The new alliance

Published on Friday 7 March 2008 20:13

A cultural swap offers la crème de la crème, says DAVID SMYTH

THE days when France's reputation as a musical nation rested on Johnny Hallyday and Joe Le Taxi seem long ago. World-class acts such as Daft Punk, Phoenix, Air and Justice are well established, and a new wave of groups such as Nelson, Brooklyn and Second Sex could even see Paris pipping New York and London for the title of capital of cool.

So they have the bands, but how does the Parisian live scene match up to ours? A new series of events offers the perfect way to find out. Stage of the Art is taking British acts to Paris and French acts across the Channel to London.

These French-exchange swaps started last month with a set by Sbastien Tellier at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts. Tellier is a bearded smoothie, a man so French he could have been sketched by one of Montmartre's caricaturists. His new album is called Sexuality and his slow electropop and breathy vocals call to mind Jean-Michel Jarre atop a heart-shaped bed. His stagecraft extends to standing in a white suit and shades while white lights pass rapidly over his body, but the enthusiastic crowd finds him a hoot.

Tellier, whose album was produced by a member of Daft Punk, speaks highly of the Paris scene. "It's a small town and even if the big music names are rare, they can easily run into each other there," he tells me. "There are a lot of collaborations going on, everyone is generally really respectful of each other's work, and everybody pushes each other to be the best they can."

However, he reveals that he prefers audiences in Britain – and I can only agree with him when I catch Dirty Pretty Things in Paris the next day. They're at the Palais de Tokyo, an impressive building built in 1937 for the Exposition Internationale, all grand columns and sculpture with the Eiffel Tower looming just across the Seine.

Inside, there's a trendy bookshop, contemporary art on the walls and attendees sporting ironic glasses and complicated trousers. I enjoy wandering through the galleries between bands, but during the concert, despite the rowdiest efforts of Carl Barat's group, the audience offers little more than polite applause.

"Crowds in Paris can be a bit snobby and quiet," admits Laurence Alvart, the director of Stage of the Art. Even if she can't guarantee the best atmosphere in Paris, she hopes to offer something more at future events in April, June and July.

Nothing is confirmed, but she talks of French-Tunisian fashion designer Hedi Slimane and Jarvis Cocker (who lives in Paris these days) having "carte blanche" to curate their own nights, and of collaborative work between Paris-based North Americans Gonzales and Coco Rosie. The Kills and SoKo (the French Kate Nash) are also pencilled in.

If you can't wait until April, fly over anyway and check out the other venues. The music's great – they just need a few Brits to liven things up.