The ‘guardian’ of Indochine’s soul
Nicola Sirkis is content with his French rock band’s place on the new wave map
“I think rock in Montreal has evolved brilliantly. … There are some really, really interesting bands.”
NICOLA SIRKIS
Nicola Sirkis has a very simple answer when asked what throughline connects Indochine 1.0 to Indochine 2.0. “Moi.” Fact, not boast. As the sole original member of the band, L’état, c’est lui. Sirkis has been the face and sound, in version one, which took the band to euro-wave stardom in the 1980s and ended around 1993, when Un jour dans notre vie stiffed, the second featuring the renewed success of the ’00s, a darker sound, and sadly, the death of Nicola’s twin brother, guitar/keyboardist Stéphane, of hepatitis in 1999.
“I think there is a soul to Indochine,” Sirkis says, “and I am its guardian.”
In a telephone interview conducted in French from Paris, he is charming, cheerful and generous about Indochine’s place on the new wave map. Wait. Is this Paris calling? Where’s the attitude? It is briefly reassuring when he bluntly answers “Is the weather nice there?” with “No. The weather is not nice, and it’s cold.”
But Indochine is warm — hot, even. They were the first French band to play hometown Stade de France (cap. 80,000), and the Black City Parade album has been (justifiably) hailed as a triumph. “After 30 years of existence, to have an album that has been so well received by both the critics and the fans, it’s … cool,” Sirkis says.
Recorded over 14 months in Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Tokyo and New York, it necessarily has an internationalist sound and perspective.
“The album travelled just about everywhere. Paris is where we live. Berlin and New York are these huge metropolitan cities with a tremendous artistic, speedy energy. Tokyo is the city of tradition and of the future. Each contributed a different energy.” He credits mixer Shane Stoneback with creating “an incredible sound” — one that “has evolved over 30 years, thank goodness. I mean, I don’t think we can approach the popularity of Coldplay or New Order.”
No, although an international band, Indochine’s horizons have always been somewhat straitened — a limitation that is baked in the cake when you sing en français. Big in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Quebec — and also Mexico and Japan. Thirty years, 10 million albums, Stade de France, and yet if you mentioned the name in most metropolitan centres in North America, they might think you were talking dim sum.
“Indochine is completely unknown in the anglophone world except by people in the business,” Sirkis, 53, says.
“In New York, there is a band named Charlie who are fans of Indochine. We’ve become a cult band for sound engineers and musicians in the current sort of new wave movement. Ives (Malibu band), for instance, loves what Indochine does. In England, we’re a bit of a cult reference point as well.”
This is a shame, given the strengths of the new record. But it’s of no concern to Sirkis.
“No, it does not bother me. I understood how it works. If we weren’t going to be the priority for Monsieur Toutle-monde — je m’en fous. Today, if people want to seek us out on the Internet, great, if not, too bad. I’m very happy where we are. I know plenty of bands who go on world tours, I’m quite happy going to where people love us.”
He’s chummy with contemporaries in the Cure, Depeche Mode and later peers like Placebo. “I know them well, yes.” Those must be some laughriot kaffeeklatsches. Regardless, Sirkis is happy with Indochine’s level of fame.
“It allowed me to travel to Japan and be relaxed there. I don’t feel the need to do more ‘business.’ Even though I love the Anglo-Saxon rock cul- ture, I could never have had a career in English. I don’t need to be Daft Punk.”
Montreal, of course, is not most metropolitan centres. As Indochine heads in to play the Bell Centre on Friday, Sirkis acknowledges a “special bond” with the city.
“Absolutely, we’ve played some incredible concerts there, people love us. But it remains strange — a touch of France in North America,” Sirkis says. “I think rock in Montreal has evolved brilliantly — there’s so much francophone variety, there are some really, really interesting bands.”
The album even features a song, Le Fond de l’air est rouge, that addresses the Printemps érable.
“Nobody in France was talking about the movement at the time because we were in the middle of a presidential election. But I have so many friends in Quebec who called me or wrote emails. Concurrently, there was the death of Chris Marker, who I liked a lot, who made (French film) Le Fond de l’air est rouge, which examined revolutions around the world.” And found them … wanting.
“But in North America, it’s rare to see demonstrations, student demonstrations for a good cause. As opposed to, for a football match. The cause was tuition fees, and that’s a good cause. And the ‘red’ symbolism struck me as very romantic.”
There is an obvious romanticism in persisting with the Indochine sound for 30-plus years. So let us leaven it with a closing note of irony. Black City Parade — the title is in English …
“In French, it was La Parade de la ville noire, meaning we crossed through many cities at night, and the album was the luminous element.” Yes, but why en anglais? “Ah. Because in French, I didn’t think it sounded as good.”
Indochine plays the Bell Centre on Friday night. Tickets are $67.50 and are available via Evenko at evenko.ca or at 514-790-2525.