Indochine at the Roundhouse, London.

By Olivia Kendall and Alfie Allum-Hill.

In France and other French-speaking countries, Indochine is a household name – playing music to millions of fans since the 80s. They are well-loved and respected by all different generations, old and young. The fans in the crowd I witnessed at Indochine’s concert in Roundhouse, London, were highly enthusiastic and ready to have a grand time with fabulously energetic and catchy music. This was the first time Indochine have played in London in a decade, and they chose the ideal venue to return to. People were queuing outside for hours before the doors opened, showing the intensity of the fans’ devotion and proving how keen they were to see the five-piece pop rock/new wave band outside of France for this one-time London show.

Photos by Alfie Allum-Hill.

Immediately after entering the main auditorium, the energy within the building was radiating an electric energy – the crowd cheered, clapped and chanted long before the band appeared on stage. The lights steadily began to faint as a thumping beat full of deep bass began to stir the audience, echoing and thrumming throughout the whole room. It took a couple of minutes of pure thrill-inducing introduction music before frontman Nicola Sirkis appeared on stage with the rest of the band, immediately kicking off the concert with 2020 single ‘Nos célébrations’. The fans were abuzz with passionate energy, waving their arms in time and singing the lyrics simultaneously, with many of those in the seated circle area also dancing while relishing a perfect observation point to see the band play. The other songs on the setlist were well received, and Nicola demonstrated masterful crowd control – later on, he managed to have every single member of the audience doing the same dance, waving their hands in front of them and then up in the air, similar to a Mexican wave.

As the gig continued, I noticed the fascinating lighting that was cast upon the front of the crowd – blue, white and red in the shape of the French flag. I thought this was a magnificent and unique touch that I haven’t seen at a gig before and presented just how creative a band can be in tandem with their lighting team. The shape of the venue also favoured brilliant lighting design, with a captivating ring of light that could be viewed from above, vividly surrounding the pillars of the auditorium among the sea of people.

Photos by Alfie Allum-Hill.

Indochine puts a lot of thought in how they present their art – even as a first-time audience member you can see and appreciate the skill of masters at work. It is clear from the precise instrumentals to the captivating lighting, the smoothness during the running of the set, and even down to the joy radiating from each fan’s face – if you’re going to Indochine gigs, you’re spending your time the right way.