Singer-songwriter N NAO sold out the Casa del Popolo on Friday evening, accompanied by the electronic music duo Saudade composed of Marilou Lyonnais Archambault and Nela Paki (Laced).
N NAO (Naomie de Lorimier for short) is a risk taker. His music challenges mainstream norms. His most recent effort Water and dreams, released on the Mothland record label in March 2023, could not be better suited to its title. A veil of chimeras envelops each song, in which the filtered voice of the artist is put forward. The lyrics are sometimes perfectly perceptible, sometimes rather abstract, blending in with the rest of the compositions.
The aquatic element is recurring throughout the album. The arrangements are gently muffled under layers of effects, taking the form of distant sounds resonating as if they were underwater. Through the omnipresence of electronics and synthetics, we find human sensitivity and its close relationship with nature and the organic. This tension was also highlighted during the concert on April 26.
Saudade set the tone for the evening with an ambient electro appetizer. Lyonnais Archambault and Paki were seated face to face along a long table, in front of their amalgamation of machines. A few little glances accompanied by knowing smiles punctuated their movements and head swings. The artists offered a very gentle performance, linking together soaring pieces dotted with bass notes.
N NAO arrived on stage wearing a tight, cut-out khaki tunic, paired with a pair of FILA pants. A multitude of sparkling jewels adorned her arms and ears. Smoke billowed from behind the stage and crawled along the floor, eventually filling the room. On his short song Nymph, de Lorimier shares with us his meeting with the character, over the course of a winter. The musician played her own goddess on Friday evening.
The artist Flavie Lemée was stationed at the front of the stage behind an overhead projector. Throughout the evening, she created live webs of light projected on N NAO and her partner Charles Marsolais-Ricard. Despite the precariousness of Lemée’s homemade system, and the breaking of a vase full of water during the performance, this addition was precious to the intimate but so generous staging. Sequins, acetates and colored pipe cleaners were there, transforming into shimmering shadows.
Marsolais-Ricard participated in the show a little behind his guitar, his xylophone and his numerous pedals. He led the development of a fantasy soundtrack in which we could all become the hero.
The album Water and dreams by N NAO is available on Bandcamp. The album Rest EP by Saudade is available on Bandcamp. Photos by Mlynello Art Mlynello.
