LIVE REVIEW: NOUVELLE VAGUE @ THE TIVOLI BRISBANE 01/10/26

Words by Cecilia Pattison-Levi

French musical collective Nouvelle Vague (New Wave) brought their genre busting jazz, with soft accordion, torch chanteuses’ singers and bossa nova soundscapes paired with songs from the 1980s New Wave scene. The Tivoli was transformed into that chic French coffeehouse, where the dark red lighting and the house band had that unmistakably suave style and effortless elegance.

Kicking off the night with sophistication and some very good original songs was, Nouvelle Vague’s former singer Nadéah Miranda. She took to the stage solo with her electric guitar and delivered her newly released “brand-new” rock ballad ‘Charlie Pine’, a song about integrity and understanding that the “truth is all we need.” It was followed by rock song ‘Meta-Man’ about an eshay at Brighton Beach in Melbourne with a crack pipe and a gun.

Nadéah is an Australian singer-songwriter with a keen eye for detail and dry humour as she told the crowd, “Well, we are here together, and it’s like a one-night stand and we are progressing fast.” She joked about condensing her long career in music to just over a 30-minute set. For the next two songs the music moved genres into synth electro-pop with ‘Stuck On A Rhythm’ and the fabulously funny and insightful ‘Inbox’.

There were songs about “poor choices” and jazz-pop with a very “now” 1930s style that showed off her vocal range. Nadéah closed out her really quirky set with a cover of Hunter and Collectors ‘Throw Your Arms Around Me’ with audience singalong.

There was a short break. The fog was wafting over the stage and it darkened to introduce the main band, and low spotlights appeared in the blackness as the band got into position, obscured by the ambient haze.

Then, the soft, familiar electronic bleep of Visage’s ‘Fade To Grey’ began with the two chanteuses (Mélanie Pain and Phoebe Killdeer) walking onto the stage slowly in 1980s new wave fashion, dressed in the black and white, sunglasses at night, aesthetic. This dark mood lighting created a ‘boîte de nuit’ vibe that fit perfectly with the sound and performance of the evening.

Nouvelle Vague are a cover band. But they are unlike any cover band you may have seen. The songs have been curated and transformed into chansons through various genres of musical experimentation, from jazz to electro-pop. The band has breathed new life into beloved songs by New Order, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Tears For Fears, Echo & The Bunnymen, Yazoo and more, transforming them into hypnotic and intoxicating sonic soundscapes.

As ‘Fade To Grey’ ended, the songs ‘Enjoy The Silence’, ‘Never Let Me Down’, and ‘Shake The Disease’ followed. Then, the audience really got into and loved the interesting renditions of New Order’s ‘Blue Monday’, Billy Idol’s ‘Dancing With Myself’ and the Buzzcocks’ ‘Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've?). There was an intrigue in trying to figure out which song was being covered, especially when ‘Human Fly’, ‘Behind The Wheel’ and ‘Halo’ hit.

The band (Marc Collin, David Venitucci, Julien Boyé and Jérôme Pichon) kept the music moving and the vocalists kept the audience captivated until Mélanie Pain stopped. She addressed the audience in French and explained the next song, ‘Amoureux Solitaires,’ before the love ballad was delivered. Then, Nouvelle Vague flipped the switch and performed a joyful rendition of Depeche Mode’s ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’.

Throughout the set, the audience was treated to classic after classic: Alphaville’s ‘Dance With Me’, The Cure’s ‘A Forest’, and the Mission Impossible style version of The Clash’s ‘Guns Of Brixton’ that was sung by Nadéah Miranda as she joined the band on stage.

The last two songs of the regulation set were covers of Depeche Mode’s two most important songs from the early 1980s: ‘Master And Servant’ and ‘Personal Jesus’. These were performed with real style and passion. Nouvelle Vague had the look, talent, and delivered an excellent performance. The audience loved it.

The call for an encore was loud, and Nouvelle Vague returned to the stage and told the crowd: “The encore may be longer, it depends how you behave.” The band launched into Yazoo’s ‘Don’t Go’, a big singalong and ‘clapalong’ of Tears For Fears ‘Shout’, and then the evening ended with an intimate performance of ‘In A Manner Of Speaking’.

I have to say that this was a real change in style of concert for me. It was slightly strange as the audience (not crowd) were polite and a real mix of ages. I felt like it was a ‘cruisey’ set: relaxed and slightly sassy, and there should have been drinks with umbrellas in them.

Nouvelle Vague’s live show was fun and “sympa”.