Plaza Francia is a new band that includes two veteran celebrities, Eduardo Makaroff and Christoph H Müller, from the successful electronic tango outfit Gotan Project. But what makes the project special is the French singer Catherine Ringer, who spent nearly 30 years working with the synth-pop band Les Rita Mitsouko. She never acquired more than a cult British following, but that could still change, judging from this charming and versatile performance.
The set, part of La Linea festival, blended tango with echoes of chanson, in songs that were in turn sassy, witty and unexpectedly powerful. Ringer, singing mostly in Spanish, has a natural talent for the emotion and theatricality of tango, and a vocal style that can switch from breathy balladry to feisty anthems.
She dominated the stage, holding her own against a curious musical lineup. She was flanked on one side by a bandoneon player – demonstrating the large, concertina-like instrument that has played a key role in Argentine tango – and on the other by Makaroff, who switched between acoustic and electric guitars. And behind her was the insistent and often noisy rhythm section, with Müller perched behind the keyboards, providing effects and throbbing electronic percussion. There was a drumkit on stage but no drummer – programmed robotic arms wielded the sticks, sounding predictably limited.
The band started with the first five tracks from their debut album, A New Tango Song Book, and then began to branch out. There were a handful of Gotan songs and a treatment of Astor Piazzolla’s classic Libertango, in French and English, with reminders that it had also been reworked by Grace Jones. And there was one song from Les Rita Mitsouko’s repertoire – their 1984 hit Marcia Baila, a tribute to an Argentinian dancer – on which Ringer sounded both playful and operatic. Thanks to her, this was an impressive British debut for Plaza Francia.
• La Linea continues in London until 30 April.
