Concert review: Julian Perretta Live In Paris

Remember, I met and interviewed Julian Perretta not so long ago, and I really enjoyed myself. He had just moved to Paris to get ready for the release of his first single Wonder Why. No surprise he decided to give his Parisian audience a live taste of his upcoming album Stitch Me Up, due out in September. Of course I could not miss that first show in his adopted city.

Paris was literally burning that day, with temperatures as high as 35° celcius. Not exactly the best weather to go to a packed venue with no air-con (yeah, us French people apparently think it's useless in concert venues). 

And, quite frankly, Julian's set didn't make things any better heat-wise. Kicking things off with two absolute bangers (King for A Day and Stitch Me Up), he got a boiling response from the crowd. King For A Day really sounded like an immediate hit to me, and I can't wait to get the studio version. Then he performed his great version of Phoenix's If I Ever Feel Better. Julian's take on the song sticks close to the original but doesn't make it any less enjoyable. Like I Do and Urgently Needed, which have both been floating around the internet for months revealed an exciting live potential as did 1986, a new one at least for me. Then came one of the best moments of the night: a cover of the Rolling Stones' Miss You. You'd think Julian is a bit cocky to dare cover the Stones, but it's safe to say he gave them a lesson. His cover was insanely sexy, punchy as well as respectful of the original. Dear Julian, please release this in a way or another. Thank you. After Ride My Star (still one of my favourites), the band and Julian went off stage for a fake encore. Yeah after only 8 songs. That wasn't really necessary. Oh well, the acoustic rendition of The Killers' Human didn't surpass the original but made for a nice down-tempo moment. Of course the set ended with Wonder Why, thank you Paris, good night. 

Well done Mr. Perretta. Just one thing: if your album is going to have so many good songs, why not play more of them? Ten songs including 3 covers: it's a bit short and leaves the audience wanting more, especially when they paid 25€ (which I didn't, I admit). Other than that, mark my words once again: this guy is set for big things.

Wonder Why

(A big, personal thank you to the amazing Stars for the tickets!)