Bye Bye Manchester

Ever since she was a teenager, Mélanie Pain had dreamed about going to Manchester – the city that produced bands like The Smiths and New Order seemed to radiate a doomed romance, and she was determined to experience it for herself. When it came time to write her second solo album, the Nouvelle Vague singer decided to give it a try. Pain’s new album is called Bye Bye Manchester, and it is inspired by the love-hate qualities of the rainy northern city, and by the need to escape and go somewhere new. Pain’s first musical outing was as a singer for quirky covers outfit Nouvelle Vague, and though she also performs solo now, the band is still a vital part of her live. “Nouvelle Vague was always something wonderful and unreal,” she says. “I’ve been touring with them for ten years now and I still can’t believe it. We’ve been everywhere in the world, and it’s always been something really fun to do – covering great songs.” Pain feels privileged and spoiled to be able to tour with Nouvelle Vague. “For me, it’s always been about balancing this one part of my life with the other part, where I write my own songs. I struggle with my own songs, I have doubts about what I want to do, but then I go on stage with Nouvelle Vague and it’s just fun and easy. I’m really addicted now to going on tour, so Nouvelle Vague is great for that.” The lessons Pain has learned over the years with Nouvelle Vague have translated to her own alluring live show. “You can rehearse as much as you want in dark rooms, but it’s never going to replace even one gig,” she says. “With Nouvelle Vague, we did hundreds of gigs, and I really learned a lot about going on stage, and enjoying the fact that you never know what’s going to happen. Nouvelle Vague gave the confidence to take pleasure on stage even if there are accidents happening around me. I really learned that it’s important not to get too stressed, and to just go out there and have fun. That was a great lesson, because it’s important to go on stage and be confident – that’s the first step to really enjoying yourself.”