With more than 400,000 tickets sold for the “CENTRAL TOUR” Indochine 2022 broke the attendance record in all categories (music and sports) in every stadium where they performed. Reason enough for the band to capture their gig at the Groupama Stadium in Lyon with 22 IMAX cameras in moving images. The result, “Central Tour in Cinema”, is a 170-minute concert film that brings a monumental event to the local cinema.
Nicola Sirkis in tenfold resolution
From the formation Indochine, which caused a stir in France in the early 1980s and broke heteronormative borders, only singer Nicola Sirkis remains today. The group already had 19 band members, including Sirkis and his deceased twin brother Stéphane. Nevertheless, Indochine are by far the most successful formation on the French market. This success can be mainly explained by their live presence – since 2002 Indochine have been touring regularly.
But: The band mostly categorically rejected television appearances. Understandable when you consider that the then almost 20-year-old lead singer was often asked in live interviews why he couldn’t sing and still went on stage, as an androgynous young man wearing make-up on stage “like the women “ and dedicated myself to synth pop, which was still disreputable at the time.
The fact that an IMAX concert film of all things will be shown in the cinemas on the occasion of its 40th anniversary, with numerous portrait shots of the singer in almost ten times the resolution (compared to conventional 35mm cameras), could indicate that the 63- year-old Sirkis has found himself completely and wants to stand with his face for more than 40 years of band history that can be shown.
All generations united in front of the UFO stage
The concert film begins with a bird’s-eye view and lets the images speak of the fact that more than 400,000 guests of all ages gathered for this concert, everything between “La Boum” (1980) and “Lol” (2008).
The striking stage design is characterized by a UFO-like, round ring screen structure in the middle of the star-shaped stage, onto which political video recordings from 40 years of world history are projected at the beginning: You can see Macron, the election of Trump, pictures from the pandemic, wars, and recordings the early years of the band.
Then the current five band members enter the stadium. Nicola Sirkis in Berghainesque combat boots outfit and apparently bulletproof vest, his meanwhile silver, tangled hair as a trademark.
Wembley feeling
What then happens in 170 minutes is a mixture of a gripping Wembley Stadium feeling and an aging Sirkis, who must have walked more than 30 kilometers during the performance and sings heartwarmingly. His voice, reminiscent of The Cure and Placebo on the one hand and old French chanson on the other, vibrates over the frenetically cheering crowd.
Sensory overload in stark contrast to a relaxed band
Sirkis walks calmly and confidently over the catwalks into the audience, in close-up towards the cameras or kneels singing in front of his fans, while his colleagues stand on guitars, synths and drums and occasionally smile nonchalantly. Basses and guitar riffs thump through the stadium, while cones of light shoot out explosively from all corners and ends and the stage screen permanently depicts visuals, band and audience.
On the one hand, the event is almost sensory overload, while one hit chases the next without a break. On the other hand, Sirkis comes across as a relaxed professional who is serious about what he sang 40 years ago and is happy that the show around it distracts something from the otherwise unexcited performance.
Conclusion: revival of the concert film genre
Sitting in the cinema, the film seems a bit lengthy from about halfway, especially if you don’t speak French, you hardly understand a word – at least there are no subtitles at the film premiere. Even the surprise appearance of Christine and the Queens with the twitching contemporary dance movements is not enough as a permanent highlight. The film just picks up steam towards the end, as rainbow-colored confetti cannons burst over the concert audience, raining down a message the band has always been fond of standing for: individual freedom (queer-friendly, androgynous, non-binary) is paramount.
Ultimately, despite the impressive IMAX quality on the XXL screen, you are not there in person and can only rock the cinema chair. At the same time, due to the enormous stage show and the high picture quality, this could be a good solution for Corona winter or sold-out shows in other countries, which you can still experience almost up close. Because one thing is clear: the live music from thundering cinema sound systems is a particular pleasure.
“Indochine – Central Tour in Cinema” can be seen in cinemas worldwide for one night from November 23rd and 24th.