LIVE REPORT: Eugene McGuinness @ Studio 104, Paris

Last year, at the exact same date, Kasabian played the same venue for their promo gig on French TV. As happy as I was to see the lads from Leicester back on stage, I was still partly disappointed with the quality of the new songs and their lack of live power compared to, let's say, Fire. Tonight, clearly, the scenario was different as Eugene McGuinness just nailed a mind-blowing performance of seven of his own songs and one cover by the original King Monkey Ian Brown.

I had last seen McGuinness perform with Miles Kane and never would I have imagined that red-haired guy to be THAT talented and to outstrip the Liverpudlian singer. I had listened to The Invitation To The Voyage for the interview I had with him earlier in the day and though the tunes are powerful, I was expecting a Morrissey-like experience. Sure I was wrong.

8:30PM. A handful of the usual britrock lovers had won their way to the studio and some journalists and bloggers had willingly taken two trains and two buses to get in this suburbian area to see McGuinness play. Which we have to admit is already some kind of success for a singer or a band in Paris late August. After the now traditional rehearsal and recording of applauses (yeah, for whatever reasons, TV shows think people will stay dumb in between songs), the band took the stage by storm with Lion. If you think this song is anthemic on an album, wait till you hear it live. That guy does know how to grasp and grip his listeners. Either playing the guitar and singing or being a crooner, McGuinness delivered a heart-rending performance of Harlequinade and Sugarplum. McGuinness is more than your typical 20-something rock n' roll wannabe. Somehow, he manages to sum up what Britain had and still has best to offer-ie anthemic tunes. So you can easily imagine what it sounded like: raw, powerful, dantesque.

As the usual round of applauses were not over, the guy from the production came back and announced the band would play one more tune- Dolphins Were Monkeys, one of Ian Brown's most famous songs. McGuinness told us he would do it and did it. A gentleman with a rock n' roll background. Ladies, beware, the guy will be back in Paris September 25th for what already seems to be one of these concerts you should not miss.