Okay, so bear with me on this, alright? This is going to be a tricky one to digest. So, imagine a bunch of French preppie kids with their finest threads and slickest cufflinks. Now throw in a sprinkle of Glee personas and a dash of High School Musical influences. With that concoction, you should have an idea in your head as to what these lot are about. If you clocked these guys on the street you'd probably shrug them off and think, 'alright, so they probably harmonise to the sounds of their own egos self-inflating'. And then you'll probably say something like, 'pfft! I bet they can't harmonise a band like Rancid!' Ahem, well, ladies and gentlemen, I've got something to show you. Because, ironically enough, our French friends have nailed that challenge right on the head. They have, in fact, made us question our own minds when it comes to making first impressions. B.A.Z, the up and coming French orchestra, have taken the world by surprise with vocal medley's covering some of the most iconic punk bands in history. From Rancid to NOFX, No Use For A Name to Blink 182. Heck, they even swindled a twenty-minute set with Fat Mike himself at a NOFX gig. Now, that's pretty impressive, you know, for a bunch of French prep kids. *sniff*
Admittedly, when I first came across one of their vocal medley's, I kind of hated them. Why? Probably because it was all gooey and slow as oppose to aggressive and fast. But, when I came across a punk cover, of course, I fully expected it to at least sound like the original. But then, as I stuck through the first couple of tracks, I started to feel myself jamming to their harmonies. And, from there, felt myself let go of the street punk clutching on to my heartstrings and just sort of rolled with this newfound version of Glee. But, rather than cheesy one hit wonders, it was actually good music sang by a crew of talented dudes. Sure, you wouldn't mosh to it. But, you might just find yourself rocking out to it internally. And, to be honest, I think that's still special in its own way. Strip away your leather jacket and studded belt and you might just notice that It's alright to turn it down from eleven once in a while. It's nothing to be ashamed of to just bop your head to French kids synchronising. If anything, it's more punk rock to just not care at all about what you're listening to. Even the elite punks can't deny that. So throw in your patches for a night. Grab a damn coffee. And just listen to some bloody B.A.Z, mate. You might just be surprised.
Follow B.A.Z on Facebook for all the latest antics. Or, if you're not convinced just yet, how about checking out the live coverage of their set with NOFX? That might just whet your appetite for some French orchestral sounds. Or, you know, maybe not. Either way, B.A.Z have me sold.
- Jord Tury The Void (Editor)
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