A few weeks ago I did an article on Lemaitre‘s The Friendly Sound EP; after publishing it I was able to get into contact with the band over Twitter and eventually work out plans to meet them in person for an article. Originally an interview was planned, but after having the chance to meet and spend some time with Lemaitre, I suggested to their manager I instead take a narrative approach to the night and how it unfolded. Below is my retelling of the night from getting to the club up until the end of their set. I hope you enjoy the read and get a different perspective than you would from a normal Q&A interview.
I get to club a little early with my friend and after some small delays we get inside. I meet Lemaitre’s manager at the merch booth and he mistakes me as someone else. He thought I was Avenue, who had officially remixed one of Lemaitre’s tracks and is also from Toronto. After I explain to him I am from YourEDM and things get cleared up, I got an escort backstage to meet Lemaitre. As I’m being taken through the doors and turning the corners my heart’s pounding and my stomach is full of butterflies. It’s not everyday you get to meet one of your favorite artists in person and sit down with them to ask them about their music.
As I enter the backstage room they’re chilling out in, immediately all my nerves and worries disappear. Lemaitre are incredibly welcoming people and I instantly felt comfortable as soon as I started talking with them. We only had the chance to chat for a few minutes before they mentioned they needed to go out to get dinner before their set. A little disheartened our encounter would be so short, I prepared myself to go back into the crowd of people; thankfully, I ended up joining them to find a place and have a meal. While we were walking I was given a good bit of time to talk to each member about various things. We discussed multiple DAWs and what they use to make their music: Ableton is their go to. They brought news to me of an upcoming album in the works. Yes, it’s a full album, and not an EP, which will contain elements on their older stuff and more recent songs.
They explained that their recent EP Singularity had gotten mixed reactions and they weren’t overly surprised given the direction they took with it. After walking for a while we end up at a restaurant that Ulrik found on an iPhone app he was using. All seven of us sat down (Ulrik, Ketil ,Johannes, Avenue, his manager, me and my friend) and ordered our food. The conversations kept going on with things like music, differences between North America and Europe, the new iPhones; and at one point Ketil showed me his music playlist on his phone. It contained some classic artists like Jimi Hendrix. The meal itself was cut short as they had to head back to the club so they wouldn’t be late for their set, leaving me and my friend to walk back by ourselves.
My friend and I ran back to the club to try and avoid missing anything. Security gave us some trouble explaining we weren’t supposed to have left the club once entering; thankfully, I was able to explain to them I had just eaten with one of the performing acts. We got back just in time and Lemaitre started no longer than five minutes after we were in. I later found out this was the case for all their shows on this tour, but while eating with them I had asked if they could play one of their lesser known singles “Excuse Me.” It was the track they opened with, and it went off well. The crowd was incredibly receptive to everything they played, you could audibly hear screams and clapping when familiar songs came on. The energy was wonderful and Lemaitre didn’t drop it for even a second. Their stage presence and how they carried themselves made it feel like we were at a rock show and not an electronic event. Ketil at one point even got into the center of stage and played the “Final Countdown” riff, causing everyone to lose their minds. Near the end of their set he also threw his Lemaitre hat into the crowd, further adding to the feeling of a rock show and the high energy atmosphere.
Overall as people Lemaitre were some of the nicest and more receptive people I’ve ever met, their manager included. The show they put on was just as awesome and made for a whole new experience on music I’d heard dozens of times in my headphones. If you see these Norwegian dudes touring your city, you should be leaping at the chance to go, as you won’t be disappointed. Lemaitre is on the rise without signs of stopping.
