The bilingual artist French The Kid visits Rough Trade Bristol to perform songs from his innovative new mixtape No Signal set to be one of his most emotional records so far, followed by a meet & greet session with the fans.
Words & Images: Mitchell Williams, @mitchellvisuals
Although the room wasn’t packed out, it was filled exclusively by extremely passionate fans who were more than keen to get involved. Performing songs from the mixtape White Wine and Single Player, followed by some of his greatest hits such as Thrill and Can’t Feel My Face, the setlist was equipped with tracks for everyone.
French invited the intimate crowd to join him up on stage for his last song. One fan in particular stood out to him from the rest as they had memorised every lyric on the record. This was noticed by French who offered them their own microphone to rap alongside him.
Afterwards, I had expected the typical ‘sign and go’ we’re used to in larger meet & greet sessions, however French took the time to speak to every attendee. He offered photos and autographs, and even chatted with fans who couldn’t make it via FaceTime! There’s nothing like being able to spend real time with an artist you’re a big fan of without feeling rushed away.
His team came with a fresh batch of ‘No Signal’ merchandise, but also offered free album slips to sign. Coupled with the free tickets given out to begin with, it was clear that this session was truly meant for the fans.
To my surprise, most of those fans attending had travelled from out of Bristol, some as far as Melksham. The intimate setting meant each of us had plenty of time to spend with French and his team, discussing No Signal, our favourite songs, and what it meant to all of us.
Thanks to Kat and all the team at Rough Trade Bristol
French The Kid returns to Bristol as part of his upcoming UK Tour for a sold out show at The Exchange, 22/05/23.
You can find out more information about him via his website & Instagram
