L'Imperatrice @ 9:30 Club [DC] - 4/6/2022
L’Imperatrice at 9:30 Club in DC (Photo ©2022 Mauricio Castro)
In late March 2020, the French nu-disco sextet L’Imperatrice were slated to tour stateside, including stops at Coachella and a sold-out 9:30 Club. Fast forward two years - between their virtual concerts (including one at the historic Grand Palais in Paris), they spent time in the studio to release their next album, Tako Tsubo (taken from ‘takotsubo cardiomyopathy,’ or ‘broken-heart syndrome’) in 2021. 2022 is all about closure for them - they're ready to play tons of sold-out shows across the US (including 9:30 Club), and of course, Coachella.
Hearts of all kinds - broken ones, confused ones, and ones overflowing with joy - are the thematic centerpiece of Tako Tsubo. The band made an accompanying visual statement at 9:30 Club by dressing in all red and wearing light-up LED hearts that synced with their stage lights. Their mid-tempo, sunny disco sound (with special recognition given to David Gaugué’s bass work) combined with Flore Benguigui’s delicate vocals is one that upholds the Daft Punk/Parcels musical lineage. The show was one that left no head un-bopped and no shoulder un-shimmied. “Submarine” and “Vacances” received club-ready disco-fied outros that weren’t present in their album counterparts, complete with faster tempos, four-on-the-floor drums, funk guitar lines, and bass solos. By the end of the show, the crowd roared so loudly in appreciation that Benguigui got a little choked-up on stage as she talked about the crowd’s love for the band, especially after the long wait for their return to the US. Overflowing, joyful hearts indeed.
Tako Tsubo is out now on microqlima.
Opening for L’Imperatrice was Richmond-based artist Kate Bollinger, whose breezy musical stylings and vocals were a great complement to the French band. Her latest release Look at it in the Light will be released on April 22 through Ghostly International.
