Review: Caravan Palace in Cambridge

The French purveyors of 1920s-inspired electro-swing (among other styles) got the Corn Exchange jumping, quite literary, last Saturday evening (January 25).

A sold-out crowd welcomed this electrifying band, led by the very talented and charismatic Zoé Colotis, on stage just after 9pm.

Everyone was in the mood for dancing, it seemed, and some revellers seemed completely unaware of the fact that their aggressive movements were inconveniencing those in their immediate vicinity.

Still, selfish behaviour among concert-goers is often a given at gigs these days, sadly...

Not every Caravan Palace song is a winner but when these Parisian musicians get it right, they really shine - as the outstanding Plume emphatically proved early on, with Zoé teaching the audience the dance moves beforehand.

The likeable star invited the willing crowd to dance on a number of occasions and requested we sing along on their 2017 cover of Ram Jam's Black Betty. Needless to say, most were more than happy to oblige.

Aside from their deeply satisfying melodies, which also included Miracle, Rock It for Me, Wonderland and Lone Digger, the band also brought out an amazing dancer to demonstrate his 1920s-esque moves.

Zoé joined in on a couple of numbers and it was this combined effort that really took the gig - and the overall positive vibe - to another level.

Leading from the front with great power and energy, the band themselves jumped when encouraging the crowd to do the same.

It's easy to see why so many people turned out on a cold January night to see this magnificent outfit, and what better way to kick off the roaring (20)20s than with these masters of combining the old and the new.