Caravan Palace hit the stage Wednesday night at the Fox Theater in Oakland, putting on an absolutely amazing show! Caravan Palace is based in Paris, France. They are an electro-swing band, a combination of flat four to the floor dance music with vintage, hopping swing music on top. Their first album, titled Caravan Palace, was released in October 2008, with their second album, Panic, released four years later in March 2012. Their most recent album, Robot Face, was released just last year in October. They played several songs off of it such as “Wonderland” and “Comics,” as well as their single, “Lone Digger.”
Even though they have an electronic sound, you may be surprised to discover Caravan Palace has a full band of seven people, each one of them very talented. For example, their baritone sax player took the place of the low, gooey bass sound in electronic music. Another unexpected highlight was Paul-Marie Barbier’s solos on vibraphone. They had an incredible stage presence that made the crowd go wild. Frontwoman Zoé Colotis talked to the crowd all throughout the night, and each band member looked like they were having the time of their life and giving their all.
The Fox Theater was a great setting for this event. The sound was stellar, and, even though it is a large venue, it still keeps the feeling of being intimate, with a unique twist on an old theater look. From the Trapeze Worldwide burlesque dancers on stage, to the people in the audience swing dancing or just doing their own thing, the crowd was going crazy in the most wonderful ways. The Fox was so packed when people applauded, stomped their feet and cheered, the whole venue shook. It was truly magical and a great venue to go to time and time again.
Words and Photos: Anouk Nexus.