Agathe is a Paris-based student with an album out on iTunes and a ukelele in her hand. The Panel took a virtual trip to France to check this little lady out…
Alistair Mason: In the Big Top Gear Book of National Stereotypes, I’m fairly sure nowhere in the no doubt sizeable section entitled ‘The French’ does it mention an aptitude for folk music. We should thank Agathe for having proved that national stereotypes are rubbish by producing folk music of the highest calibre. Armed with a ukulele and the voice of a songbird, Paris-based musician Agathe produces tunes of simple, haunting beauty. There’s a celtic feel to songs like Chase Me and The Call, while Shakespeare And Co and The Weeping Man have a gently jaunty music box sensibility. For a Leeds lad like me it’s impossible not to hear a touch of Fran Rodgers about Agathe’s music, though it’s impossible to believe the two have ever met. Agathe says she identifies more with the British folk scene than that of France. On behalf of the Brits, I’d say we’re happy to have her.
Gemma Hampson: Everything about Agathe envisages a golden age – a past time. That’s not a bad thing. Her songs are really pretty, dominated by a cute ukulele, and her melodies wind around in a sweet and simple twirl, like candy cane from the child snatcher. Her defining feature is her voice. Obviously classically trained, she creates note perfect operatics – much like a lady Beirut. The subtle Parisian twang brings a lovely element too – in fact I wish I could hear it a little more. Her voice is obviously spectacular if you like that kind of thing, which I do, in the right circumstances. Here, it’s mostly wonderful and interesting to listen to, but can be a little too Phantom at times. If, like me, you hate musicals, this is a bit annoying. But when she holds back a little, her tone is rich, pretty and enticing – and shows off the intricate eccentricities of her song-writing.
James Robinson: Parisian ingénue Agathe and her ukulele make pleasant if somewhat sombre music about love and summer and literature. She adopts a very prim vocal style, and writes songs that err towards the cerebral. They might well impress the beardy intellectuals that I imagine populate the Paris Left Bank, but she’s underselling herself in the pursuit of seriousness. Agathe’s numerous YouTube uploads, under the name Peyrson, suggest a much more charming and appealing performer; her minimalist covers of Tom Waits and Beirut tracks with guitarist ‘Fine’ are sensational. She should do more of those and become a megastar on the international coffee-shop circuit.
Visit Agathe And The Little Things by clicking here