Live music listings: November 2006

Doors 7.30
£8 via WeGotTickets

If you haven’t heard, Monade is the nom de plume of Laetitia Sadier when she isn’t fronting Stereolab. Originally starting out as her bedroom-recording project, Monade is now a far bigger beast and a four-piece band that consists of Laetitia (vocals / Moog / tambourine / trombone), Marie Merlet (bass / vocals), Nicolas Etienne (keys) and Xavier Chabellard (drums).
Despite being their first release for Too Pure, 'A Few Steps More' is actually Monade’s second album but their first to be recorded and mixed in a proper studio (Stereolab’s studio, Instant Zero situated in Bordeaux, in fact). Their debut record, 'Socialisme Ou Barbarie', came out in April 2003 and was billed as ‘The Bedroom Recordings’; piecing together all her early solo work, reflecting the D.I.Y. nature of said material.
Although displaying an affinity with her work in Stereolab, Laetitia’s Monade is a different proposition. Distinct by its more considered approach and spare arrangements, 'A Few Steps More' is deceptively adventurous, greatly benefiting from the development of Monade in to a fully-fledged band. Laetitia’s trademark vocal stylings are lent a more emotive edge amidst minimal percussion and the understated playing of the band, augmented by warm analogues and Laetitia’s own trombone playing.

Fugu a.k.a Mehdi Zannad is a one-man-band from France. The idea of Fugu germinated while he was studying architecture in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in 1993, as his first demo lead him to record a 7" on Liverpool label Sugarfrost.
A couple of years later, with encouragements from both High Llamas' Sean O'Hagan and Stereolab, Mehdi recorded his first E.P and a handful of 7" singles, among them: a split single with Stereolab, another one with St Etienne and a favourite, "F31-she's coming over" on Elefant Records.
Fugu's first album, 'Fugu 1' was conceived as an idiosyncratic baroque sequel to 'Sgt. Pepper' meeting 'Smile' and meant to be made in perfect '60s facsimile. It gained critical success, got released in US by Minty Fresh and in France on Yann-"Amelie's" fame-Tiersen label Ici d'Ailleurs. For Us Records, the in-house label of the Rough Trade Shop released it on vinyl in the UK and it became album of the week on Xfm. Fugu then opened for Stereolab on a coast-to-coast US tour which started at SF's Fillmore East and ended at the Irving Plaza in NY.
Straightforwardness was the idea for "as found" which has just been released in France and Japan. These are pop songs in the true sense and most classical "canon", tackling US '70s early powerpop, post-'60s Beach Boys and McCartney in his first solo album impersonation. the LP was recorded in Rouen with Tahiti 80 co-producing, playing, overdubbing, drinking beers, eating de-frozen food and also with Simon Johns from Stereolab on bass, and an appendix lost on the way. 'Here Today' is the right introduction and it's for you folks. So be glad and sing "I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love", because it's here to stay.

“Alluringly odd” (Mojo)
"'Fugu 1’ demonstrates that true beauty can be crafted from a skilled (albeit derivative) use of sources, whether they be from the 1960s or the 1760s.” [Time Out NY]
“Fugu’s late '60s concept rock tableau is exceptional in its melodic prosperity and caluculated grandeur. An epic first work." (Uncut)

Ueh, this iconoclastic group from Toulouse has one foot loosely planted with the post-rockers (God Speed You Black Emperor and Tortoise but thats it, only them) and the other in the improvised-experimental camp. Ueh has joyously meandered in Europe and the States via the hand-luggage of those spearheads of Japanese psychedelics, Acid Mothers Temple. Ueh has signed two albums to date with this label: the eponymous "Ueh" (double album, “M” for music and “I” for improvisations) in 2002 and "Pataphysical Overdrive To My Cosmos" (a split album with Makoto Kawabata appeared in 2004). A collage of live recordings is awaiting release for winter 2006 on AMT.
From the alliance of their two influences rock and improvisation Ueh have integrated into their compositions ideal structures as well as some big losses of control. These currents merging make for some interesting on-stage viewing.