Oneida

In France, Oneida are illustrious unknowns. That's what you might gather from the sparse size and makeup of the crowd at their first-ever Paris show. The Nouveau Casino is a small venue, though a very welcoming one. A sold-out crowd is nowhere in sight, and a Paris show whose tickets aren't snapped up in advance is a real rarity. It's even more surprising when you consider the ticket price doesn't even reach double figures. Wandering through the wide open spaces that a decidedly un-crowded audience creates in front of the stage, you notice that a surprisingly large chunk of the crowd is English-speaking, and that, besides yours truly, there are only about ten Italians in attendance (!).

On the bill to open for the main act are Blutt, a Paris-based group (of forty-somethings) who serve up a New York-inspired rock sound, somewhere between Ramones and newer trends, that also hints at the new wave they probably grew up listening to as teenagers. Fun and likeable, theirs is a tightly wound performance without a single moment to catch your breath: a good starter.

Oneida, who watched the Blutt set from within the crowd, keep us waiting only a few minutes, just enough time to bring their gear onstage and make some last-minute adjustments.

They open with an unreleased track, written just a few days before the tour began, Hanoi Jane (the guitarist/bassist) will tell me afterwards: it's "Silver Apples", an instrumental whose obsessive groove and title are an obvious tribute to the legendary band of the same name, fellow New Yorkers and spiritual kin. The barrages we've come to expect from the trio are present here too: Kid Millions (his performance is extraordinary, though for him extraordinary seems to be routine: he's spoiling us) pounds the drums with inhuman speed and power, while Hanoi Jane on guitar and Fat Bobby behind an old keyboard supply that rough sonic blend that is Oneida's trademark. What's surprising, the track's real added value, is a lush psychedelic oasis that unexpectedly blooms right in the middle of this wordless mantra.

For the second song they return to familiar ground: introduced with a minimal "a song by Oneida, from Brooklyn, New York", here comes a lengthy version of "Each One Teach One", as sharp and effective as ever, though unfortunately somewhat marred by poor levels on Hanoi Jane's microphone, whose expressions of displeasure (to put it mildly) are quite eloquent. The issue only gets fixed after the song ends. Same introduction again, "a song by Oneida, from Brooklyn, New York", and off they go, this time without a hitch, into "Double Lock Your Mind". Finally able to perform at their best, Oneida immediately hit full throttle.

The blazing finale deserves a far different audience than the sparse, half-static paying crowd on hand tonight. Hanoi Jane, the standout of the night so far, lets loose with a solo that starts with a few strikes behind the guitar neck and ends with the instrument played with his teeth and over his head. When the song ends, he can't help but burst out laughing.

Not only are the band on fire tonight, but they're also more relaxed than you'd expect for their Paris debut. Fat Bobby is talking a bit about the next song when someone in the crowd asks, "Who wrote this song?". Laughter breaks out both on and off stage, and once again the keyboardist answers: "This is a song by Oneida, from Brooklyn, New York". This line becomes the running joke of the night: no song will be introduced any other way! We then get to "$50 Tea", the first cut from their latest effort, "Secret Wars". Fairly faithful to the original, as is the following "Wild Horses", the first and only breather after so many (and such!) assaults on our ears. For the first time all evening, Fat Freddy swaps the keyboard for a Les Paul. Don't be fooled, though, into thinking the result was a ballad in the classic sense. If we can call it a ballad at all, it's a ballad "Oneida-style", as the ever-friendly Hanoi Jane will explain to me afterwards: their beloved effects and distortion are still very much present.

Then comes the moment for “Fantastic Morgue”, from the split with Liars. Later on there's also room for “Privilege”, one of the best moments of the night, played as the second-to-last song. Next comes the lightning strike of “Capt. Bo Dignifies the Allegations with a Response”: by the time you've finished reading out the title, the song is already over, leaving behind a faint whiff of electric storm and the sound of Kid Millions gasping for breath. The unreleased tracks “Lavender” and “Men on the Scene” keep the level high and bode well for the future. “Caesar’s Column”, one of the more unusual tracks from “Secret Wars”, feels more ordinary live, but it still manages to win over the crowd, finally warming up.

The grand finale falls to another unreleased track, and it's a real surprise. “Up with People” unfolds for about a quarter of an hour over an unusual (for Oneida) dance rhythm, a clear nod to the New York bands they've named as friends. It's a bit late in the set to pull this off, but the crowd goes wild anyway. When silence finally falls, we're all exhausted, not just Kid Millions (on some tracks he sings while pounding out dizzying rhythms on the drums: how does he do it?). Anyone who was there can count themselves lucky, and it's nice to see that Oneida know it too.

Finally, it's impossible to close this review without praising the band's warmth and friendliness after the show. All three of them came down among the crowd to chat and sign autographs. Hanoi Jane even went out of his way to offer discounted prices on their CDs to anyone who stopped to talk with him. I myself benefited from his efforts, paying a total of 10 euros for “Each One Teach One” and “Secret Wars”. You could even give Kid Millions a pat on the shoulder and get your hand soaked in his sweat: well, I said “you could”…

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