Poney Poney’s Paris, the city of lights, romance and revolution, is a hard place to shake.
Ernest Hemmingway, who honed his early prose in the French capital, called it a moveable feast, “wherever you go the rest of your life, it stays with you.” Were he still around today, you might find Papa Hemmy sporting an Ed Banger t-shirt or, better yet, a Daft Punk helmet. Because these days Paris not only fills the memories of Francophiles, but the ears of anyone who has been near a nightclub or read an MP3 blog. Thunderous French synths have engulfed the world’s dancefloors and infested the Hype Machine.
Rock music has always figured in the Parisian strain of electro, whether in SebastiAn’s brutal chords or the chunky metal riffs of Justice. Poney Poney are the flipside of that particular franc, a rock band who parlez electronique dance musique. With the help of some famous friends they’ve captured the propulsive thrill of electro and fed it back into their guitars amps.
“We’re friends with a lot of bands from before they got success so they’re just people we knew from real life. We just happened to have very talented friends.”
“There has been some confusion lately that we are some kind of electro band,” explains frontman, founder and lynchpin Antoine Hilaire. “But in spite of the samples and electronic drums we are a very first degree guitar band. It’s guitar-driven, very plain pop. I once heard a guy who when asked what music he played answered, “blues, no bullshit”. So I say that.” Hilaire started Poney Poney several years ago as a solo project. He began playing alone in clubs with just his guitar and iPod. “I did one show,” he says ruefully, “but I decided it is too hard to play by yourself. Apart from playing upside down or doing some very funny show it is very difficult to be alone on stage. And besides, the iPod got stolen.”
Hilaire’s friend Florent Lyonnet had been engineering the gig and was soon recruited to play bass (“bass with a pick, because I sing he plays a lot of the lead lines.”). Drummer Sam Nicolas would later complete the trio. “It’s been nice writing as a band. I’ve been kind of lazy and I don’t always bring written demos to rehearsal. So it brings the fun back when we’re trying to make music altogether.”
The confusion about the Poney sound probably stems from their association with stadium electro duo Justice. Xavier de Rosnay is an old friend and has produced many of Poney Poney’s singles like this year’s ‘Cross The Fader’ and much of their forthcoming album. “We’ve been friends for a long time,” explains Hilaire. “We made music together back in the days and when I had to produce songs I asked him as I was very bad at the computer. The guy is so talented and lives nearby and he had the time. We dated girls that were friends so that’s how we met.”
Paris, it seems, is a small town and Poney Poney are friends with many other nascent bands. “You get to know the people very easily,” says Hilaire. “We’re friends with a lot of bands from before they got success so they’re just people we knew from real life. We just happened to have very talented friends.” Another Parisian trio to have successfully mixed rock and electro are The Teenagers, and they too are old pals of Poney Poney. “I met Dorian [Dumont] on the Internet,” says Hilaire. “That’s pretty sad, but he was probably the first person toleave comments on our MySpace, back when everybody still did that. It was summertime so wedecided to meet for a drink. I was drinking beer, he was drinking Coca Cola. It was funny.”
Their choice of drink is revealing because, while The Teenagers are not lacking in boyish charm, you sense Poney Poney could drink you under the table. “Dorian and I both decided to go back to big guitars at the same time, but my band just decided that we really liked grunge music and wanted to play big stuff. We tired of trying to play very smart lines. The Teenagers are so much better at that. They are a very smart band.” Grunge is but one touchstone for Poney Poney. “I spent some time making a very cool list of the unknown stuff I know,” jokes Hilaire of the band’s influences.
“I made a big list of the very latest singers that nobody heard already. But I think it’s really only Michael Jackson, The Beatles and Nirvana. And that’s it. I really like Late Of The Pier for instance, but I think I would pick a Pixies album for the desert island.” Despite how well connected they are (and the fact that they all play in several other bands) Poney Poney are keen to play down the Paris music scene. “I think nobody feels like being part of a scene. You just happened to have friends who have success at the same time,” says Hilaire. “It’s the same everywhere and maybe more important for the outsider than the insider. But that’s cool. We enjoy it while it lasts. And in two years even though we will all make very good music people will get bored of Paris and go back to Manchester or wherever.”
