French electronic pioneers Air have delighted the crowds in Southampton city centre as they celebrated the more than 25 years since the release of their groundbreaking album Moon Safari. The duo from Versailles, near Paris, won a Grammy award for best electronic/dance album when they released the 10-track album in 1998. Now Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel have performed the album in its entirety during the Southampton Summer Sessions series of outdoor concerts next to the Hampshire city’s Guildhall.
Dressed in white, the French duo were all smiles as they were greeted with cheers from the audience as they went straight into playing the album from start to finish. To the side of the stage, a signer for audience members with hearing difficulties earned her own fan club among the crowd for her enthusiastic dancing. After finishing the final track, Penelope, the band took their bows before coming back on stage through a cloud of dry ice and pulsing red lights.
They then launched into a selection from their other albums including Venus, Cherry Blossom Girl and Run from Talkie Walkie, which itself is 20 years old this year as well as Don’t Be Light from Everybody Hertz which broke the rhythm of the evening to end the set with its rave tempo beats. The band then returned to the stage for an encore which included Alone In Kyoto, the final track of Talkie Walkie and Electronic Performers from 10,000hz Legend. Speaking ahead of the tour commemorating the classic album which h.
