Two hours on a plane, one hour on a train, and six flights up a winding staircase landed me at the door of Alexis’s Parisian flat; where two glasses of Champagne were happily waiting. I dropped my bags in the cozy lamp-lit living room and took in the bohemian décor (or “bobo” to the French) teak furniture and bookshelves of French literature. We joyously shared a celebratory drink, “Sante!”. I sipped it down quickly – happy to blur my exhaustion and forget the aggressive altercations I’d had with Air France employees that day. Speed was also of the essence because the Warpaint show started in 45 minutes.

It was a quick walk down Boulevard de Clichy to the venue, La Trianon. The red light district of Pigalle is visible from afar by the bright lights of the Moulin Rouge, and nestled among an array of sex shops and crepe stands. But soon enough those sights and sounds gave way to the true neighborhood ambiance – one filled with French cafes, whose full tables spilled onto the sidewalk, murals adorned every alleyway, and chic Parisians (à la mode, évidemment) promenaded down the boulevard. Once we arrived at, La Trianon, I was immediately impressed. The venue was beautiful, concert goers were led up two white marble staircases to the main lobby which was adorned with chandeliers & red velvet curtains. In the face of the music hall’s captivating opulence, the band’s “merch” table seemed almost comically underdressed. Inside the venue we filled in the main concert floor where opulent golden balconies hung above us.

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Despite the ironic nature of seeing an LA band while abroad in Paris, Warpaint perfectly matched the city’s artsy culture and minimalist fashion. With a sparse rock sound that often pairs with avant-garde vocals, it was obvious that they were very much at home in Paris. After an initial language barrier snafu the audience was quickly won over by the band’s alt rock,female-powered vibe. Within 3 hours of my arrival in Paris I was swaying alongside 200 new friends as lead singer, Emily Kokal, crooned  Warpaint’s 2015 title track, the heart-thumping “No Way Out (Redux)”. With haunting bass lines this song is reminiscent of “The XX”, but Warpaint takes this genre up a notch by adding an electric shot of adrenaline and three more kick-ass females on stage.

Their set continued with a few songs from Warpaint’s 2010 album, The Fool. Despite the band’s rise to international fame over the past few years this album continues to be their best loved and most famous. A notable song they played was, “Undertow”, eliciting many excited hoots and hollers from the crowd.

Throughout the show Warpaint’s bandmates  were illuminated by an oscillating purple and green light show. These women were lit up as true rock stars – delighting us with drawn out lo-fi guitar riffs and even a few notable drums solos. The distorted guitar and vocals on “Go In” harkened back to the band’s beach-bound roots; a reminder of summer warmth that the Parisians in the audience were more than happy to dream of as they clutched winter hats and gloves in the concert hall.

Warpaint’s show was also notable for it’s varied range of song styles. From hard rocking anthems to folk-tinged ballads the band brought the audience through a range of emotions and experience. In the song “Billie Holiday” Warpaint exuded this deep reservoir of soulful resonance that reverberated throughout La Trianon. Since this is my favorite Warpaint song I had high hopes for the performance, and their superior execution of the ballad made me squeal with pure delight. When a band like Warpaint is able to demonstrate such varied musical dexterity it bodes well for their musical future, denoting new possible avenues of complexity that will help keep their sound relevant for many years to come.

Warpaint’s concert was a delightful introduction to Paris: a true European culture center where the residents live and breathe art everyday. In a community where one attends an art opening (“vernissage”) as commonly as Americans attend a house party, it was refreshing to bask in the creative glory of it all. The show at La Trianon was also a helpful reminder that we are all active participants in the art industry and lovers of culture. And in the spirit of the recent Spring Equinox celebration, I was able to reflect upon the fact that every few months we all begin a new phase of life. Thus we are granted the opportunity to mindfully integrate more artistic expression in our lives and in this way adopt the Parisian philosophy of welcoming “Art as Life”.