Girls In Hawaii – Live at Rock en Seine – August 26, 2017 – RFI – France International –
More highlights from this year’s Rock en Seine Festival. Tonight it’s another Belgian Indie group, Girls In Hawaii, who are not, or shouldn’t be, unfamiliar to some Americans. They did a West Coast tour in 2006 on the occasion of their 2003 debut album, From Here To There, released in the U.S. via China Shop Music.
At the moment, they have four albums out but a new one, Nocturne, is slated for release this September 29 and a pre-order is available via their website. After this appearance, they continue their tour of Europe, with a final date in Utrecht in March of 2018. A busy remainder of the year for them.
Girls In Hawaii are a very engaging and accomplished band. They are very appealing and tight. This is definitely a band who could do a U.S. tour of small/medium sized gigs or as an opening act. They have a lot going for them, and this concert has no dull spots. I would put them on the must-see list of bands with something extra.
One of the best things about the current status of Festivals in Europe are the amount of homegrown acts appearing on the programs – and how they are being actively promoted via live streams and broadcast websites. They are helping bring about an awareness of music coming from other countries – and outlets like RFI and Sveriges Radio are performing a wonderful service by doing so. I keep harping on this, but it proves to be true every day; there is a wealth of really exceptional talent in Europe (and elsewhere) that has been slowly gathering attention of audiences all over the world – something that was impossible as little as 10 years ago. The potential success of an artist or group is no longer predicated by their location, or even their language – it’s the musical abilities and points of view that are important – and because of that, the playing field is level.
I think that’s a win-win situation for everyone – and it certainly keeps music vital and growing, because the musical exchange of ideas is critical if contemporary music is going to survive and go forward. This is the future and it speaks a ton of different languages.
Crank this one up and enjoy.
