The Take Away Show - Fleet Foxes
by Vincent Moon
Look At Me / 1 comments / 4 ratings / 184 views /
Film Details
Intention
La Blogotheque presents a series of artists during what they do best, through the streets, and through the cities...
In this episode - Fleet Foxes at the abandoned Grand Palais in Paris. There were empty spaces, as if abandoned at short notice, unreasonably high ceilings. The perfect place for Fleet Foxes pastoral harmonies...
It was the first day of June. The night before, we had thrown our second Take Away Party. The Fleet Foxes arrived from Great Britain with their van, played 'White Winter Hymnal' in the pit, gave a great show, and left right after. We went to bed at 3am after a crazy night. The following day was all about laziness, spent in a place too big for us, with a band who seemed at once exhausted, excited, and intimidated.
It took some time to settle in, as if the rotunda scared us all. During idle times, Robin would stand looking up, staring, as if praying. Moon was rushing about, and the band's members tried to set up, following his directions. Tension was tangible, and it took a couple of bad takes before 'Blue Ridge Mountain' started well. Music finally took over.
When the voices rang out, I felt happy - they couldn't have possibly sounded better than they did in this ancient echo. It was a great start. But the real shock came right after the line "I love you, I love you, Oh brother of mine". Suddenly, we were all struck with the feeling that they were not five, but a dozen people playing for us. Every instrument had multiplied into three, and Robin's voice was no longer intimidated by the space surrounding him.
Then they played another two songs, but something was wrong: it was as if the place suffocated us, as if we couldn't find the right formula. The band seemed to become a bit suspicious, tense. So we left, bathed in sunlight and surrounded by tourists. We crossed the Pont Alexandre III and sat on the grass on the Invalides esplanade. There, they sang 'Sun Giant' among the Sunday joggers. I recognized the band I had met a few months before.
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User Review
Beautifully shot.
Gorgeous songs. Perhaps a
little more explanation
at the head of the film
describing the series
otherwise this piece
appears more like a film
clip for a band than
documentary.