Autre Ne Veut

Dressed in a white t-shirt, white trousers and a rolled up black beanie, Autre Ne Veut cuts a striking figure in the low, blue lighting of Death In Audio, the venue for our off-CMJ party with Software and NNA Tapes. He stands there for a moment then bends down to an iPod on stage, presses play and proceeds to get loose in the most physical of ways on stage. As the chimes of Drama Cum Drama rain down around him, he runs and jumps, drops to the floor and writhes into strange contortions as he sings from the depths of his gut. It’s thrilling to watch – and dance like wild to, too. There’s something primal, instinctive, about seeing Autre Ne Veut get so free that sparks a mirrored, albeit watered down, reaction in the crowd. It gets too loud, or possibly two much, for a couple of people who filter out but that just leaves more room for those of us that are freaking out. A woman, who I later find out is singer She Woolf, joins him for a couple of tracks and the two stalk each other on stage, pouncing and retreating, caught in some kind of exotic courtship; the most visceral of duets. It’s an utterly raw performance but full of electricity, full of heart.