids," tells Axel, "since err, we were born together." His sentences come littered with 'errs', but the effect is far more charming than your average lead singer's chitchat. "I have known him ever since we were babies in the north of Paris. We grew up together in the suburbs. We were at school together, and when we… It's a long story, but we started to create the band about 3 or 4 years ago." The name they thought up as a joke, the idea that people would come to their shows expecting to see some ladies, and instead find these two guys. "It's really silly. It's just a joke and we like this name because it's not that common-Penelope. There's no story behind it, I was not in love with Penelope, as some have asked. But we kind of like the idea of androgyny for the band," says Axel.
A Bethnal Green resident of all of nine months, he's positive in his perception of the capital deciding, "London is more interesting and people are less crazy and more polite (than Paris). You know you have a kind of craziness in the city but here in France it's more aggressive, like today, everything is really painful. There are a lot of difficulties in the UK because people are sarcastic, you are arrogant, but in France people are arrogant for no reason and it's really hardcore. I think in London people are in a sense more gentlemanly, classy." Further comparing the two cities he notes, "in Paris the centre is really rich, and all the poor people are really far out, whereas in London everything is more mixed. And it's something that is really important for me; I kind of like the fact that you can have this cool area with council estates, I mean it's more fair for the people and I really really appreciate this."
'Never Live Another Yesterday' is the band's second album but feels more like a first, being far removed from their previous, more dance focused sound and with a new label in the form of Absolute. The LP features last year's 'Now Now Now' and forthcoming single, 'Sally in The Galaxy', the former featuring guest vocals from Brit gal Laura Kidd, formerly part of I Blame Coco's get up. Production for the new album comes from Dan Gretch-Marguerat, the man responsible for The Vaccines recent efforts. Of their primary meeting Axel remembers, "I was completely disorientated-like today-very very tired. And we literally arrived from Paris when we came to the meeting to see Dan and asked him, 'so what's your background' and we get a reply, 'Scissor Sisters, I just did The Vaccines…' The meeting went well and we started to work with this guy. He's really super sweet, super nice, super passionate. Composition wise (the new album) is more direct, the editing is better. The structure of the tracks are better, it's more precise as well and it's a proper production because before we did everything in our room."
Sometime in the early years the band struck up a friendship with designer Agnes B, and they've gone on to play live at her shows in both France and Italy. "We were playing in a tiny club, it was one of our first gigs in Paris, we were unknown with no name. It was completely random, and she was there with the team and she said I like these boys." The feeling's mutual, as Axel enthuses, "honestly, I love this woman, she's great because she really helps the artist. She is the kind of person, you can find her in a huge house but you can also find her in a bar, just trying to check something. She's incredible and almost never sleeps," he lets on.
Hours later we find ourselves at Au Regine, a delicious Parisian nightclub with the finest William Morris esc wallpaper in the ladies lavs and mirrored ceiling glistening across the dance floor. Which is packed. Fashionistas, music fans and club goers, plus street style supremo Yvan Rodic (aka Mr. Facehunter) have all turned out for tonight's show. Before starting on their seven song set Vincent pops over for a quick hello-dressed in a fine check jacket and red trousers to match Axel's red puffer-then it's onto the stage and into 'Life Without Frontiers'. The set makes the people dance, and the boys obviously enjoy themselves too, feeling all too at home on stage, instruments in hand. With 'Summer Life' jumping incurs and the few corners of the room that were before empty have now been filled. The band close with 'Now Now Now'-Laura's in tow to lend her oral delights-and a round of applause ripples when the designer himself, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac takes to the stage to congratulate the guys and thank everyone for their presence. As we make our way to the exit we overhear a fan talking to Axel, "Magnifique magnifique!" And it was.
- - -
"Sally In The Galaxy" is out on Monday (April 23rd). The band play the following dates next month, 6th May - The Old Queens Head (London) 22nd May - Bedroom Bar (London)
Words by Zoe Whitfield
Image from www.thepenelopes.com
