Tahiti 80, riding the Gallic crest started by Air and Daft Punk, have crashed onto our shores to recreate the summer of love for those of us who were just twinkles in our dad's eyes first time around.
Falling firmly into the same camp as Phoenix, the Tahiti's blend 70s California surf rock with modern pop sensibilities and throw some dance beats into the mix just for laughs. They look like the stoners who populate the smoking porches of suburban US high schools. But instead of growing up to pump your gas, they formed a band influenced by the potheads that made good before them.
Singer Xavier Boyer, a hunka hunka hottie, is the primary songwriter and de facto leader of the band. While his voice does at times sound scarily like Paul Simon's, he plays both his keyboards and guitar with the equal exuberance of someone who makes music not only because they love it - but because they believe in it.
The venue is sweatier than a Turkish bath, but the music is so refreshing that you just don't care. The music transports you back to when you were young and space hoppers were the main form of transport and your only worry was what's for lunch.
'Yellow Butterfly' gently warbles into your ears, then wraps its honeysuckle vines around your heart while the horns coat it all in a candyfloss haze. Sitar sounding guitars, the buzzing humming undercurrent and honey-soaked vocals mark out the lovely 'I.S.A.A.C' .
'Revolution 80' is the ass kicker of the set. Live, they space jam it up and flesh it out. Its trumpet inflections winking like mica among the prog rock keyboard interludes while bass player Pedro Resende hits the decks. Make no mistake, all this sweetness is not saccharine rubbish. The music evokes the magic of running barefoot through newly cut grass - its jubilance is intoxicating.
Tahiti 80, while not as complex as Phoenix, are sunny sunnersons making marvellously breezy tunes that score a ten on the pop meter. They wrap up their well received set with a cover of The Byrds' 'So You Want To Be A Rock-n-Roll Star'. The perfect cover to end a perfect set with the perfect summer fun band.
