I’ve seen French Police a few times this year and last night’s show at The Novo was the best of them. The energy was really high, both from the band and the crowd. I watched the show from stage left, where you’re looking at a diagonal past the band and into the crowd. L.A. has a rep for not dancing at shows, but, here, seemingly everyone was bouncing around, even in the balcony seats, maybe especially in the balcony seats.
Riki does a terrific cover of “Porque Te Vas,” the Jeanette song, that’s on her second album, Gold and I was so excited to hear her play it live in the opening set that I can’t remember what else was in the set. Again, I watched from stage left and noticed how the crowd was vibing.
This isn’t a show review, btw, because I think it’s weird to review shows in which one is a participant and I was on DJ duty for Klub Nocturno’s support sets. I played the tunes for the first hour and then for the half-hour between Riki and French Police. So, all this is to say that it was a fantastic night. The set list is below.
Set One:
Ultravox – Dancing with Tears in My Eyes
Spandau Ballet- To Cut a Long Story Short
Siouxsie and the Banshees – Christine
Alaska y los Pegamoides – Alta Tension
Lebanon Hanover – Sadness is Rebellion
Actors – Cold Eyes
Cold Cave – Villains on the Moon
OMD – Electricity
Martin Dupont – Inside Out
Climas Interiores – Tu Nombre
Molchat Doma – Toska
Joy Division – Digital
The Cure – Primary
Virus – Juegos Incompletos
Paralisis Permanente – Heroes
Depression Post Mortem – Yo Voy
Berlin – The Metro
Depeche Mode – Photographic
Soft Cell – Sex Dwarf
Bloc Party – Banquet
She Wants Revenge – Tear You Apart
B-Movie – Nowhere Girl
Siouxsie and the Banshees – Spellbound
Set Two:
Ultra Sunn – Wrong Floor
Boy Harsher – Give Me a Reason
Pixel Grip – Reason to Stay
Pastel Ghost – Dark Beach
New Order – Blue Monday
Sextile – Rearrange
Alice Glass – Catch and Release
Soft Cell – Tainted Love
Human League – Sound of the Crowd
Liz O. is an L.A.-based writer and DJ. Read her recently published work and check out her upcoming gigs or listen to the latest Beatique Mix. Follow on Instagram or Bluesky for more updates.
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