Monsieur Camembert (gig)

Monsieur Camembert: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen
The Vanguard, Newtown (13th April, 2007)

Since Cohen himself does not tour and, to my knowledge, has never been to Australia since I've been a fan (one website says his last tour here was 1985 - when I was 4 years old - so there you go) my latest occupation with him has led me to attend any tribute concert that pops up in my vicinity. This was the case with the Came So Far for Beauty concert at the Sydney Opera House in 2005 (subject of the doco I'm Your Man) and the more recent Monsieur Camembert gigs at The Vanguard, which were to be recorded for a live album.

I've long wanted to see Monsieur Camembert because they seem like the kind of band I'd enjoy so this was the perfect opportunity to combine my Cohen fetish with a novel MC experience. MC began with a cheeky 'I'm Your Man' then twisted the atmosphere completely with a rather forlorn version of 'The Gypsy's Wife'. The songs often followed a narrated Cohen anecdote, such as the time Janis Joplin mistook him for Kris Kristofferson preceding 'Chelsea Hotel #2'. Another bonus was the high calibre guests; Carla Werner, Abby Dobson (who I already love), Ngaiire and Elana Stone, all known for the character in their voices.

For the main part, MC played Cohen in a French jazz style, for which they are renown. This included the cabaret stylings of 'The Future', the accordion-heavy 'Take this Waltz' and the jangly, fast and furious 'Jazz Police' that expertly segued into a slow tango. Of the guests, Werner and Dobson were the standouts; Werner's plaintive voice suited the material well, while Dobson's fragile interpretation of 'Famous Blue Raincoat' portrayed the poetry of the song in a late night blues setting that aptly brought the song to its knees. The ensemble sang 'Memories' in a do-wop style, which worked really well, and Dobson's vocals on 'Hallelujiah', breaking emotion against the spare strings, sounded a lot like Rufus Wainwright's very fine version from Came So Far For Beauty.

Unfortunately there were very specific things that I didn't enjoy from the night, namely the restrained performance of MC, a restraint absent in their guests. For the most part MC seemed as if they were engaging with the CD-to-be audience rather than the live audience, which meant that there was a bit of stiltedness about their playing (I won't judge them for this - I'm still willing to see a show containing their original songs).

Another detraction was the guest vocalist Ngaiire who had a beautiful, strong and powerful voice - totally unsuitable for a Leonard Cohen tribute. She didn't do too badly with the slow folk jazz version of 'Bird on a Wire' but I often found her interpretations excessive rather than poignant.

Similarly, Elana Stone's renditions were mixed. The piano caberet slant on 'Suzanne' was a questionable interpretation but the big band sound on 'Who By Fire' worked to emphasise the oomph in the song.

All up, however, I enjoyed the mixture of late night moods and French street versions of Cohen's poetic songs and the sensual 'Dance Me to the End of Love' meant that the gig ended on the right note.

**** - Monsieur Camembert had their heart in the right place for this and their guests added the right flavour.

Set list:
I'm Your Man
The Gypsy's Wife
Field Commander Cohen
Chelsea Hotel #2
First We Take Manhattan
[not sure the name of the song here]
A Singer Must Die
Famous Blue Raincoat
Light as the Breeze
The Future
~ interval ~
Take this Waltz
Seems So Long Ago, Nancy
Jazz Police
Suzanne
Who by Fire
Bird on a Wire
Memories
Hallelujiah
Everybody Knows
Closing Time
Dance Me to the End of Love