Chris MartinsOn a Sunday bookended by ear-splitting distortion (No Age and Fucked Up at one end, My Bloody Valentine at the other), Sébastien Tellier was an oasis of funk and sex. After some minor technical difficulties sorted out by his band, the bearded Frenchman arrived wearing shades, a loose tunic and a panama hat, holding an angular guitar and acknowledging the audience with but a mere nod and wave.
Sebastian Tellier: A Daft Punk cohort and proud bi-sexual.; Credit: Timothy Norris
The crowd, of course, returned his nonchalance with pining screams, and Tellier gave back a glowing set comprising extended rock-ier versions of songs from Sexuality. He dodged the problem that so many predominantly electronic artists run into live by stretching his compositions across a pair of dueling synths, drums and his own impressive shredding. Guitar grind and those impossibly smooth vocals gave way to Pink Floyd ambience and sampled handclaps, which neatly segued into the playful doo-wop of “Divine,” a song which includes lyrics about finding “the Milky Way.” Cue the screams again, and then mild discomfort when Tellier declares the next song to be “about my bisexuality.”
So maybe a few of the Yanks and Canucks in the crowd weren't quite ready for something as Parisian as Sébastien, but the Daft Punk associate did what he probably imagines himself doing best — he left most of us wanting more, more, more.
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.