Nouvelle Vague Returns to Rio: Daily

By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – French musicial collective Nouvelle Vague returns to Rio tonight for an accoustic show at Imperator – Centro Cultural João Nogueira in the city’s Zona Norte (North Zone) neighorhood of Méier. While tonight’s show will mark the bossa nova-inspired group’s first show at Imperator, they are no strangers to Rio.

This show will be the ensemble’s fifth performance in the city that previously hosted them at Lapa’s Circo Voador venue, where they played last year.

Formed in 2003 by musicians Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux, Nouvelle Vague features a revolving group of female vocalists. Meaning “New Wave” in French, the name of the group pays homage to both French New Wave cinema, popular in the 1960s and the New Wave musical genre, popularized in the late 1970s to mid-1980s.

More than a cover band, the group first became known for their reworking of songs from the new wave, punk, post-punk and pop genres into bossa nova-style covers. Over their ten-year career, Nouvella Vague has also incorporated reggae, country and bluegrass influences.

With four albums and several compilations released, their catalog of reinterpreted songs includes everything from The Cure‘s “A Forest” to Joy Division’s “Love will Tear Us Apart,” Bauhaus’ “Bela Lugosi’s Dead,” to The Sex Pistols’ “God Save the Queen”.

The group has been praised by its ability to mix different genres into one harmonious sound. One BBC reviewer has said that “on paper, Nouvelle Vague shouldn’t work. In practice it’s a sublimely inventive concoction of clashing but surprisingly complementary moods and styles.”

Tonight’s acoustic show at Imperator‘s theater promises to be a more intimate experience for dedicated fans and a good introduction for newcomers.

What: Nouvelle Vague
Where: Imperator – Centro Cultural João Nogueira, Rua Dias da Cruz 170, Méier, RJ
When: September 5th, 9PM
Price: R$50 to R$100, tickets available through Ingresso.com

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