However, while Poney Poney proudly wield their guitars, there is one part of the rock world they are yet to embrace. “I hate festivals,” says Hilaire. “I hate playing outdoors. The sun is crap, the wind changes everything and people are just there because they are and most don’t even know the name of the small band on stage. Being in the audience is just awful. Like sit here and be cold. I don’t get Glastonbury and everything. I just can’t imagine being excited even though the bill is amazing every year. I’m more into clubs. I like to feel the sweat of the people who are playing or if we are playing then the sweat of the crowd.”
So let’s be clear, Poney Poney is the nouvelle vague: an evolution in Parisian music, a synthesis of flavours and a feast for the ears. In short, they rock. Just maybe not outdoors.
“I don’t get Glastonbury. I’m more into clubs. I like to feel the sweat of the people who are playing or if we are playing then the sweat of the crowd.”
Words by Scott Wright
The Scene
Antoine Hilaire: “Tahiti Boy and the Palmtree Family is another band I play in. I’ve known Tahiti Boy since college and we decided to form an all-star band. He writes all the music and everything; I just play my parts. We just released a great album. Then of course there are Justice and The Teenagers. I’m also a big fan of Fancy. They’re a very, very good rock band. And our friends also. They’ve just released a great album. And Soda Pop Kid who helped us with our single ‘AM Music’. This guy is very talented his album sounds amazing.”
Paris Nights
AH: “Sam said, “I just stay at home. I don’t drink, I don’t eat and I don’t party.” Florent and I would go to the Zéro Zéro Bar, a very cool one for the youngest people or whatever, but very nice. I would say Le Tambour to eat. Just French food. Paris is not the best place for exotic food at all. You just have to rely on the filet mignon and everything. Basic French food is the best to me. Flechedor is a good place to see live music. They book good artists. There is a new club now called Social Club; they had the best first two months of parties ever. I would say Point Ephemère is a very good place as well. That’s the best place to play in Paris for me.”
Cigarettes & Demi
AH: “Now that you can’t smoke anymore it’s just useless to go out. But there are some places that you can smoke and not catch a cold. Flechdor, again, is nice and more importantly free. Le Baron is quite alright if you are rich and want to give away your salary for 12 euro vodkas. We try to meet people we know there most of the time. Usually we would just have a few beers at Soleil De La Butte. It’s a very old fashioned bar near Barbes, the African neighbourhood in north Paris where I live. It’s just a nice old time place to have a few demi. Demi because you know here we drink half pints. But that’s just so you can buy more.”
Clash’s A to Z of Paris
Barbès
An African neighbourhood in North Paris. Home to Poney Poney and Justice.
Demi
How beer is commonly sold in Paris. A half pint measure.
Fancy
Awesome French rock band who have toured with Justice.
Filet mignon
The “dainty fillet”. France’s famous cut of tenderloin beef steak.
Flechedor
Bar, club, venue. One of Paris’s best nights out.
Justice
Electro superstars. Xavier de Rosnay produced the Poney Poney album.
Le Baron
Swanky Parisian nightspot. Point Ephemère Classy venue and Poney Poney’s favourite place to play in Paris.
Scenario Rock
“The original rowdy crooner” and star of Justice’s DVNO.
Sebastian
France’s reining electro king.
Social Club
Great new Paris nightclub. Soda Pop Kid French pop supremo and producer of Poney Poney’s AM Music.
Soleil De La Butte
Poney Poney’s favourite local bar on rue Muller.
Tahiti Boy and the Palmtree Family
Cheerful Paris superband that features Poney Poney’s Antoine.
The Teenagers
French electro rock trio and old friends of Poney Poney.
Zéro Zéro Bar
Paris’s coolest bar on rue Amelot.
